First Watt F7 Amplifier Review 

Thank you. Glad you liked it!

What pre amp did you use, thanks

Blejzeros Amigos I have and still use an Audio Hungary APR 204 tube preamp. Great, great pre! Thanks

Glad it was helpful!

Thanks for watching and for your encouraging comment!

Totally agree. Glad you love your Amp Camp Kit!

Thank you. I realize I'm close. I need a better mic and then it will still sound okay if I move the camera back.

I'd like to try a SET (single ended triode) amp with my Cornwalls, but I haven't yet.

The Boston Audiophile IMHO Cornwalls won’t benefit from forward sounding front end. Your combo of AR and FW looks pretty good to me. Not sure you wanna go down that rabbit hole (SET amps). 🤣

To clarify. Not all SET/tube gear has that euphoric feeling that is usually associated with that tube harmonic overtone. Those generic labels are a bit misleading as you probably know. There are really shitty tube amps that sound worst then your average SS amp with forward, bright, sizzling top end. Sometimes they menage to screw up the fundamentals as well. That’s the midrange. Which is a shame. Tube gear is no different. There are those who really get it and those who are in it for an easy dollar. Shitty tube gear might sound like your topical SS amp and vice verse. So be aware of it as it might be a little discouraging when you come across a crappy tube amp. SET designs are typically simple and based on already bulletproof schematics so that might be a way to go. Still, look for something that has reputation, a real person on the other side of a phone and design that is easily serviceable by your local repair shop. What can I say about tube gear..... it’s not boring, it’s harmonically satisfying but not for everyone.

The Boston Audiophile If you like First Watt amp, perhaps this might interest you. It will save you ton of $$$. I would also get two kits and go for mono block/balance option at double the power (16wpc class A instead of 8wpc) diyaudiostore.com/collections/frontpage/products/amp-camp-amp-kit?variant=7072933085218

Thanks for warning me. Don’t worry, I wouldn’t buy any old SET amp.

Not to mention they are reliable and sound very good! ;)

Yes, I kept it. It would be difficult to remove and the Cornwalls definitely sound better to my ears with the Dynamat.

Miccka S 100% works and it’s worth it. Size, in this case, does not matter. It’s all about reducing unwanted resonance of those horn couplers. If you’re interested in modifications that might work on your specific speakers (HeresyIII), check this thread on Audio Circle: www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=166996.0

Thanks for sharing!

I you upgrade a Nelson Pass designed unit it will lose resale value.

Ryan William Or void the warranty. However if I believe there’s improvement that I can do within my means... I usually mod/upgrade. I upgraded/modded my Magnepans and Mark Levinson amplifier. I race and rally cars and have a modded upgraded Ferrari F430 which would hurt resale. Oh well... the new Tubi exhaust system was worth it regardless of valuation issues. Plus the new exhaust system is an audio system on its own.

I haven't, but I'd very much like to.

@@thebostonaudiophile pls do video if you do get one on hand! Right now I run Hersey IV with Pass Xa25!

balanced

@@brahand It does not, just single-ended RCA jacks.

That’s the point that would hold me back. I‘d love to see a balanced input… like on my Pass Labs monos.

its not cheap because firstwatt use custom transistor (sit/vfet) from semisouth

@@annasipul Not in this unit. They use a lateral mosfet I believe which may even still be in production. But you gotta pay the keeper. So even at $3000, it wasn't a bad deal.

@@mikerodriguez5868 oh my bad, you are correct

First Watt’s quality is very high, it’s just that their circuits are simple. Some people will want “more” for their money. In audio signal paths, however, “less is more”, often applies.

@@thebostonaudiophile Thanks!🤗😇

@@thebostonaudiophile Not everyone can pull of what Nelson has done with these simple circuits. You're not just paying for the few quality parts in there, but a master engineer's accumulated knowledge and tinkering. My old Threshold also had quite few parts, but some parts were very huge, and heavy!

@@gylfi6369 Great point!