Building the Audio Note Kit 1 SET amp...

Rrsclyde,
I have the Kit 1 10th Anniversary for some months now. I can't say how it would compare to the Legend Monos, but before I decided, I asked the opinions of Brian @ Audio Note Kits as well as Pete Fulton, who built it for me, and both of them immediately advised me to get the Kit 1. I believe that it was Brian (you could and probably should call him) who told me that there were customers who had gone from monos back to the Kit 1.
I can't really comment on the superiority of the c-core transformers in my amp, since I have never heard the regular ones. For the difference in price that I paid, I hope they sound better! Joking aside, the amp sounds great, and I am very happy. I never would have thought 8 little watts could sound this good.

Roxy54,

Are you using your Kit 1 10th with a preamp or as an integrated? I don't want to give up my pre (which is also my headphone amp and gives me remote volume control) and am a bit concerned having an additional volume pot in the signal path (although I'm sure it could be built as just an amp).

Is the Kit 1 10th quiet re hum/noise?

I've been corresponding with Brian & Pete (both have been great, although I'm likely driving them crazy with all my questions 😄), but they haven't really recommended the Kit 1 10th over Legends with C core OPTs. I'd really love to hear why some folks have moved to the Kit 1 from the monos.

Thanks (and I don't want to hijack the thread!).

Rsclyde,
As the OP, I've got no problem or concerns with your "hijacking the thread." Ask away! I'm happy for this thread to become a home to general Audio Note Kit conversation.
I am getting rather close now to the end of my build. Speaker posts attached, RCA posts attached. Next comes the input selector switch and the volume pot and I should be ready to begin testing. Wish me luck!!

Hi Rrsclyde,
I have mine configured as an integrated, with a Khozmo stepped attenuator. Out of curiosity, I thought that I might hook up my Morrison Audio ELAD (solid state) placing it between the source and one of the inputs, after calling Pete and asking if that was safe. At first, superficially, I thought that I preferred it, but I soon realized that the magic of the amp's timing and the way it exposed musicians intent, at least with this preamplifier, had been lost.
I'm glad that you asked about noise. It is not just quiet, but very quiet. My speakers are 102db efficient horns, and there is no noise to be heard with ear to speaker. I think that its one of the reasons for the clarity of the amps sound. And yes, it can be built as just an amp.
I would love to hear the Legend C-Cores with that new super preamp they are introducing.

Roxy,
I've heard that the Khozmo attenuator is a significant upgrade, but Brian steered me away from installing it from the get-go. He suggested getting the kit successfully built and burned in, and then perhaps doing that upgrade down the road. The part itself is about $180 on Partsconnexion.com, so it's not extremely pricey to retrofit.