Building of the P1800 from Ampmaker

Right after I finished the Tweed Princeton, I decided the next amp would be a British type one. After a few weeks of research over internet, I decided to go for the P1800 from Ampmaker, for the following reasons:

+ The signal path is unchanged from the original circuit

+ Possibility to switch from 18 W to a 5-watt-ish configuration (class A) + VVR to allow home-playing

+ The documentation is fantastic, and Barry from Ampmaker is really nice!

+ The kit is pretty cheap

The main drawback of the amp specs, from my opinion, are the lack of the tremolo, and the higher PP+ mode, which is not necessary for my use.

As I live in China, direct delivery was not possible, so I had to ask a frient to get it in Hong-Kong, and bring it to me here. Hopefully, he didn't face any issue at the customs.

Unfortunately, the chassis has been a bit deformed on it's top during transportation (but no impact on assembly, it's only visual), otherwise, everything arrived perfectly protected and intact.

Regarding kit quality, a few comments:

+ Transformers seem good

+ Tube sockets, wires, resistors, caps and pots are ok. Maybe not top-notch quality as in the TAD kit, but the price is not comparable either.

+ I was a bit disappointed by the metal quality (thickness, slight flexibility of the sides) of the chassis, compared to the one I got for my Princeton. However, all holes are perfectly drilled, the assembly was really easy, so let's say it does not impact the overall quality.

The construction is really straightforward, thanks to the perfect documentation. I took my time to complete the amp, and followed the instructions carefully, triple-checkd all components values and position. I didn't encounter any issues at startup, the amp is quiet, all pots are working correctly, VVR is also working well.

So, in the end, what do I think about the kit?

Well, assembly is easy (maybe too easy for what I was personally looking), sound is just fantastic on a 12 inch speaker, Class A configuration and PP configuration are really good, PP+ not so much for my taste. VVR is just incredible, I couldn't use this amp without VVR. [Actually, I also installed one VVR in my Princeton amp, this is saving my ears and my family's ones as well.]

One thing that prevented me to buy this kit as a first DIY amp kit was that it wasn't a real "replica" of the dominator. However, once I tried the Princeton at home, I understood that I needed a kit with an integrated VVR.

In conclusion, I would highly recommend this kit as a first or second amp kit. (I also recommend the VVR kit from Barry!)