I’ve been wanting to try one of these for a while and I finally was able to find a used one for a great price. Here’s my experience with it:
The purpose of purchasing was mostly out of curiosity and I had low expectations because the unit seemed gimmicky. I have the SS-X in between my McIntosh MP-100 Phonostage and my Yamaha A-S2100. Having two sets of outputs on the back of the MP-100, I was able to instantly a/b with/without the SS-X.
Two things immediately stood out: First the SS-X pulled out bass detail that I have not been able to extract with tone controls or my sub. This alone, makes the unit worth it for me. It’s interesting because, as others have stated, it adds "weight" to certain low frequencies without changing the tone. This translates to low frequency detail I haven’t experienced from my speakers before.
Second, was what someone else described as removing "glare" off the top end. I totally agree with this. It’s hard to describe, and I would also say it removed harshness from some recordings, but I definitely don’t consider it a high-end roll off. Detail and presence are still there. When I bypass the SS-X, my original system just sounds drier. With the SS-X the top end is more pleasing and delicate.
The soundstage expander section is incredibly useful and fun. I already have a very wide soundstage with my system, so I was curious what this would do. I found the the expander neither added width nor narrowed it, but rather pulled depth from the center or pushed it back. For me, it was more like, how close to the sound do you want to be? To the narrow side, anything that was mixed to be center was pulled forward while the width of the stage remained the same. Imagine stretching a rubber band between your speakers and grabbing the center of it and pulling it toward you. It gives you a more intimate feel. To the wide side, the center is pushed back, giving the impression you are sitting farther back. I found this particularly useful for tracks where vocals or instruments are mixed too forward or too hot. I found my sweet spot to be about 1 o’clock for general use. On Nora Jones’ Come Away With Me album from Analog Productions, where I find the vocals to be too hot, it was particularly beneficial at 3 o clock and really tamed her voice. No fatigue now. At max "wide" settings, my speakers completely vanish. This extreme setting was neat, but it made it harder to pinpoint sounds whose location my ears wanted to know. I think moderation is key with this unit.
Wrapping up, I find that removing the SS-X from my system makes me sad. In a world where I am often trying to convince myself something is good or doing something positive for my system, this one was an obvious and relieving yes. I’m not a purist and don’t care what was "intended to be heard". I want to hear what I want to hear. I realize that I am adding coloration to my sound and the SS-X makes me really happy to do so. I am also happy to report that the unit did not take away from the things my system already did very well, like the general imaging or dynamics.
The purpose of purchasing was mostly out of curiosity and I had low expectations because the unit seemed gimmicky. I have the SS-X in between my McIntosh MP-100 Phonostage and my Yamaha A-S2100. Having two sets of outputs on the back of the MP-100, I was able to instantly a/b with/without the SS-X.
Two things immediately stood out: First the SS-X pulled out bass detail that I have not been able to extract with tone controls or my sub. This alone, makes the unit worth it for me. It’s interesting because, as others have stated, it adds "weight" to certain low frequencies without changing the tone. This translates to low frequency detail I haven’t experienced from my speakers before.
Second, was what someone else described as removing "glare" off the top end. I totally agree with this. It’s hard to describe, and I would also say it removed harshness from some recordings, but I definitely don’t consider it a high-end roll off. Detail and presence are still there. When I bypass the SS-X, my original system just sounds drier. With the SS-X the top end is more pleasing and delicate.
The soundstage expander section is incredibly useful and fun. I already have a very wide soundstage with my system, so I was curious what this would do. I found the the expander neither added width nor narrowed it, but rather pulled depth from the center or pushed it back. For me, it was more like, how close to the sound do you want to be? To the narrow side, anything that was mixed to be center was pulled forward while the width of the stage remained the same. Imagine stretching a rubber band between your speakers and grabbing the center of it and pulling it toward you. It gives you a more intimate feel. To the wide side, the center is pushed back, giving the impression you are sitting farther back. I found this particularly useful for tracks where vocals or instruments are mixed too forward or too hot. I found my sweet spot to be about 1 o’clock for general use. On Nora Jones’ Come Away With Me album from Analog Productions, where I find the vocals to be too hot, it was particularly beneficial at 3 o clock and really tamed her voice. No fatigue now. At max "wide" settings, my speakers completely vanish. This extreme setting was neat, but it made it harder to pinpoint sounds whose location my ears wanted to know. I think moderation is key with this unit.
Wrapping up, I find that removing the SS-X from my system makes me sad. In a world where I am often trying to convince myself something is good or doing something positive for my system, this one was an obvious and relieving yes. I’m not a purist and don’t care what was "intended to be heard". I want to hear what I want to hear. I realize that I am adding coloration to my sound and the SS-X makes me really happy to do so. I am also happy to report that the unit did not take away from the things my system already did very well, like the general imaging or dynamics.