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For those of you who are regular visitors to our AudioNote Kits web page you will notice that we have been making alot of changes in the Pre-Amplifier area - we improved the original pre-amp kit, introduced a new Standalone Phono Stage and a new Balanced Line Pre-Amplifier product which uses AudioNote output transformers.
The original AudioNote Pre-Amplifier kit (developed mid 90's) was one of the original products that we started AudioNoteKits with in Jan 2004. Soon after we came out with a Signature Version where we provided high quality components i.e. tantulum resistors, copper caps, AN-V silver wire , noble pots etc due to customer requests for upgrades etc.... We received lot's of feedback from customers during this time about what they liked and felt could be improved with the kit - At the same time a new larger excellent (& dead quiet) Mains transformer (TRANS - 0103) came out of AudioNote UK to adhere to new European Electrical standards - Due to its size we had to move the positioning of the mains and choke so that they did not cause interference with the phono section
I brought the original Pre-amp kit to AudioNote UK engineering for a week last March and Andy Grove and I went through the sonics , grounding and positioning - Andy made several design changes to improve sonics and elimate hum and noise - I was very pleased with the results and we basically called the new Pre-Amplifier Kit the 2.0 version. I added a metal shield in the kit as you may have seen on the web page and new instructions for kit builders. The Pre-Amp kit was now a very good product but was getting difficult to build and very cramped inside the chassis.
We were also finding that many customers were hardwiring their own RCA's into the kit and removing the ribbon cable that we used for the line inputs. So we wanted to move to hardwired AN silver RCA's in the kit. Also the tape out function was becoming obsolete and required an additional selector, therefore I wanted to remove the second selector switch and replace it with a single high quality ELMA selector. We also wanted to use a high quality copper or silver wire for the connections between the selector switch and the RCA's
With all these design considerations taken into account we are pleased to announce an outstanding new product for kit builders.
The new product we are calling the "AudioNote PQ Pre-Amplifier ". It will also be available in Standard and Signature Version's. Pricing ,availablity and Configurations/Upgrades will be posted in January 2006 and we are looking to have kits available at the very end of January.
Other new products for early 2006 include the Kit1 2A3, Phono-MC Standalone in large chassis, and DAC1.1 Signature with newly designed I/V transformers!
Visit the web page for the new Pre-Amplifier kit at PQ Pre-Amplifier Web page Thanks for your support Regards Brian Smith
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UPDATE - The beta program for the new Balanced Line Kit is full but dont despair -the production units will be available in mid to late January (as soon as you finish paying off those Christmas bills). Let us know if you would like to reserve a production unit when it becomes available. I'll be spending a couple of weeks in the Uk working on the new Kit1 2A3 - When we come back the first of January I expect to have a few suprises that should make 2006 a very exciting year for audiophiles. Thanks to all the customers taking part in the Line Kit beta program!
Regards
Brian Smith
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UPDATE - The long awaited Balanced Line Kit beta period is available now -Enquire on email if you are interested in building this new kit - We are taking orders now and will be shipping around the December 1st.
There are about 7 or 8 kits available for this period with your choice of Hi-B or I/E output AN transformers.Picture below shows the new Phono Stage Kit beside the new Balanced Line Kit. Check out the web page at Balanced Line Page
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I notice how time flies in the kit world when I look at how much time has passed since my last update. It was a very busy summer for AudioNote Kits - At a time when I thought most kit builders were enjoying the sunny outdoors we were getting orders and requests for all sorts of kit products!
I will be over at AudioNote UK around the second week of December where we will be doing the final engineering on the new Kit1 2A3. We will also be working on some new kit designs for 2006.
The current phono stage product has been a great success and many kit builders have given us fantastic feedback on the phono stage. Check out Phono Stage Web Page for the latest reviews etc...
This week will be exciting as we will be receiving the new chassis's for the Line - Only Balanced Pre-Amplifier.
This product will be using a 5687 M3 line stage along with our M2 power supply ( same as the Phono Kit)
I expect to have an IE Core version along with a HI-B core version - Expect an update this week on pricing , delivery etc.. for the new Balanced Line Stage.
