Building the Audio Note Kit 1 SET amp...

Hi, Mikirob:
Sounds like I aggravated you, which was not my intention!
My budget, if I do sell them, will be "whatever I can get for the De Capo BE's." I don't want to speculate to specifically on what that might be but I'd have to guess it would be in the sub $2K arena.
That said, don't take my questions about the Coincident Triumph Extremes as ignoring your carefully reasoned and informed advice. As things now stand, the TE's are out of the financial ballpark for me unless I sit tight for quite awhile and try to save up for them. I corresponded with Israel Blume of Coincident and he confirmed that the speakers would be $3000 US delivered. No home trials are available due to their pricing structure. He added that in 20 years of doing business this way they've never had a case of buyer's remorse.
At this point I'm leaning toward sitting tight with what I have for a bit, allowing the amp to further settle in, and enjoying the current system for what it does well. I do have little doubt, though, that I'd get even more out of the system with higher sensitivity, easier to drive speakers than what I now have. But I also don't want to do a "ready, fire, aim" on this. There's no rush!

Rwbadley,
Our posts just crossed "in the mail." Seems we are thinking alike here. :-)

Those Coincidents are small and likely not extended in the bass, which is a good thing for a SET with small speakers. It still might be enough for a small room, depending on expectations. If expectations are to have it all, you could very well end up with a sub in any case in lieu of larger more expensive very high efficiency horns or something along those lines. Just more food for thought. You might not like the idea of adding complexity with a sub, but that price you pay might be small in relation to the benefits of cutting to the chase faster and doing it with the stuff you already like a lot making most of the music.

It wouldn't hurt to pick up a sub used somewhere locally and try. If it does not work, you can sell, loose nothing and be no worse off than currently.

Powered subs are almost always the least expensive way to have it all when needed, with most any speakers or amps. If you can build an amp kit, I suspect you will be able to get the sub mixed in adequately in a reasonably short period of time. I've done it. It can be no more complicated than trial and error with various settings and placements while listening to various reference recordings along teh way. Kinda fun in its own way, just like building the kit. Plus you have the ability to tweak as needed without replacing. Not too shabby!

Bass will ALWAYS be the achilles heel of a low power amp (and/or smaller speakers, especially more efficient ones in genral). Powered subs let you address the issue once and for all without having to change the rest. Its the most practical solution if you are already liking what you hear and just want to address the power for the bass issue. If the amp is clipping and distorting audibly on some tracks, and teh bass is not as tight and articulate as it might be otherwise, there may be other more subtle negative effects at play as well as a result of asking too much of the amp. If you ask less of it and let it do what it does best more effortlessly, you should be sitting about as possible.

Sitting about as pretty as possible, that is.