This Aikido pre-amplifier is about 9 months old. Sound is very transparent and dynamic. No typical tube coloration, very neutral. I recently built a passive pre-amp around the same volume control found in this Aikido and there was no noticeable change in sound quality. The sound was actually more dynamic with the Aikido in. This Aikido is as close to a wire with gain as I ever got.
I built this Aikido using 12SN7 octal tubes (they sound like the popular 6SN7's but are much easier to find and much more affordable). There are 2 very quiet, regulated independent power supplies, one for the B+ and one for the heaters. The power switch turns the heaters first and in a second click the B+ so tubes have time to warm-up properly. There are 3 RCA inputs and 2 outputs. The volume is a very clever affair only using resistors, totally transparent. It has 3 knobs to control the volume, the center one for coarse adjustments, and 2 for fine adjustments (one for the left channel and one for the right).
There's also a switch in the back to choose between 2 different coupling caps, or use them both together: an excellent audio grade polypropylene from RTI (neutral, detailed and transparent) and a paper in oil (detailed and musical). With this switch you can experience different flavors of capacitors depending on your taste and source. Using both RTI and PIO in parallel provides a magical presentation. All RCA connectors are top grade gold plated solid copper from Vampire, signal wiring is all long crystal copper, Kaddock resistor in critical signal path positions (not shown in the pictures). Included is a set of NOS RCA clear top tubes. I have more tubes if interested.
Cones in the picture are not included, but if you must have them, we can work something out. Only rubber feet are included.
PS: I'm an experienced audio builder and have built and modified many audio components in the past 12 years. This pre-amp is built like a tank just like all my other projects. It should last you a lifetime. I'm also an audiophile and music lover. My priority is always the quality of the sound.
Asking: $900.00 obo
