Building the Audio Note Kit 1 SET amp...

Tekton will be a better match on paper from a pure performance perspective. That should mean it sounds better as well, but of course that is a more subjective call so you can never know for sure until you try.

My view is that if one truly cares about getting the best possible sound, you have to use components designed to work best together. Otherwise, things may still sound good, maybe even good enough for all practical purposes, but you will likely be missing the best performance possible until everything is more optimized together.

Anyone looking for a nice well cared for pair of Decapos keep your eyes open...

:^)

"Orchestral music is especially intoxicating"

I love that. Before I heard a SET amp I would have not believed how well it could play orchestral music. As a fellow orchestral music lover I am so happy for you Rebbi!

Charles, yes, what the Kit 1 does in terms of purity of tone and the ability to re-create ambient space (where it exists on the recording) and unravel complex musical material is quite something. I feel like I owe you some thanks for inspiring me to move in this direction. The level of emotional engagement with the music and the ability to re-create such beauty is really delightful.

Jetrexpro, I'm not a huge classical music aficionado but I do have some classical records that I like and also some film soundtracks but I really enjoy. Back in the 1980s, I purchased a number of Chesky LPs that I'm going to have to go back and explore – they should sound really terrific. If you haven't heard it, I am a big fan of a somewhat obscure animated film soundtrack. It's an anime film called Princess Mononoke. It's on the "Milan" label. Extraordinarily well recorded and some beautiful music, too.

Map, Sebrof may be lending me his Tekton Katz Meow speakers to try out at home. It will give me a chance to see what a much higher efficiency design sounds like. I am very interested in the prospect of getting a much higher efficiency speaker in the mix and seeing what that does for the synergy of the system. On the other hand, the De Capo is sounding VERY good right now. Decisions, decisions

Rebbi,
So good to hear that you have success. Just enjoy the music, no need to rush...take your time.