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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
almarg's avatar
almarg
9,670 posts
 
Rebbi's small complaint was that the DeCapo did not capture the lower octave on stuff with Synth bass with his 300B.
Rob, more precisely the complaint was that the amp clips when reproducing that and other material having high volume content at deep bass frequencies. Clipping, in turn, results in distortion of ALL frequencies that may be simultaneously present, including harmonics and other frequency components produced by the synth at much higher frequencies, as well as notes that may be simultaneously produced by other instruments or singers.

Resolving that problem while continuing to use the Kit 1 amp calls for a speaker having considerably greater efficiency than the De Capo provides. How well and to what degree the speaker can reproduce deep bass frequencies is a separate question.

Although the Klipsch's 99 db/1W/1m efficiency rating is arguably somewhat optimistic, as is pointed out in the review, it is undoubtedly MUCH more efficient than the De Capo.

My comment should not be interpreted, however, as advocacy for the Klipsch.

Best regards,
-- Al
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,893 posts
 
Mik its very efficient and designed to work well with low power tube amps and within budget.

As pointed out most speakers have trade offs. Whether not its the speaker for rebbi or not who knows. Its certainly a viable candidate. Bass need not be as extended usually in a small room and many feel these deliver quality bass especially off just a few watts which seems logical due to high efficiency enabling more bass per watt. Its one on my radar screen for a low power tube amp.
rebbi OP
1,326 posts
 
Al,
Yes, that nails it. The De Capo's will dig down to around 42 Hz according to their spec sheet. While that's not the deepest of the deep, with my old Manley's at 20 watts, it would produce a good, clean sense of the very deep bass notes in some of the CD's that have been causing me trouble.
I have now proven through experimentation that the Kit 1 can produce those frequencies cleanly as well, but ONLY if I turn the volume down to considerably lower levels than what I'd normally set to play these tunes. So yes, it's a matter of the amp running out of steam with the De Capo's. This amp really needs and deserves a much more efficient pair of speakers in order to strut its stuff.
I've tentatively decided that if I go to a new set of speakers, the first ones I'll try are something in the Tekton lineup - Eric recommended the Lore or Lore 2.0 for my amp and room size. I've been reading through the Zu Omen vs. Tekton Lore thread on Audiogon, and the happiness expressed there by Tekton owners is very impressive. And although I was concerned about whether the Tekton Lore would be revealing enough to show the strengths of the Kit 1, everyone seems to feel that the sound is very musical, transparent and refined.
A'gon member sebrof lives not too far from me and I'm going to get together with him in the next few days to hook my Kit 1 up to one of his high efficiency speakers to see how the sound comes together. I'll report back to all of you!
May I say in the meantime that I'm working on another blog post that'll hopefully be up tomorrow. I am happy to report that the amp continues to burn in and sound increasingly stunning. I was listening to a James Taylor live CD today called One Man Band and the sense of being in the hall was so real it was... well... unreal. I am not given to hyperbole but shoot, this thing is fabulous. :-) If you have any kit building ambitions at all, I highly encourage you to give this a try. As long as you take your time, you can build this thing.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,893 posts
 
SHould be a treat!
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
Rebbi,
I have a gut feeling that the Tekton Lore is an excellent choice when all is considered. I have no reason to doubt Mikirob's strong impression and enthusiasm. If the Lore is as open a nd transparent as many have reported you amp should simply shine and just sing with musical truth. I look forward to read if reality matches my expectations. This could be quite the special pairing.
Charles,
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