We have designed a new Step Up transformer for Phono Kit and in early 2006 we will be releasing the new Phono-MC kit. The kit will sit in the same size chassis as the new Line Stage ( 80mm wider than standard ) and will house the current phono kit along with a pair of step up transformers designed specifically for the kit. This kit will have both MM and MC inputs
We are once again revamping the Pre-Amplifier Kit - We made a number of sonic/ grounding improvements to the kit with the 2.0 version this year- The New Pre-Amplifier Signature Kit Mk2 will now sit in the 80mm wider chassis so there will be a lot more room to work with - We will have the metal shield dividing the power supply and phono sections . We are also removing the tape in/ tape out and just using one high quality ELMA selector switch on the front panel that will be hardwired from the discrete AN silver RCA's on the back of the chassis. THis product will be available for shipping by the end of November. Expect some pics on the site in the next week along with the Line Only kit
Thanks to every one for your support and feedback.
Regards
Brian Smith
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Dear Friends,
Sorry for the long delay between updates. We have been busy behind the scenes working on many of the kit products.
AUDIONOTEKITS HEADLINES:
- The Kit1 Phono Stage - now available!
- Kit1 - 2A3 coming this fall!
- Newly enhanced Pre-Amplifier Kit 2.0 now shipping!
- Dac 1.1 Signature available this fall with I/V transformers, Tants, Black Gates, AN-V cable & Digital input transformer!
- Kit1 Mk11 version available shortly with selector switch and dual RCA inputs!
- Line Only Pre-Amp w/ AudioNote Trans027 o/p tx available in October!
We have just introduced the new "Kit1 Phono Stage". A very high quality phono only stage (RIAA)that is ideal with the Kit1 or Kit2. Since the Kit1 is a line integrated amplifier the phono only pre-amp converts the phono signal to a line level ideal for the Kit1. The power supply is second to none for kit builders borrowing from the AudioNote finished product world using a 6X5 rectifier along with an ECL82 for voltage regulation. We have separate filament supplies for the 12aX7 cascode phono input stage and the 12au7 output stage. In between we use a passive RIAA filter on the phono stage. The gain of the phono stage is 32db or a voltage gain of 43x.
New Kits that are planned for this year are the Kit1 - 2A3 model. It will be basically the same as the Kit1 300B but using the audiophile ultra low power favorite 2A3 tube.
We have made a number of enhancements to the Pre-Amplifier Kit and have re-introduced it as the new Pre-Amp Kit 2.0. Andy Grove made a number of tweaks to enhance the sonic qualities in the phono, line stages ,positioning of components and grounding strategies to reduce any hum or noise - We now have an ultra quiet pre-amplifier with superb sonic qualities.
Check out Paul Brooke's audio web site which includes an extensive writeup on his recent PQ Signature build - Thanks Paul!
http://www.mostlyaudio.com/PQBuildMain.html
We have become very proficient at the AudioNote E speaker cabinets that you can purchase from us- This has made the speaker kit now something obtainable by any kit builder - Buying the speaker cabinets along with the speaker kit 02 or 03 makes for for a very simple installation and setup - You will be listening to your new speakers within an hour of your package arriving.
Shipping is quite reasonable - Approx 100US to ship the two cabinets anywhere in North America.
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Dear Friends,
I'd like to welcome all the new customers who have purchased amplifier kits this year. We have re-introduced the Kit2 amplifier. I got a hold of all the parts at the end of last year and we built one here and it sounded amazing. Very similar to the kit1 but with that 6550 feel to it - The single ended sound shines through - Check out the kit2 page and the price list page for more info on the Kit2 amplifier - If you are thinking of a kit1 and your speakers are not very efficient then I would suggest the Kit2 is the amplifier for you - very powerful at 12W of single ended sound - Extraordinary for vinyl!
Last year we introduced the PQ Signature which is basically a kit1 with all the upgraded components along with the AudioNote Double C core output transformers. It comes in around 3100USD . We have just introduced its baby brother - the PQ Kit1 which is basically the same amplifier but with some of the component upgrades removed . Therefore at $2499 you can purchase this extremely high end kit at a more affordable starting point - Then you can add in the upgrades over time. This kit comes with the silver hard wiring option aswell.!
