[davodavo]

I own both the KT500 and the Channel Master 7777, plus a couple of other "high gain" amps from Radio Shack and no-name-Chinese mfr. I have no way of calibrating the actual gain and noise levels achieved, just doing A/B comparisons in real time.

My signal environment is "nothing" (seriously, no transmitters of any kind) within 25 miles, nothing over 300 kW within 50 miles...and then, at 60 miles there's 10+ megawatts (San Francisco). I have stacked Yagis pointed right at the signal...

Despite Channel Master's warning, there are no signs of the 7777 overloading (same with all the other amps). And of the amps I have, it has the best gain (==most channels, least pixelation). It is very solidly constructed and its only real downside is no gain control (==danger of overload). It's also cheap ($80 on Amazon). The Kitz is more $$, but it has three advantages: gain control, overload indicator, and much better warranty (and, I suspect, better than CM for reliability).