SEX 4, no volume pot????
- Thread starter Todd R
- Start date
wolfhill138
New member
Also would like to know if there's a straightforward way to incorporate volume control
Part of the tradeoff of all that extra power in the SEX 4 is that the Miller capacitance of the first stage is quite a bit higher than all previous SEX amps. If you just tack on a 100K pot between the input jacks and the first gain stage, you will create a variable low pass filter that will wreak havoc on the high frequency response of the amp depending on where the volume control is positioned.
The other alternative was to go with a much lower impedance volume pot, but those will tend to load down your source components which also isn't optimal.
It has gotten quite rare that a desktop amp like the SEX amp makes use of its volume control in contemporary applications, so ditching the volume pot isn't particularly controversial. If you'd like to add one, you could drill some holes in either the wood base or the chassis plate and install a 10K volume pot. It is an eXperimenters' amp after all...
The other alternative was to go with a much lower impedance volume pot, but those will tend to load down your source components which also isn't optimal.
It has gotten quite rare that a desktop amp like the SEX amp makes use of its volume control in contemporary applications, so ditching the volume pot isn't particularly controversial. If you'd like to add one, you could drill some holes in either the wood base or the chassis plate and install a 10K volume pot. It is an eXperimenters' amp after all...
Paul Joppa
Moderator
The least expensive and easiest preamp is probably the Schitt SYS. It's passive - basically a 10K potentiometer and a switch - and lists for $49.
I agree that many modern DAC/amp combos now include a preamp, but choosing to omit volume control from an amplifier is a highly debatable decision. Though am a Bottlehead fan but having an amp where you can’t adjust the volume feels like a significant limitation.
Also, one of the selling points of the SEX amp was its price and excellent price-to-performance ratio. Now, with the need for a separate preamp in the chain, that value proposition changes.
For example, my main DAC is a Schiit Gungnir (not the latest version), which doesn’t have a built-in preamp. To run the SEX 4.0, I’d now need to add one — which effectively increases the cost and complexity of the setup. It feels like this shift could alienate a portion of the customer base.
I think(though my perception)-> Adding a preamp should always be the user's choice, not something that's forced by design decisions. Flexibility is key in audio setups, and users should have the freedom to decide how they want to build their chain.
Also, one of the selling points of the SEX amp was its price and excellent price-to-performance ratio. Now, with the need for a separate preamp in the chain, that value proposition changes.
For example, my main DAC is a Schiit Gungnir (not the latest version), which doesn’t have a built-in preamp. To run the SEX 4.0, I’d now need to add one — which effectively increases the cost and complexity of the setup. It feels like this shift could alienate a portion of the customer base.
I think(though my perception)-> Adding a preamp should always be the user's choice, not something that's forced by design decisions. Flexibility is key in audio setups, and users should have the freedom to decide how they want to build their chain.
Last edited:
