Elekit TU-8600S 300B Single Ended Triode Power Amplifier/HPA Kit

What a fun and rewarding project! This was the fourth amp I built in the last two years. I started with an Amp Camp Amp (ACA) and then built a second one for dual mono. Next I built a Korg Nutube preamp. I was a virgin kit builder before building all these so I was naturally very concerned about pulling the trigger on the 300b! Another great kit though... great instructions and high quality components ....and the sound is incredible! Loved the whole experience and I am thrilled with the end result!

This is my 3rd Elekit build and the quality of this kit like the others is excellent. Everything went together very smoothly including the upgrades to the volume pot and transformers. Instructions are very clear. On initial power up I did experience some problems with low audio and static/crackling and only mention this because it was 100% tube related, I managed to buy 2 bad 300B tubes (not from DiyAudio). After isolating the issue and replacing the tubes the amp is performing flawlessly. I highly recommend this outstanding kit.

Very good sounding amp. Several years ago, I built the tu-8200 and still really enjoy it. I tube roll and changed the capacitors 4 times, finally settling on a combo of tin foil and aluminum foil caps from Jupiter, and boy did it really open up the sound. I've always wondered about the "magic" of the 300B tube and I thought I would like the tu-8600. It was a little harder to build only because the PCB is much bigger and has many more components. I took my time and tried not to hurry. Well, wouldn't you know it, I got 2 resistors mixed up and ended up with an amp that put out very little sound. Victor helped me and got it straightened out , it's now up and running. I've got about 25 hours on it now and It's starting to sound more balanced. It's got a certain sweet organic sound and vocals, violins and other acoustic instruments sound especially good. For upgraded caps I chose Jupiter copper foil. It's still all breaking in, but I'm enjoying it already. Everything I've played sounds more like music and less like an electronic machine reproducing music. I'm already thinking about building the "next" Elekit. LOL.

I bought mine directly from VK but it is the same model with Lundahl transformers and Upgraded resistors. I did upgrade the caps to copper foil a few weeks after the build and that did make a pretty big difference. The tube break-in was very noticeable with an overly warm presentation for quite a few hours taming down to a neutral signature. This amp with the right speakers is better than anything I’ve had in my system. I also have built an Aleph-j but really only use that when I need a little more power for low efficiency speakers. With my 95dB speakers it sounds simply amazing and gets plenty loud for me! You can’t go wrong as long as you can handle the build which is very well documented. As some have noted solder bridges are possible with the layout so do take care and inspect carefully as you solder!

After the great customer support from Elena and Jason, the kit arrived in The Netherlands. Perfectly packed, clear instructions and all parts complete. The instruction manual is of a very high quality ( respect! ) and building the amp was not very complex and a lot of fun to do. You need a bit of solder skills and the right material though. Unpacking the big Lundahl trafo's was a special moment, they are beauties. After finising the kit and putting in a complete Genalex tube set, i first listened with a cheap headphone to be sure everything worked fine. Sound was a bit muffled ( brand new tubes ) in the beginning but it was already very promising. I could not resist and connected it to my Klipsch Forte III and Lumin A1 to listen how it sounds and see if i had enough power. Well....more than enough! After connecting the TU-8600 i let it play for days to break in all parts, no critical listening, just background music. Last night i was listening with my girlfriend and we sat on the couch for hours, number after number, album after album and we could not stop. I'm 42 and had all kinds of equipment at home. Only transistor amps and my last on was a 2x30 Watt class A of 14K. None of these made me cry of musical emotion...this one did which was a revalation. Stage, immense detail, dense natural spooky real sound, articulation of voices, bass speed, power & detail...all there at any volume. Also when you play at low volume all is there which is very important for me, i don't want to play loud all the time to hear all details. The only thing i changed were the ECC82's which are Philips Miniwatt's now to give the sound a bit more 'body' but that's more personal taste. I'm very very happy with this amp, and it feels like an endpoint now. What you read in the reviews is true, it is that good. A big thanks to the designer of the amp and diyaudiostore. You made me a happy man.

I've always been intrigued by 300B SET amps. Over the years I've built a number of kits from AudioNote Kits and Bottlehead. Herb's Stereophile review made me commit. This is the best packed, picked, instructed kit I have made. Like Herb's, mine is the upgraded version, but I built it myself. It was an easy and fun build. My only caution is for newbies with little soldering experience. Watch some YouTube videos and practice first. In places the PCB is densely populated and the solder pads are close together.

Now for the best part. As Herb stated in his review, pair the TU-8600R with the right speaks and they sing. It's just mind boggling. You just built a $20,000 amp $2,000. There's nothing else to say!!!!!!