We have introduced the new online Kit1 manual. Its divided up into about 16 sections that are all view able in pdf format on the web. See an example of the new manual on the kit1 page . Where as the old manual was mainly text based with drawings - we undertook the task of building a kit1 from scratch and photographin each of the steps - It has proved very successfull and people are finding it a breeze to build the kit now with all the color photos. We can also ship a CD with the kit now that has a whole load of hi res pics of the build process that you can view on your computer for very detialed views of a built kit!
A large shipment of parts from AudioNote is arriving on these shores in early March and we will be well stocked with all the kits including the high efficiency speaker kits. We have also gone ahead and built about 10 sets of cabinets that we can ship either flat packed or built along with a speaker kit for North American customers. They are available until stock runs out.
The Signature Pre-Amplifier is very popular with all the high grade parts - Check out the Pre-Amplifier page for some great new shots of the kit during the build process.
We have a good stock of Kit4 parts now and if you are thinking of building your first kit and want awesome tube sound then this is the kit for you - It was the first kit I built and I still listen to it regularily. For some reason alot of people from France buy the Kit4 - Its plenty powerful and will drive most any speaker set.
We have sold out of our original DAC supply but should be in stock in a couple of weeks with the popular DAC1.1 kit. Expect to be shipping in early March.
Final Note - I will be travelling to AudioNote around March 15th t ostrategize on a number of new products with AudioNote engineering. therefore AudioNote kits will not be able to ship any product until our return in early April. If you are thinking of a kit in march please order by the week of March 7th at the latest. Otherwise we will be back shipping again early April.
Thanks to all the customers who have supported our kit business and look forward to speaking with all of you through out the year
regards
Brian Smith
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Dear Friends,
Happy New Year to all our customers and prospective clients.
This should be a fantastic new year for the kit business as we have several exciting new product kits in the works.
We are also well stocked on all standard and upgrade parts for regular kits and signature models.
I'll be attending the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas from January 7-9 and you should be able to find me.
at the AudioNote room. Just ask for me - Brian Smith of AudioNote Kits - if you would like to meet up.
Thanks
Brian Smith
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Dear Friends,
Merry Christmas to all my many audio friends that I have met all over the world this year.
That's my daughter posing with some of the kit stuff around the Christmas tree - I think she'll be alot happier when the all the real presents come out! But for a kit builder - this would seem like a great bundle from Santa.
Thanks to everyone who has bought an AudioNote kit this year! Its been fascinating to see the list of countries that we have shipped to. It goes something like this : Australia, Hong Kong, Canada, USA, Mexico, Chile, Poland, Latvia, Germany, France, Norway, UK, Spain.... I have had the chance to speak to many knowledgeable audio people from all over the world and I've come to realize that we are all similar - no matter what language we speak , what we look like or where we live - This hobby has a universal appeal!
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Dear Audio Friends
We have been very busy since the last news update. We've just finished building both the Speaker kit 02 and speaker kit 03 and have been able to compare the results - The soundstage is huge with these wonderful speakers when positioned correctly - I found the speakers loved old vinyl and seemed to create a real feeling of warmth and clarity with old jazz records and classical. The resonating wood added alot of feeling to my acoustic recordings on CD. Both speakers have a wonderful delicate sound that brings out all the detail in recordings - The speaker kit 03 is outstanding with tons of volume (98db efficiency) and matches very well with a kit1. We have been offering flat packed speaker cabinets for awhile now and we are now offering pre-built cabinets that you can buy with the speaker kit. Here's a completed set
We have also recieved the first set of trans300 output transformers from AudioNote where they are made and we are in the process of putting together a PQ Signature Kit. This kit has been very popular even with the whopping price tag! Should have some completed pics soon.
We have recenlty stocked up on upgrades for the kit1 and the pre-amp - So if you are interested in either of these products we can supply the signature upgrades which include Tantulum Resistors, AN copper caps ,black gate capacitors and Silver wire.
That's me playing with the high end AudioNote amplifiers at the Italian Audio Show held in September in Milan
Also the Kit2 is ready for shipping - It will be added to the price list shortly. This is the 6550 based single ended amplifer - based on the kit1 and priced at 1299 with stainless chassis. It delivers almost double the power of the Kit1 - the pics are coming shortly.
