[Loquah]

   
I own the sex and honestly it is fantastic.  If you get the C4S upgrade it will be even better and with the impedence switches it is even more convinient.  It also drives everything from low impedence to high impedence phones wonderfully.  Also the best part is I can't tube roll it.  I know it sounds strange but if I don't have a choice I can't spend money.  On the other hand finding a matched pair is a pain in the butt.  But overall I love my sex.  It sounds fantastic with my LCD2's.  

 
I know what you mean. I thought I'd be bummed about that, but it's kind of nice to know that it's already as good as it gets (which is darn good).
 
Do you have the Crack too? And do you still use it over the SEX? If so, for what cans / music?

 

[Zashoomin]

   
I know what you mean. I thought I'd be bummed about that, but it's kind of nice to know that it's already as good as it gets (which is darn good).
 
Do you have the Crack too? And do you still use it over the SEX? If so, for what cans / music?

 
I used to have a crack that I used to use with some dt800 600s but now I have lcd2 and 3's so I figured that the crack couldn't drive them (trust me I tried).  Honestly that hiss kinda bugs me so I am thinking about the mainline but other than that everything sounds fantastic.  Everyone talks about how good the certain amps are with the lcd2's but I think that the SEX definately should be one that is mentioned.  If you are asking if I like the dt880s better with the crack or sex. I don't remember sorry.  
 
Edit: I listen to everything and anything mostly things that aren't mainstream but I thought that especially with songs that aren't as busy the SEX shines.  

 

[W0lfd0g]

Hey you two...yes Loquah and Zashoomin - I'm lookingat you.  Take all your dirty SEX talk to a suitable thread and leave us kids here playing with Crack to our innocent pleasures. 

 

[W0lfd0g]

Actually, Lachlan, it's good to hear some comparisons. It would be great to read a side by side comparison of the Crack, the SEX and the Mainline to determine what differences each bring to the table, the value factor and which headphones work best with each. Any volunteers?

 

[Loquah]

Yes, hand up from me!

First step is a Crack / SEX comparison and then the Mainline later. I'll likely sell the Crack to help fund the Mainline purchase.

There currently isn't a SEX thread. Would you guys prefer to let this thread go all things Bottlehead (Crack, SEX and Mainline) or keep it Crack only?

 

[Zashoomin]

Well as long as there is some crack reference it should be fine.  and I plan on doing a comparison but I might have to borrow someone's crack for it since I currently don't have one.  But it will happen as soon as I gather the funds for the mainline.

 

[W0lfd0g]

1. I think that there should be a dedicated SEX thread.
2. Lachlan, you could create your review as the first post of an all things Bottlehead review, reserving the first five posts.
A. Crack
B. Sex
C. Mainline
D. Summary comparison of amps
E. Bottlehead DAC

Lachlan, perhaps you could approach Doc with the idea to see if he would send you a review sample to build. I suggest you provide him with a link to your blog to show your writing quality and style. It would be good if you had all three amps at the same time to compare as auditory memory is a fickle thing.

Cheers and thanks. I look forward to something like this with pleasure.

 

[W0lfd0g]

Perhaps you two could collaborate.

 

[Zashoomin]

Perhaps you two could collaborate.

 

1. I think that there should be a dedicated SEX thread.
2. Lachlan, you could create your review as the first post of an all things Bottlehead review, reserving the first five posts.
A. Crack
B. Sex
C. Mainline
D. Summary comparison of amps
E. Bottlehead DAC

Lachlan, perhaps you could approach Doc with the idea to see if he would send you a review sample to build. I suggest you provide him with a link to your blog to show your writing quality and style. It would be good if you had all three amps at the same time to compare as auditory memory is a fickle thing.

Cheers and thanks. I look forward to something like this with pleasure.

 
That sounds fantastic.  I would love to build the mainline or any of the other ones as honestly I think the most fun thing about bottlehead stuff is the opertunity to build and customize whatever kit I can get my hands on.  also reviewing everything would be an amazing chance as well.  Loquah, I would love to work with you on this.

 

[brunk]

All this Bottlehead talk is making me hungry... 

 

 

[Loquah]

1. I think that there should be a dedicated SEX thread.
2. Lachlan, you could create your review as the first post of an all things Bottlehead review, reserving the first five posts.
A. Crack
B. Sex
C. Mainline
D. Summary comparison of amps
E. Bottlehead DAC

Lachlan, perhaps you could approach Doc with the idea to see if he would send you a review sample to build. I suggest you provide him with a link to your blog to show your writing quality and style. It would be good if you had all three amps at the same time to compare as auditory memory is a fickle thing.

Cheers and thanks. I look forward to something like this with pleasure.

 
Good points, Wolfdog. I've emailed Doc.
 
Currently reviewing the Beyer T1s (via the SEX and Crack) and will move onto my Crack vs SEX review this weekend.
 
Early impressions give the bass and mids slightly to the Crack in terms of weight and volume of bass, plus smoothness of presentation. The SEX has the edge in staging and separation / transparency. Both are outstanding anyway you look at them.

 

[Zashoomin]

   
Good points, Wolfdog. I've emailed Doc.
 
Currently reviewing the Beyer T1s (via the SEX and Crack) and will move onto my Crack vs SEX review this weekend.
 
Early impressions give the bass and mids slightly to the Crack in terms of weight and volume of bass, plus smoothness of presentation. The SEX has the edge in staging and separation / transparency. Both are outstanding anyway you look at them.

 
I don't know if that is a fair comparison as I think that the SEX excels in driving lower impedence phones and the crack higher but if that is the case than I don't know what a fair comparison would be.  Ignore my ramblings just a thought.  

 

[Loquah]

   
I don't know if that is a fair comparison as I think that the SEX excels in driving lower impedence phones and the crack higher but if that is the case than I don't know what a fair comparison would be.  Ignore my ramblings just a thought.  

 
I'm currently driving 600ohm T1s from the SEX and loving it. My fiancee prefers the Crack with the T1s, but I prefer the SEX - the beauty of preference and opinion in audio!
 
I wonder if the Crack is a dedicated high impedance headphone amp more because the price dictates the design which results in a high output impedance and therefore a need for high impedance loads? The price of the SEX might allow for more components to better balance different possible loads.
 
I think the Crack is the best thing you can buy for <$400 (or maybe even higher) to drive high impedance headphones whereas the SEX is just a great amp with whatever you pair it with (low or high impedance), but also nearly twice the price of the Crack!

 

[amcananey]

Yes and no. The Crack is an output transformerless (OTL) tube amp. Without an output transformer, you will have high output impedance, which is why the Crack isn't well-suited to use with low impedance headphones. Is this a cost issue? Not really. While it is true that an OTL design can be cheaper, because a good output transformer is expensive, the reason to go for an OTL design isn't really about avoiding the cost of the output transformer, it's about avoiding the output transformer itself! Transformers, even very good ones, create problems. And very good output transformers are quite expensive. If your headphones are high impedance headphones, then the cheapest AND best-sounding option is often to go with an OTL design. There is an excellent article that describes the various problems created by output transformers (it is a fascinating read), but unfortunately...I can't find it right now. I'll keep looking.

 

[amcananey]

Here it is: http://www.hificollective.co.uk/pdf/otl_head.pdf

Great article. Highly recommended.