Building the Audio Note Kit 1 SET amp...


Hi, Folks,
If anyone's interested, I've started a blog with lots of photos, documenting my ongoing build of the Audio Note Kit 1 300B SET amp. If you've ever thought of building any kit before and want to get a feel for what it's like, you're welcome to have a look!
rebbi
Rebbi, I concur with your comment that "I will never buy another piece of electronics". I will not except for a digital front end. I can build the rest for far less money and with much better sound. Plus I love building and learning.

I am spending far more time on DIY forums as compared to this site and other sites like it. I just find DIY so interesting.
Knowledgeable DIY'ers can put bought high end audio to shame. I've seen and heard it with my own ears at Capital Audiofest a couple years back. I'm surprised they let those guys in. They made many the big ticket vendors look silly.
Rebbi, When I was building my system I faced some of the same issues. I didnt want to spend a ton of money and I listened to a wide variety of music. Rock, pop, Jazz Classical. You have an amp that you built that is capable of playing all of the music you love. I know it can because I had a Kit one in my home and it is a kick ass amp and persuaded me to build my own SET amp. You built it and have a deep connection with it. It is also a platform in which you can make upgrades. If you did sell it you would end up regretting it.
When I was searching for speakers I took my amp on audition after audition for several months until I finally heard the speakers that with my amp could play every type of music that I love. I can crank the volume without a preamp playing all types of music and am treated to involving room filling goodness.

If you live in the NYC area there are many avenues for audition including many guys on this forum who would open their homes to you including me.
Jet,
As with you, I have no limits on music genres. For a given amplifier you simply must find the appropriate speaker. If Rebbi decided to keep the De Capo, same principle, find the appropriate amplifier. Either way it requires the right amp-speaker match. The question is which one do you keep and build around? The marriage analogy does apply, it's about compatibility. Jet I know from past postings you listen to "many" types of music without difficulty.
Charles,
Jetrexpro and Charles, while your comments are certainly true about shopping for another speaker, I am at a total loss as to why both of you would suggest this is the best path? Both of you are very knowledgeable and rightly respected here on the Gon. The list of reasons to amp shop, not speaker shop is long and persuasive.

- The speaker is the most important component in a system and impacts the tone and personally of the system FAR more than the amp.

- The speaker is far more difficult to shop for and find one that suits your preference. Finding the right speaker is a chore and will take more effort.

- The speaker is a much more difficult and hassle prone item to sell. It is heavy, hard to ship, expensive to ship, prone to damage etc...

- The speaker is usually the more expensive item to buy and sell as compared to the amp.

Rebbi can build another amp and AN has already said they will work with him on another amp.

If both of you are suggesting to keep the amp because of some emotional attachment to it due to the building process, then so be it. I think that line of thinking will lead to many more problems down the road with assembling the system around another set of speakers.

Rebbi if you enjoy the building process, then build another amp and have fun! In the end your ears will be even more pleased and you will have gained additional knowledge and experience. Let me suggest that while this first build of yours delivered great sound, you can certainly do as good or better on your next build. Additionally you will have an amp better suited for your speaker. Great sound, the kind you are now hearing, is absolutely available in a PP or parallel single ended tube amp.