F1

About the F1

The First Watt F1, released in 2004, is Nelson Pass's pioneering 'kitchen table' design in the First Watt series, limited to 101 units. It functions as a two-channel active current source amplifier, converting input voltage to precise output current for superior voice coil control, bypassing speaker impedance variations, wire resistance, and voice coil inductance. This results in exceptional clarity, transparency, reduced intermodulation distortion, and phenomenally low noise (100 picowatts or 30 µV unweighted). With no global feedback and a single gain stage, it excels with efficient, sensitive full-range speakers or headphones like AKG K1000. It supports both balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA inputs, automatically converting single-ended to balanced. Operating in pure Class A, it draws constant 100-200 watts power. The F1 is no longer manufactured, with recent used sales around $1400-$1680.