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
April 22, 2026
NAD
NAD Introduces the C 589 CD Player
NAD ELECTRONICS, a leading manufacturer of high-performance audio components, today announced the launch of the NAD C 589 CD Player, a precision-engineered source component designed to extract the highest level of performance from compact discs. Combining advanced digital processing with NAD’s longstanding engineering philosophy of simplicity and value, the C 589 delivers refined playback for music lovers who continue to value the experience of physical media.
Read more
January 1, 2023
Crystal Cable
Introducing New Digital & Network Cables
Crystal Cable has recently introduced its Art Series Monet Digital, Diamond Series 2 - Reference - Digital and Diamond Series 2 - Ultra - Network cables.
Read more
October 4, 2025
Wilson Benesch
GRAVITON® Ti: Biomimetic Design. Absolute Fidelity.
Crafted for the discerning audiophile and the true music lover, GRAVITON® Ti delivers a new benchmark in analogue performance. This is British engineering at its most advanced—uniting a graphene-reinforced carbon fibre armtube with biomimetic titanium structures grown through state-of-the-art additive manufacturing.
Read more
FOLLOW US