I hear ya :yes:. I'm not into tube rolling for the sport of it. (Not that there's anything wrong with that!) But with these Inspire amps, there is really something to experience via differen tubes. The guy who I bought my amp from used only the Goldlion KT-88s and loved it. When I set it up that way, it sounded great. I probably would have stuck with that too, except for the fact that the amp came from Dennis with 3 sets of power tubes and drivers. So, I felt I should at least check them out. And that opened up a wholely different experience with the delicate sound of the 6L6 output tube, in my case new Tung-Sols came with the amp. Since I liked that, I expected that the Pope 6V6s that many had touted here would be even more to my liking. And they are. I have no real desire to continue rolling. Just looking to see if perhaps a new rectifier will make the experience even better.

Search 5Z4GY/CV1863 KB/FE STC on the auction site. yitry, a British seller has them at a great price.

A driver, IMO, worth giving a try is the Russian 6N23P (if your amp uses a 6DJ8/6922 type driver). I use an early 70's Voskhod "Rocket". You can find them for $20, give or take. Can't speak to the match with other tubes as this is so variable depending on the output tubes, other characteristics of the system, etc. But I think it is a driver worth having in our selection. I've tried a wide range of drivers, many of the much more expensive varieties, but keep returning to this one.

http://i.imgur.com/PTrk3es.jpg

By the way, yesterday I swapped out my Sophia 274B for a vintage RCA 5Y3 in my LP-2 and think I prefer it. It brought out detail. I tried it as I had put a 5V4G rectifier in the amp, found it enhanced imaging and realism, but was a bit soft on top. The 5Y3 in the preamp seems to have compensated for this with overall improvement. Another good example of how interdependent various tubes are and how difficult make judgments about a given tube without taking into account the context it is used within.

IMO - The Gold Lion KT77's sound very good with a 5U4G or a 5AR4. They present a midrange to die for.

I have a pair too., as well as KT66's and 6V6's. None of the GL power tubes are slouches. Usually, there will be one combo of tubes that really does it for you.

Yes, but I use a wet paper towel to clean the tip if the iron.

Oh yeah, you needs caps too. :D

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p...ps30dbjdpv.jpg

They arrived! And they are big! