First Watt SIT-4 First Watt, October 24, 2023

The SIT-4 is the First Watt power amplifier using the industrial grade Static Induction Transistors. It is preceded by the ground breaking SIT-1, 2, and 3 and follows their technical philosophy and construction.

An important difference in the SIT-4 is the SIT device itself. The previous three designs used Silicon Carbide to make a custom vertical power Jfet with a low impedance Drain whose character nicely emulated a power Triode tube, but directly operating at the current and voltage that would drive loudspeakers without the requirement for an output transformer. SITs lend themselves to high quality audio performance with very simple Class A circuits with little or no dependence on other active circuit elements or negative feedback. The Common Source mode SIT-1 could do the job surrounded by only passive elements, and the SIT-2 required only bias from a current source. The SIT-3 upped the game with Common Drain design biased by a novel Pass circuit, MUFF (Mu Follower/Follower). The SIT-4 follows in the Common Source footsteps but ups the game with an industrial SIT. The SIT-1/2/3 gain transistors were rated at a few amps and about 50 watts dissipation. This amplifier uses a Tokin THF51s rated at 600 volts, 30 amps and 400 watts. As a practical matter, the limitations of the SIT-4 circuit are the size of the heat sinks. And this big Jfet manages a bandwidth of 50 megaHertz… The circuit of the SIT-4 is simple. Q1 is a new-old-stock Toshiba 2SK170 which drives the Gate of the Q2 SIT, whose output is biased by a mu-follower current source Q3.

Press Release Documents

Website Address

https://www.firstwatt.com/
More Press Releases
March 25, 2025
MSB Technology
Introducing Bit Diffusion Technology!
Introducing MSB’s latest innovation: Bit Diffusion Technology. This new technology was invented by MSB’s Chief Circuit Designer, Dustin Symanski, while working on the forthcoming Sentinel DAC project with astounding results. He was able to adapt this into the Cascade DAC with a minor hardware update, but as for the performance gain, this is much more than a small tweak! It is a significant, technological step forward in musicality, resulting in wonderfully natural playback.
Read more
May 15, 2025
Gold Note
Gold Note at High End Munich 2025
High-End Munich 2025 opened its doors yesterday, and we at Gold Note are delighted to welcome you to the Drivers & Business Club in Munich to showcase the very best of our collection.
Read more
May 14, 2025
Focal
Now an icon, the Diva Utopia wireless hi-fi loudspeaker continues its story with three exceptional new finishes: Black High Gloss, Dune High Gloss, Off White High Gloss.
Because design is the expression of your emotions, transform your space, redefine your musical moments, and bring to your interior the perfect blend of performance and aesthetics.
Read more
FOLLOW US