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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
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,772 posts
 
There is always the proven option of waiting to buy used and not overpaying and selling if needed to move on. It might be nice to keep two pair around at a time to compare at home, even for just a short period if financially feasible.
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
Rebbi,
Israel used to do all the big/popular audio shows. He has cut back on his show schedule in the past couple of years I've noticed. He's likely as busy as he wants to be these days. Rebbi I'd check with him and see if he plans to do any upcoming shows. I'd love to hear the Triumph Extreme MK II compared to the Tekton Lore. I suspect both would work very well with your amplifier.
Charles,
brownsfan
1,508 posts
 
Rebbi, The coincidents have coherency that is just uncanny. For all the world this sounds like a single driver. Superb transparency and air, and if everything else is right, they image like champs. Accuracy of timber is as good as I have heard. This is a very refined speaker. Dead neutral. While they begin to tail off at 45 Hz, they have useful and tuneful response down below 35. Very fast speakers, including the lower frequency. They actually better the nice tight mid base that Magnepan speakers are famous for. I have chosen to augment the low frequencies with a couple of rel subs. I'm adding just a wee bit of low frequency, so as not to create an issue with coherence. This seams to warm things up just a bit. To my way of thinking, as a speaker in my primary system, this is a much better speaker than the deCapos. BUT-- while the deCapos aren't neutral, they are very seductive. I can run these without subs in my secondary system and not feel the loss because of the warm tonality. I'm using these in a system that is all about old style fat tubiness. I will use the deCapos in my new great room, which has hardwoods and is really lively. The Coincidents stay in my new music room which is carpeted. The coincidents are too much of a good thing in my great room with the live acoustic. That room requires the warmth of the deCapos. I do find my little dynamo amp is mating well with the deCapos, provided you are not going super loud. I am achieving exactly the romantic, fat, tubey sound I was hoping for in my secondary system. You love your deCapos, and that concerns me. You may well miss that sound when you go to another speaker.
rebbi OP
1,326 posts
 
Brownsfan,
So helpful, thank you. What intrigues me about the TE's, besides the fact that they're specifically designed for SET amps like those made by Coincident, is that they echo some of the design elements of the De Capo: slanted front baffle for time alignment, simple crossover and so on. I just have a feeling that the TE's have a more dead, robust cabinet.
By the way, do your De Capo's have the BE tweeter and the Nextel finish? Mine are wood veneered but I retrofitted the BE tweeter, which I find wonderful.
Again, thank you so much for the informative post.
brownsfan
1,508 posts
 
Rebbi, Yes, my deCapos have the Be tweeters and are nextel. BTW, I have had an opportunity to carefully audition the 26K Coincident PREs. Certainly, the PREs have that low frequency foundation you can't expect in a monitor like the TEIIs. And, the PREs have more air. Attack and decay is quite special. But, it just amazes me how much Israel accomplished with the TEIIs. I have said this before. No 4K speaker has any business being as good as the TEIIs. But, I'm still not getting rid of my deCapos!
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