new kit availability

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Hello,


First post :p.


I've been signed up for DIY mailing list for some time now and the urge to build my own amps has been getting stronger.


I missed the last one, but this line in particular made me happy:


You might have heard some rumours on the forum... let's just say that there's going to be some really exciting stuff coming out in terms of crossovers, pre and power amps with unique twists for the DIYer that you are going to love. Stay tuned...


Is there any news that I might have missed?


I am thinking to go all in, complete kits with chassis, pre amp and mono power amps and simply take my time to enjoy building it.


But there's also a line that worries me:


This may be the last time we offer the ACA at this price point due to hefty new tariffs on components which will increase our parts cost.


Can you say anything about:
- time table - roughly, in months?

- price - will it double or more? What about the pre?


Anything out there about the specs of the upcoming kit? Will they offer a little more power than the current ones?


Thanks!
 
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First post :p.

Welcome!

Is there any news that I might have missed?

No, just things happen at their own pace around here :) But there should be some news in the next.... 7-14 days about something new... (not an amp)

Can you say anything about:
- time table - roughly, in months?
- price - will it double or more? What about the pre?

The new tariffs are in the 10-25% range and as our kit costs are based directly on BOM cost, you can expect to see a matching price increase. The prices changes will take weeks and months to trickle through. POTUS changes the game week by week so impossible to say other than "the price will be what it will be". What we absolutely will do is try to keep the ACA the most affordable it can be (while keeping the parts quality to our very high standard), to allow for the maximum of beginners to get access to it and get a taste for the hobby.

Anything out there about the specs of the upcoming kit? Will they offer a little more power than the current ones?

I'd venture to guess the ACA is now pretty much set in stone for a few years to come, power is limited by the PSU and maximum voltage of various parts in the circuit. More power would mean a kit that isn't "the best amp a beginner can build and understand". If you want it to play louder, you might want to look at more efficient speakers.

As for another amp, with more complexity, multiple output devices, and more power... sure... :) There's a few things on the horizon for people to make their "second amp". As far as minimal zen bang for your buck, I think people's reviews of their experiences listening to it speak for themselves.
 
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Thanks!


Appreciate your reply.



If you want it to play louder, you might want to look at more efficient speakers.
I would think that it is a lot easier to get a bigger amp as I believe an amp has less impact on the sound than speakers do. I'm afraid getting speakers that match my likings is going to be a real challenge. To give you an idea, after several years I settled on Infinity Kappa 7.1i to replace a pair of broken Magnepan 3.5's.



As for another amp, with more complexity, multiple output devices, and more power... sure... :) There's a few things on the horizon for people to make their "second amp". As far as minimal zen bang for your buck, I think people's reviews of their experiences listening to it speak for themselves.
I'm sorry, I'm not sure I understand ... are you coming up with something like that or does it exist as you're referring to reviews? Or maybe you mean the reviews of the current kit?


In any case, I've read the reviews of the current and past kits, and I'm convinced I'm going to like it. I've had class A amps in the past. I also read the post about the power output, I understand all that. Maybe it's going to be good enough for >95% of the playtime, I don't know.


Currenty the Infinity's are driven by 2 Sony TA-N55ES in mono, 300W at 8 ohms per channel on 6 ohm speakers rated 89dB 2.8V/1 meter sensitivity. On rare occasions, it goes to 11 :D;).


Anyway, I'll be paying extra attention the coming days!
 
Thread bump - ACA was a fab build sounds great. Would love a pre-amp kit in the same size chassis and format - all parts sourced and supplied and a phono stage would be good too - especially as someone's just told me the phono stage in my integrated amp is rubbish. Anything planned for the not too distant future. A few hints have been dropped about using the meanwell PSU in other projects.

Cheers

Steve
 
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