S.E.X. and Horns anyone???

[Capt.Z]

I have a almost stock SEX amp with the C4S boards and I just ordered a pair of Horns from the Hornshoppe.
Just wondering if there some other guys out there that use their SEX amp with Hornshoppe Horns.
Also, how much improvement would the Iron upgrade make (with the Horns)?

[Jim R.]

Dieter,

Maybe DeadFish will chime in here as I know he is using his s.e.x. amp with his Horns and listened to them for quite a while before doing the iron upgrade, which he said made a very nice differrence.

When I get my amp done I can go and try it as my Horns now live with a neighbor, but I won't be able to give you any information about the unmodified amp.

HTH,

Jim

[2wo]

I have a SR-45, that is about the same power level as a SEX amp, with a pair of Ed

[DeadFish]

Yer 'right-on' Jim!
I've had a great time with both the S.E.X. amp and the Horns!
Even before the upgrade, the horns sounded really well with the S.E.X. amp. 
Jumping on the upgrade path, I'd be willing to say that the Horns took the kind of jump that you get when you discovered your first DAC or decent cables.
I've recently had the S.E.X. amp harnessed to my Altec Lansing Model 19's and I'm about as happy with it on them as anything else I have tried.  Come to think of it, I liked it about the best of all the amps tried on the Horns as well.
Of course, your mileage, and ears, might vary.
Great luck and Regards!

DeadFish

[Capt.Z]

Thanks for the great thumps up. Makes me think that the grass on the other side may not be that much greener.

What kind of changes did you hear with the iron upgrade and what caps did you use?

What other amps did you use with the horns?

[DeadFish]

I've had a rash of different amps rotated in front of the Horns.
A Dynaco SCA 35, a Dynaco ST-70 plus a Van Alstine Ultimate 70, an ST-35 clone, a dual-mono 300B, an upgraded Teac class d amp, and one of those little plastic chip amps, the Sonic Impact.
And unless you think I'm a total bigot against solid state, a Bryston B60 sounded very nice on the Horns as well.
NONE of these amps sound bad, it is just that I like the sound of the S.E.X. amp, in my circumstances.
BTW, I used AmpOhm caps if memory serves, after Jim brought them up.  No regrets there.
I'd say that I got a clearer upper and bottom octave, or something close to it, from the caps and iron upgrades.  Since I have a lifetime of tinnitus, the clearer the better for me, and I like what I've been getting. I might have to buy a  Stereomour though, once they show up..
You know, just to have a listen....;-)


Best Regards,
DeadFish

[Capt.Z]

Those are some pretty good and highly regarded amps.
Interesting that you mention your life long tinnitus. I have the same issue all my life. Usually my brain 'filters' this 8000 Hz frequency out, but there are plenty of times I hear it.

I am thinking on adding Ed Schillings new 'Truth' preamp in the future for a even cleaner and faster sound. Than I may do the iron upgrad, but all this will take some time, as $$$ flow and come slowly.

[Jim R.]

Hi Bill,

Did you end up using a pair of the .047 ampohm tin foil caps for each coupling cap?  Can't remember what you told me.  Did you also use the dry poly film ampohms for the parafeed caps?  Just curious as I'm getting close to that point now.

Dieter, from experience I can tell you that the best bang for the buck tweak I did to the Horns was to fill the bottom chamber with BBs (24,000 per speaker.)  I did a lot more than that ultimately, but that and the EnABLed drivers were by far the most significant.

Good luck,

Jim

[Capt.Z]

I've got 48,000 BBs already waiting.
Juyst 2 more days before I can pick up the Horns.
What about that enabled driver? I believe Ed made a post about 2 years ago about the enabled driver and didn't think that it was an improvement, IF I remember correctly.
What's your experience with the enabled driver?

[DeadFish]

Hiya Jim!

By all means, I did exactly what it was we discussed and I never looked back!
I had hoped to run into you at RMAF and talk about it, in fact, almost brought it along for you to take home and listen to, but you know how that went.
Nonetheless, at this point, I'm as happy with the S.E.X. amp as I have wrought it, as anything else I have had to listen to.
And you can take that to the bank. ;-)
I don't think you would have any regrets following a similar path.

now I have to get some bb's.....

Great luck!

Bill

[Jim R.]

Dieter,

I'd just get the enabled-only basic drivers and just listen to them yourself -- maybe after living with the stock drivers for a while.  The Planet 10 drivers are nice, but there's no such thing as a free lunch and those may change the sound more than you might like.  I liked them myself, a few folks didn't, and I can't even begin to predict whether you will or not, but I can say that it will not be the sound of the Horn as it was designed.  I do think that the basic enabled driver only brings good things, and more than just the sense that a new driver sounds like a broken-in one/.

Heya Bill, yup, got a matched quad of .047 tin foil PIOs and a matched pair of the 2.2 uF dry poly parafeed caps here and ready to go, so will indeed get to hear the same caps.  Hoping this bug passes so I can get down there tomorrow and start soldering now that all the mechanical assembly is done.

Talk to you later,

Jim

[Grainger49]

Not on subject, but do you like them with or without the grills?  That is the Horn Shoppe horn speakers.

[Capt.Z]

I only saw one picture with grills on the horn. It did not look very attractive. So I would say without grills. Unless Ed comes up with a more conventional looking grill.

[Grainger49]

Ed is a strange and interesting guy.  I talked to him for about a half hour one day.  I called to complement him on his artwork.  Very Gizmo of him.

I also asked who filled those.

[DeadFish]

I didn't get grills myself.
I've been curious myself, but never enough to plunk down the moolah.