[tipatina]

http://www.akitika.com/GT101.html

I finished this amp 3 months ago and have been letting it settle into a system including a McIntosh MX113 tuner/preamp, Focal JM Labs Cobalt bookshelf speakers, Meridian Direct DA with MacBook. The price is very reasonable and the kit is well designed with a complete detailed and well-written manual. The build took me 3 months but I would leave for weeks at a time due to family/work responsibilities. The designer Dan Joffe is a prince. He was patient and prompt with his responses to my queries. This was my first kit. I used the inexpensive soldering iron, solder and the some of the tools described on the Akitika web site. I also found Klein “automatic” wire strippers, a Klein cutting/crimping tool, helping hands and a cheap PCB holder helpful. The parts were all included and there were no deficiencies. The order of assembly is power circuit board, amp circuit boards, wiring (including transformer prep, voltage check, and installation in the case. The amp powered on and worked flawlessly the first time. In the system described above the sound is rich and detailed with a nice soundstage. There is plenty of power. Highly recommended for the build experience and the finished product sound quality.

[JohnR]

Very nice  Interesting approach too. The price is stunning. I'm actually a bit floored.

[dB Cooper]

It's a chip amp. Curious about that. Can a little chip really deliver 50W like big MOSFETs?

If so, one of these and a Transcendent Grounded Grid Preamp and you've got a complete cheap & cheerful amp rig for < $1K.

In any event, glad to see any audio kit on the market. I built my first two audio systems (Dyna and Hafler) and it was a lot of fun. Maybe they'd consider doing a headphone amp?

[poseidonsvoice]

It's a chip amp. Curious about that. Can a little chip really deliver 50W like big MOSFET?

If so, one of these and a Transcendent Grounded Grid Preamp and you've got a complete cheap & cheerful amp rig for < $1K.

In any event, glad to see any audio kit on the market. I built my first two audio systems (Dyna and Hafler) and it was a lot of fun. Maybe they'd consider doing a headphone amp?

Kits?

You haven't looked hard enough  . There is an entire world of diyaudio at diyaudio.com Come on over, the water is warm 

Yes, the LM3886 can deliver about 40-45 watts into 8 ohms. If you use a regulated supply, then you can push a few more watts, as the Akitika unit does. Typically about 60-65 watts into 4 ohms. Not for 2 ohm loads as the the chip is current limited to 7 amps. From a design standpoint of a chip amp, the GT-101 is "ok."

For more diy and kits, check out this thread here  on AC: http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=92116.0

Nice build tipatina, enjoy 

Best,
Anand.

[dB Cooper]

Kits?

You haven't looked hard enough  . There is an entire world of diyaudio at diyaudio.com Come on over, the water is warm 

Yes, the LM3886 can deliver about 40-45 watts into 8 ohms. If you use a regulated supply, then you can push a few more watts, as the Akitika unit does. Typically about 60-65 watts into 4 ohms. Not for 2 ohm loads as the the chip is current limited to 7 amps. From a design standpoint of a chip amp, the GT-101 is "ok."

For more diy and kits, check out this thread here  on AC: http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=92116.0

Nice build tipatina, enjoy 

Best,
Anand.

Kits are in my skill set, diy not so much (Can't seem to 'grok' a schematic). Curious as to what you mean by "From a design standpoint of a chip amp". Sounds like it's being "rode hard" and I wonder what the implications might be for reliability if so.

[poseidonsvoice]

So as to not derail the thread dB Cooper, I will say that GT-101 is not being "rode hard". And regarding "From a design standpoint of a chip amp", just pm me.

Best,
Anand.

[dB Cooper]

Done.

[dB Cooper]

For anyone whose eye was caught by this thread, as a past assembler of Dyna, Heathkit, and Hafler stuff, I perused the assembly manual and it was very well done.

[tipatina]

Thanks to everyone. I'm gonna try to build the Pass ACA monoblocks from DIY.com