Back in the 60's & 70's kits definately saved you money. Available then were Dynaco, Heathkit, Eico. In the case of Dynaco, they had the finest and most powerful amplifiers available anywhere, either built or in kit form. With the Pacific Rim economic revolution in the late 70's, almost all of the kit manufacturers went out of business. Sound Values (www.soundvalves.com) still sells the famed Dynaco ST70 in kit form for $900 or so, if you are into tubes, the VTA70i. True Audio Designs (www.compusmart.ab.ca/truaudio/) has a $25 manual to build your own solid-state amp. Frank Van Alstine (www.avahifi.com) still sells preamp kits of modified Dynaco and other designs. A company called Smart Kit (www.smartkit.gr/sk1077.htm) offers a 100w solid state amplifier kit. The Audio Amateur magazine (www.audioxpress.com) has classified ads for dozens of amp kits. Hope this helps. Bill Alexander