We have also scheduled the DAC 1.1 kit design work for the following upgrades - Rectified Tube Power supply with new Mains transformer , I'V transformer between Digital and analog PCB's, TRANS 011 output transformers. All these upgrades will be based around the DAC1.1 kit and we are hoping to make a lot of progress before the end of the year - stay tuned!
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Dear Audio Enthusiasts
Hope everyone is enjoying their summer and getting outside more! Thanks to all the great customers who have purchased kits over these summer months. We are still busy working on improving all aspects of the kits. As you can see the new and improved Kit1 with the stainless steel chassis is proving very popular. The kit1 now comes standard with ELNA cerafine electrolytics. Our new Kit1 manual is due out in a couple of weeks complete with lots of color pics of the build process.
We have made efforts to improve the Kit4. If you are thinking about building your first tube amplifier then the Kit4 is a lot of fun to build. Its a push pull configuration running about 10 watts and using a minimum of feedback (10%). The sound is great and your CD collection will warm up considerably with the sweet sounding 6V6 tubes. This is a great way to get acquainted with kit building and a chance to enjoy that wonderful tube sound. Send me an email to enquire about the latest Kit4 pricing and the upgrade kit that goes with it.
AudioNote Kits will be closed for a week during the middle of September while I am travelling in Europe and attending the Italian audio show in Milan. Look forward to meeting any of you who can make it there.
Regards
Brian Smith
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Dear Audio Enthusiasts
Its been a busy month at AudioNote Kits! We have just completed a production chassis run for Kit1, Kit4 and the Pre-amplifier Kit. The Kit1 now comes in stainless steel and black powder coated versions. The Kit1 Signature chassis (stainless only) is 35mm wider than a standard Kit in order to accept the larger AudioNote TRANS300 output transformers. It is expected for delivery around the 2nd week of July.
AudioNote Kits is now up on the AudioAsylum so if you have questions or experiences you would like to discuss with other kit builders or the kit people from AudioNote please post your messages at www.audioasylum.com
New!!!! We have added Flat Packed Cabinet pieces for the AudioNote E speaker kit. There is a tremendous amount of work in cutting these pieces accurately in order to have a professional looking and sounding speaker kit project. We provide instructions on glueing the cabinets together and installing the electrical components
AudioNote Kits is well stocked with DAC's, Kit4's, Pre-Amplifiers and of course the Kit1 for July/August time frame - let us know if we can ship you a kit!
Regards
Brian Smith
June 25, 2004
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Dear Audio enthusiasts
AudioNote Kits has been operating now since the first of the year 2004. I would like to thank all the people who have enquired about the kits over these last couple of months and to some of the new customers who have purchased kit1's , kit4's pre-amps and DAC kit's over these four months.
Thanks for your patience as we have been trying to deliver a high quality kit product to all of you. Your feedback is important and appreciated. Its been a busy couple of months with two trips to the AudioNote factory in the UK and many discussions with AudioNote president Peter Q.
We are close to being fully stocked for a good quantity of kit1-4,dac's and pre-amps. I've been busy cleaning up the chassis designs for the kits ( increasing the depth of kit1 for upgrades, prototyping a stainless steel version, adding countersunk screw holes etc.) I have a new production run of chassis going through as of this writing. I'm planning to introduce the new Signature Version of the Kit One shortly , which will come standard with all the upgrades (Black Gates, Tantulum Resistors, Silver AN interconnect, gold valve bases,AudioNote silver or copper signal caps and more exotic output transformers. This kit will come standard with Chrome transformer covers. Should be gorgeous!
Shortly we will be announcing a number of Pre-amp & DAC 1.1 upgrades that will allow you to take both products to a whole new level. Also planning to introduce a new chassis for the kit3. This the parallel single ended 300B amplifier delivering around 18 Watts of single ended sound. The new chassis will be a more slendor classic mono block style.
While I was at AudioNote I found a kit2 that had been built by an AudioNote employee. The wiring job was so well done I had to take some pictures for kit enthusiasts to try and emulate. See the pics posted on the Kit2 page.
I also got a chance to meet with Peter and discuss strategies over a bottle of wine and some old vinyl.
Regards
Brian Smith
April 27, 2004
