Building the Audio Note Kit 1 SET amp...

Hi Reb,
Pete is just the nicest man around; really talented, and humble as well. I know he will do it for you.
As a sidebar, I have to say that on my efficient horn speakers, this amp is quieter than 3 other SS amps I tried. That was a really nice surprise, as we all know that noise obscures detail, as well as causing long term listener fatigue. When I stand with my ear to the drivers, it is really silent. Just a great amp.

I'm very curious to know what Pete discovers for this rare type of abnormality. It will be educational.

Hmm, well let's be real and not exaggerate.

Any good quality amp delivering just a few watts will clip and distort sooner than one of similar good quality with more watts, all else aside. Its just a matter of when and how. I don't think this point is debatable even really.

In this case specifically though, the experts are saying that there is something wrong and it should not be clipping and distorting as soon as it is. That makes it harder to resolve perhaps in that the issue is not as severe as many it would seem, but I don't think it accurate to say that an amp that delivers only a few watts clipping is "rare".

If one applies an underpowered amp to a task in general it might be harder than normal in practice to determine if things are working properly or not as this case would seem to support, in that clipping WILL occur sooner than in other cases.

Rebbi had the amp tested by a qualified tech who confirmed markedly decreased power output.The amp struggled with a Tekton speaker that was then easily driven by a 3 watt 2A3 SET. brownsfan has very successfully driven the De Capo with 2 different 8 watt amplifiers. Rebbi has a malfunctioning amplifier.

Here's what I find remarkable about this situation. A decfective(below specified power rating) amp driving 86-87 db speakers sounding better than the former higher powered amplifier with the same speaker. When this amplifier is fixed, look out!

Well, let's not jump to conclusions. I hope that's the case, but time will tell. There are many reasons why one thing may sound better than another case by case.

No doubt sending the amp to an expert with the right knowledge and tools to get to the heart of the matter is the best thing at this point.