Kit1 300B - Standard Edition
Integrated Single-Ended Triode Hi-Fi Amplifier

The Kit1 Standard Edition offers you the chance to experience real high quality S.E.T. (Single-Ended Triode) amplification for yourself - but at a highly affordable price. This kit has been evolving since it first appeared in the mid 1990's and, as such, has proved its high reliability and customer satisfaction index time and time again.

When Audio Note Kits took over production and distribution of this kit a few years ago, even more improvements and refinements were applied to it - bringing it to a level of performance, component quality, and upgrade-ability never before dreamed of for a kit amplifier. Modifications such as:

All current versions of the Kit1 are integrated amplifiers. That is, they can accept input from any standard line-level Hi-Fi component. A volume control is accessible on the front of the chassis. Output transformer taps of 4 and 8Ohm are available on the rear of the unit to make speaker matching easier. The mains transformer can be internally configured for many different countries. Upon request, multiple inputs can be accommodated via an additional input selector for the front panel. All necessary components are supplied in the kit, including valves.

The Kit1 300B amplifiers have one 300B per channel running at 420 volts with 75mA current giving 9/10 watts of the cleanest power you will ever hear. The input stage consists of a 6SN7GT with a 5687 double triode driver stage running in SRPP. The power supply is a capacitor-choke-capacitor with a 5U4G HT rectifier.

Please note that we are always willing to help people who have built the Kit1 in the past who are interested in upgrading their amplifier. Enquiries for new chassis and component upgrades are always welcome.

What customers are saying about the Kit1

After some hours of work when I heard the unbelievable realism and transparency of the sound without any hum I was really surprised. There is no feeling of tiredness even after long hours of listening. The emotional side of the music that you can get only with high end products is delivered without any restriction for a very reasonable price. All the instruments are clearly identified and the special localization of the instruments is perfect. The dynamic is close to the reality from the very deep bass to high frequencies and there are no artificial colorations, the response curve seems to be very homogeneous. The absence of inter modulation effects increase the justness and the reality of the sound. I was used to listen music with my Audio Note Kit four and Preamp kit assembled 5-6 years ago, the result was excellent up to the day when I finished the Kit 1.

I am now discovering all my CDs in a different way and I am surprised with many details which were not audible before. Thanks to Audio Note for this high quality product.

Rifat Gursel - France

There are quite a few DIY kits in the market. After spending many hours researching which kit to build, I finally chose AN Kit1. Last kits I built were over twenty years ago, the Hafler pre and power amplifiers, which I still have, connected to Maggies II with JBL double 10" Alnico inside Acoustat sub box, and a pair of B&W 801s. I still have the Micro Seiki DQ-500 turntable.

The first music I played on my Kit1 was Narada's 'Yosemite'. I could not believe the clearness of all the instruments flowing out from the speakers and you can feel the vastness of Yosemite infront of you. Unlike the solid states, music from Kit1 is softer yet precise and accurate from high to low notes. I can't wait to upgrade my Kit1.

Chris Tsai

During my time with the Kit One I have upgraded it a lot. All capacitors, except for those in the power supply board, are now Black Gates of various types. The Black Gates are well worth the relatively high price – they really are. The Black Gates makes the sound quality climb several steps on the High-End-Ladder. The openness and transparency is now unheard of - I have to laugh every time I put on a piano concert because of the incredible realism provided by the Kit One. I’m a pianist myself and I tell you: If you know how a piano sounds like in a concert hall, the Kit One with some upgrades could probably be the best sounding amp you have EVER heard!

Trond Seland, Norway

From the very first musical notes that emanated from the Kit 1 I knew that this amp was different. As a matter of fact it reminded me of my first tube mono blocks, VTL Compact 100s, in the way it presented a full orchestral sound field. It has gotten better with break in and even though I have in the same room a pair of Atma-Sphere M-60s, I continue to listen to the Kit 1 in happy astonishment.

Yes, the Black Gates warmed up quite nicely and now after a five minute kick start in the morning, my kit 1 becomes a maven of musical presentation. It's just fascinating.

Rick Justice, West Virginia U.S.A

I am going through my vinyl collection again because everything sounds so amazing, like hearing everything for the 1st time!!!

The kit one is DEAD silent and the music flows out of it like nothing I have ever heard before. My humble Rega p3/Dynavector is a shining beacon of analog bliss.

Erik Anderson

I had pretty much made my way through all the established hifi brand names, and had actually placed a deposit on a (then) new Mark Levinson power amp when I stumbled upon a Kit 1 system driving some skanky old Lowthers.

It is no exaggeration to say that all the blood drained from my face ( a friend who was there can testify to this!) and I just could not believe what I was hearing before me. Here was an actual flesh and blood performance being recreated extemporaneously before my very 'eyes', and everything hifi had talked about and promised, but I guess I'd not till then known that they'd never delivered. Nothing short of a paradigm shift could explain the experience---in that one instant, I lost whatever trust I had had for mainstream scribes and dealers in one blow.

A happy kit one owner in Toronto, Canada