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.
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I appreciate the feedback, no pun intended.
I was (and am, obviously) a longtime Bottlehead fan prior to purchasing the company with my family. I’ve always admired the no-nonsense approach Paul Joppa has taken to circuit design, and I fully believe in making design decisions that result in the best possible sound. Those designs always have trade-offs.
PB’s explanation is the reason we didn’t add a volume control. My explanation is the reason I’m ok with the trade-off. I acknowledge that calculus doesn’t work for everyone. But I will also say that the moment the prototype hit my desk I compared it to the SEX 3 and immediately decided that the SEX 3 - which holds a special place in my heart as the first Bottlehead kit I ever built - had been replaced. I use the audio player’s volume control. It works great.
We’ve listed a handful of solutions here - from using the digital source’s volume control, to adding a low-cost Schiit volume control, to modding the kit, to adding a Moreplay. I still prefer all of those options over offering an amp with compromised sound quality.
Hopefully people will agree, and I respect their decision if they don’t. We offer a full lineup of other amps (some without volume controls, incidentally).
I was (and am, obviously) a longtime Bottlehead fan prior to purchasing the company with my family. I’ve always admired the no-nonsense approach Paul Joppa has taken to circuit design, and I fully believe in making design decisions that result in the best possible sound. Those designs always have trade-offs.
PB’s explanation is the reason we didn’t add a volume control. My explanation is the reason I’m ok with the trade-off. I acknowledge that calculus doesn’t work for everyone. But I will also say that the moment the prototype hit my desk I compared it to the SEX 3 and immediately decided that the SEX 3 - which holds a special place in my heart as the first Bottlehead kit I ever built - had been replaced. I use the audio player’s volume control. It works great.
We’ve listed a handful of solutions here - from using the digital source’s volume control, to adding a low-cost Schiit volume control, to modding the kit, to adding a Moreplay. I still prefer all of those options over offering an amp with compromised sound quality.
Hopefully people will agree, and I respect their decision if they don’t. We offer a full lineup of other amps (some without volume controls, incidentally).
I suspect that the issue might be that the S.E.X. amp, after the first monoblock iteration, became a headphone/speaker amp, and if people use it as a headphone amp, they'd probably prefer a volume control on it. And the same if people picture it as an integrated amp. It's less/not important if it's used as a power amp.
But as Jameson says, there are many options to address this. Perhaps staff or an early adopter can experiment with adding a 10k pot to guide those who would prefer that opton.
But as Jameson says, there are many options to address this. Perhaps staff or an early adopter can experiment with adding a 10k pot to guide those who would prefer that opton.
I thought it was pretty cut and dry to offer over twice the output power at roughly the same price at the cost of omitting something that was often redundant, even double redundant in most people's systems. If you are using the Gungnir as a USB DAC, then you already have a volume control. You can also pop a Sys on top of your Gungnir to add a volume pot if that's your preferred method, or you can pop a hole in the chassis and add a 10K pot if this is something you can't live without.
It is worth mentioning that if we had added the 10K volume pot to the stock kit, it would not work!!! with the Moreplay, Eros, Seduction, and Reduction.
So if the volume control goes back into the kit the first post we see here will be "How do I bypass the volume pot?"
For the purpose of clarity I want to mention that this decision was made months ago, while I was still in charge. The power of the SEX amp was going up to match the Stereomour2, which is an integrated amp. Two four watt integrated amp kits in the product line is redundant, simple as that. Making SEX a power amp as it was when it started out created a perfect mate for the preamp we already had (Moreplay) that was a bit of an orphan. The whole point was to give customers more options at a power and price point - integrated or separates.
For the purpose of clarity I want to mention that this decision was made months ago, while I was still in charge. The power of the SEX amp was going up to match the Stereomour2, which is an integrated amp. Two four watt integrated amp kits in the product line is redundant, simple as that. Making SEX a power amp as it was when it started out created a perfect mate for the preamp we already had (Moreplay) that was a bit of an orphan. The whole point was to give customers more options at a power and price point - integrated or separates.
