I can't use a 596 in my amp because it has a UX-4 socket and the adapter will not work. Oh well.

Additional thanks to Florida Boy for introducing these alternative tube possibilities that hadn't yet been discussed. I've found the 6AR6WA to be among my top three tube choices. I just yesterday received the Visseaux 6K6GT's and a Brimar 5Z4GY to go with them. First listen last night was surprisingly good. We'll see if this combo is up there too after a few days and then returning to the old standbys to compare.

I ordered a pair of RCA 6K6GT's for comparison since they are only $20/pr, but I'd be surprised if they outperform the Visseaux'.

I'm less enamoured with the 807's (Mullard) and 6BG6B's (RCA).

These are nice amps and the flexibility is pretty amazing. :thumbsup:

Finally had the time to reach out to Dennis about the hum in my amp. He had me ship it to him in NC, he fixed it, and it is now back in NH in less than 2 weeks. There is no hum (dead silent) and it sounds fantastic with an incredible holographic well placed soundstage. After initially checking it out, I have settled in listening with Pope 6V6GT output tubes, NOS Tung-Sol 6SU7GTY driver, and a
NOS RCA 5Y3GT rectifier.

Glad to hear you got it resolved and enjoying the music!

nhparrot.......A hum in your sound system is the next thing to a splinter under your fingernail.

I have read that Mullard 807's are not 'winners'. I am going to check out some RCA 6BG6G's and will post. *I* think how and where these types of tubes were stored over the years can be an issue. I posted earlier about some NU 6BG6's. I got them from a good seller but he was not able to try them in an amp. They tested great but were unusable.

I just yesterday received the Visseaux 6K6GT's and a Brimar 5Z4GY to go with them. First listen last night was surprisingly good. We'll see if this combo is up there too after a few days and then returning to the old standbys to compare.

Peter, with the lights out in the room do you notice and red plating of the 6K6?

I haven't noticed anything unusual. I will check tonight and let you know. I now have the RCA's too so can check them both. The RCA's and Visseaux' are very close in sound BTW.

New Inspire Owner
 

Hi folks, I've loved this thread. It has to be one of the best discussions ever about a particular group of amps. I am an old solid state guy from the 70s who decided to try a tube amp as part of an overall upgrade/update of my home system. After bouncing around various Chinese offerings and finding widely varying opinions, I came across a Dennis Had amp listed on e-Bay by a 3rd party seller. I went looking for info and landed here. A few days of learning later, I am a happy owner waiting for the amp and a selection of tubes that Dennis supplied with it to arrive. I definitely have some questions that I hope you guys will be willing to answer. And I will ask them in subsequent posts.

Awaiting Inspire Amp
 

OK, my first attempt to post the link to a picture did not work. So, now I'm trying it another way: Here

And here is my first question, which I'm sure is quite basic. But I am brand new to the tube amplifier world. I understand that the Inspire amps are all single ended SET or SEP amps. I'm trying to understand what the name designations mean. Although mine doesn't say it anywhere on the amp, I understand that Dennis identified it as a 6L6 amp. Yet, it can use KT77 and KT88 tubes. I've searched the forum and found instances where guys refer to their amps as 6L6, various KT's, and 45s. But no one seems to have explained what this designations convey given that the amps all seem capable of using a variety of tube types.

Many thanks in advance. Steve