The unbuilt Lafayette KT-600 preamp dilemma

[Tubologic]

I have this old Lafayette KT-600 preamplifier kit stored in unbuilt (N.O.S) condition for many years and now time has come to build (and use) it, or let it go... I am very tempted to build it especially because I already have an (assembled) KT-550 power amp with matching tuner, and also the KT-600 is usually considered as an excellent sounding preamp by most vintage audio experts. Of course, once assembled his resale value will drop considerably for collectors. Now I'm wondering how would YOU grapple with this dilemma: build it or sell it as is ?

 

[drtool]

I would build it with the best new parts (caps) and run the hell out of it. Hope it came with nos tubes.

 

[Ohighway]

Reminds me of the old plastic model kit dilemma, Worth more as a kit but..... no real joy in it. OTOH, I'm not the guy who wants to ruin a "collectible" by opening the box.

To answer your question I'd sell it as a NOS kit for the bigger $$$. Then spend -part- of that money on an existing KT-600. Let the kit become someone else's problem.

EDIT: Actually I'll reverse that. Make sure you can buy an acceptable used KT-600 first, -THEN- sell the NOS kit.

 

[soundmotor]

Unbuilt could be twice $$$$ that built would be.

 

[Retrovert]

That kit when unbuilt is a relic of another time. It shows what kits were like. So it has value unassembled. Once assembled, it's just another preamplifier.

I'd replace every single component: the resistors with 1% metal film, and every capacitor with either 1% film or nice electrolytics, and add all the things we now know preserve tubes and enhance performance.

If you do build it, video the entire thing then run it on time lapse.

 

[Frankie's Market]

First off I will confess to owning a built KT-600 pre-amp, and yes it sounds sweet! That said, If I had an un-built kit if this pre-amp I would love to build it! As an aside, I'm still searching for some of those dual concentric knobs, let me know if you come across any!

 

[s-petersen]

If the experience of building it is important to you, build the kit with new components, if it is a hassle for you to build it, sell it and buy a used one in good shape.

 

[RossW]

Put it on e-bay. You will get crazy money for it and can use that to buy any number of excellent preamps that are not NOS/NIB.

 

[Sam Cogley]

A classic Stu Hegeman design. He was having issues finishing up the details on the KT-600/550 pair, and they kicked him out so an other engineer could finish the job and they could start recouping their investment. Hegemen, of course, ended up at H/K and designed the justifiably famous Citation I-V components based on the work he started with Lafayette.

 

[Tubologic]

View attachment 812777 View attachment 812778 View attachment 812777 View attachment 812778

A classic Stu Hegeman design. He was having issues finishing up the details on the KT-600/550 pair, and they kicked him out so an other engineer could finish the job and they could start recouping their investment. Hegemen, of course, ended up at H/K and designed the justifiably famous Citation I-V components based on the work he started with Lafayette.

Yes, I've heard about that story before and the "other engineer" was Aaron Newman from Lafayette. Stu Hegeman was a great engineer with plenty of innovative ideas but it looks he rarely followed his projects up to the final production stage.

Some more factual infos about Hegeman and the KT-600 design can be found in the scans below:

 

[cptnCanada]

I think it needs to stay unbuilt and preserved. There are probably few kits like this left and this could be something museum worthy in the future. Give the kids a glimpse at what talents prior generations had that have been lost in time. Once it's built it's just another vintage preamp.

Money value aside, this is a rare piece of history and should stay like that.

Have any pics?

 

[AdamAnt316]

Frankly, if I had something like that as an unbuilt kit, it would be hard to resist building it. I grew up far too late to build any of the classic kits offered by Heath, Allied Radio, Lafayette, Eico, Dynaco, etc., so I've had to live vicariously through the people who built them back in the day. I do have a small group of classic kits which are currently in unbuilt form; among them are a Knight-Kit transistor code practice oscillator and a Heathkit IT-11 capacitor checker, both of which I plan to build.

More of a conundrum, however, is a Motorola MEK-6800-D2 "Microprocessor Evaluation Kit" from the mid '70s. All of the parts are contained in blister packs within a binder, and along with it several manuals relating to the MC6800 processor used by it. Some pictures of the kit and its accompanying paperwork can be found here. I've been tempted to build it, but rather doubt I will go through with it; helping is the fact that I have a similar Heathkit ET-3400 trainer which was built by someone back in the day.
-Adam

 

[mfaz28]

According to the late Charlie Kittleson & friends. The cathode follower of the KT-700 was a superior circuit that deserved our attention.

 

[maxhifi]

You asked what would I do? I would catalog and measure all the components, and then building it using original parts which are in tolerance, and modern where originals are no longer any good.

 

[darkblue94]

Sorry, nothing to add but quite interested in outcome.

 

[kward]

Sell the kit. You've lived without it all these years, so you probably won't miss not having it, but will gain a bunch of cash in your wallet.

 

[N8Nagel]

I'm with the sell it crowd, but if you have the money, do buy another one and restore it before you sell the kit.

I'm inclined to believe those who think you probably could make money on that deal, maybe enough to get some really nice tubes for your "new" one.

Also, make sure to take high-res scans of any and all documentation you have with the kit.

 

[radioactive]

Which version is it? Script lettering? Or block.i had a rare one that I sold that had block lettering that I'd say was the earliest version ever and possibly even a pre production run as I've never seen another one like it.ill find a picture and post it.

 

[BillWojo]

I'm with N8Nagel. Post some pic's on AK, a lot of us have never seen what one of these kits look like.
If someone buys it for big money you can upgrade to a much nicer unit.

BillWojo

 

[radioactive]

Here was what mine looked like