Control panel with „Virtual Ground Semiconductor Switch” Technology

All models of ADAM’s new reference monitors (except the S1X), the SX-Series, feature a highly sophisticated front panel with “virtual ground semiconductor switch technology”. That gives you many different sophisticated controls as well as an accuracy and repeatability of the values that has been unknown in the analogue domain so far: whatever value you re-chose, you will get it to within a <0,005dB accuracy! These panels are used in the models S2X to S5X.

The rotary step switches on these panels are designed to switch discrete resistors within a semiconductor resistor network that is located on the amplifier module in the back of the monitors. They allow for precise settings, which are much more accurate than usual potentiometers. These exact settings are a true advantage for every sound engineer who wants to make sure that switching back from position ‘b’ to position ‘a’ is exactly the same setting each and every time. Furthermore, there is no potentiometer-scratching and no switch-scratching noise because there is no audio signal at the panel itself – the music signals do not move back and forth between the amplifier section and the front panel.

The controls at a glance:

• Input sensitivity is handled by two controls: one for coarse settings, -20dB to +8dB in 4dB steps, and one for fine tuning in 0.5dB steps, ranging from -1.5dB to 2dB.
• There are two controls for the lower frequencies: One is an equalizer at 80Hz that can boost up the response by 6dB in 1dB steps, the second is a shelf filter that allows you to progressively alter the frequencies below 150Hz in a ± 4dB maximum range at 2Hz in 1dB increments.
• High frequencies can also be adjusted by two different controls: The first influences the tweeter ± 2dB in 0,5dB steps, the second is a shelf filter that works for high frequencies above 6kHz in a ± 4dB maximum range at 20kHz in 1dB increments.