I disagree with jond's assertion that "
most people will tell you stuff built by AN UK is a definite cut above AN Kits." Having experience with both I will say that both are excellent.
Assuming that your ANK kit is properly built (or built professionally) they can sound great. In recent years ANK has moved away from mimicking Audio Note's own products and are offering their own designs. Some may prefer them to AN UK stuff and some may not, but I applaud Brian Smith for his bold product offerings, keeping his products affordable and for maintaining excellent design and quality control. AN UK doesn't offer any products like the Mentor preamp or EL84 monoblocks; both are unique and top notch designs.
Having said that, I owned an Audio Note UK OTO SE Phono integrated amp for years. I am still sorry I sold that one. It wasn't the beast overall amp I ever heard, but it was very good at everything it did: preamp section, phono stage, amp section - all very, very good and it played well above the price I paid for it. Either way you are in for a treat.
Assuming that your ANK kit is properly built (or built professionally) they can sound great. In recent years ANK has moved away from mimicking Audio Note's own products and are offering their own designs. Some may prefer them to AN UK stuff and some may not, but I applaud Brian Smith for his bold product offerings, keeping his products affordable and for maintaining excellent design and quality control. AN UK doesn't offer any products like the Mentor preamp or EL84 monoblocks; both are unique and top notch designs.
Having said that, I owned an Audio Note UK OTO SE Phono integrated amp for years. I am still sorry I sold that one. It wasn't the beast overall amp I ever heard, but it was very good at everything it did: preamp section, phono stage, amp section - all very, very good and it played well above the price I paid for it. Either way you are in for a treat.