As I mentioned in my last post, I’d originally planned to hold off for the foreseeable future on upgrading the 300B tubes of my Audio Note Kits Kit 1 amp, due to the stratospheric prices demanded for those tubes. For example, I swear to you that what follows is an unaltered screen grab from a current … More New Tubes, Part II
If audiophilia is a human subculture, and those devoted to tube amplification a subculture within the audiophile community, then those tube devotees who reserve their enthusiasm (and their funds) for SET amps must be a sub-subculture of the audiophile world. Or something like that. That said, the community of SET lovers requires speakers through which to play the music that waits … More The Speakers of Planet SET, Part II
So, my friends, with the help of Audiogon, I found a new home for the De Capo’s with a very nice fellow from South Carolina who is thrilled with them. (i feel a bit like someone who’s fostered a stray puppy and found it a good home with a loving family.) Let’s have a moment … More The Speakers of planet S.E.T., Part I
Last night, I started to work through the initial build steps of my Audio Note Kit 1. These consist of fitting a variety of hardware components to the chassis. No soldering yet; these first steps are all strictly mechanical. Brian sent me three PDF files of build instructions. These are extensively illustrated with captioned photos, … More Initial Build: Chassis Hardware, Part I
Today, a box the size of Box #1 but about 2.5 times as heavy showed up at my office. It contains the four transformers that go into the Audio Note Kit 1. Yes, this box weighs just shy of 40 pounds. Here are some unpacking photos: Again, the styrofoam peanuts… Clearing away the top layer reveals … More Big Box #2: The transformers
Okay, then! The first box from Audionote Kits in Canada arrived on Friday, December 12, 2014. It weighed 15 or so pounds. This largish box contained all the PCB’s, electronic parts, casework, wire and so forth. Missing were three of the tubes, which were backordered and should ship this week, including the Impressive Looking 300B’s, … More Arrival of the first Big Box
Well, two of my three packages have shipped out from Audio Note in Canada. The first to arrive will probably be the heaviest box containing the transformers. That the transformer box alone weighs about 38.5 pounds tells you something about the “serious iron” that this amp will pack. It should arrive here in Austin in … More In transit…
I can’t say that I was in any way “unhappy” with the sound of my rig with my prior amps – a pair of Manley “Mahi” mono-blocks and a “Shrimp” preamp. The Mahi’s are a push-pull affair that pump out a respectable 20 W per channel in triode mode and 40 W per channel in ultra-linear … More Why S.E.T.?
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