So, what other amps sound like the First Watt SIT-3?

the first watt sit-3 !!   :)

if its good to your ear then just buy it... right?

Nothing else sounds like a sit, except a tube, or a V-Fet.

V-Fets are not pure, either, they tend to have FET and BJT transistors involved in their utilization. so, tubes and SIT devices are closest to one another, in that certain beauty they bring to the music.

And that’s it.

Oh yes, these guys, out of japan. the singular ’other’. A SIT amplifier system based completely on SIT devices (It has to be ’complete’ in the pathway of the signal... as in..no other transistor type involved)

There isn’t any thing else, no matter what any other following posts may try to argue.

eg, I’ve got a $13k set of tube monoblocks sitting in the boxes, with about 100 hours on them. Maybe 200 hours. I want those SIT monoblocks!! It’s the only amplifier on the planet, that moves me forward. There isn’t anything else. From $50, to $500k....it's all dead to me. Meaningless.

Just those amps. That's it.

I have and love my SIT-3 amps. Just wonderful. My speakers are Avantgarde Duo XD and love the warm/sweet/3D laid back sound.

I was just wondering if anything else comes close.

Thank you so much!

@teo_audio

Thank you for the link.

Any idea how available and how much those B-1a amps cost? Very interesting.  

2 ideas: 47 Labs Gaincard, Lavardin

@keithr

if you say j kimura's 47 gaincard, i say peter daniel’s audiosector patek (which i have and adore)

brothers from overseas mothers :)

Thank you for your responses so far. 

I also would like to know cost of those mono blocks from Japan!

If you love the sit3 and find that it has enough power, you may consider buying a second and running them as single channel monoblocks. I believe you will find that the sound is significantly improved by allowing each channel to have it's own dedicated power supply. I did this for my (diy) first Watt F4s and it made a huge difference.

All you would need to do to perform this mod is to pop the top and desolder the power supply connections for the channel you won't be using (and put wire nuts on the ps cables so they can't contact anything conductive). It's easy for any tech to perform and simple to reverse if you want to change back at a later date. Impossible to screw up, really.

I'll note that you can get a taste for this impact without the modification simply by running only one channel of each unit and inserting a shorting plug into the input of the unused channel. Unfortunately I've found that even having the unused channel pulling power while idling impacts the performance of the side you're using.

The best amps from all designers use a dual mono topology for a reason...

About $8k US a piece for the monoblocks. IIRC.

If you can find some.

Digital Do MaiN
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There IS another, and it’s a normal push pull design, made from V-fets, but it’s a secret.

Yet a hundred thousand, or more --- were made and sold.

All that’s left... is just a few at yard sales and on ebay.

It will require a VERY determined and talented technician to pull them into shape, and make them produce that ’special sound’. Yet ....almost no one knows...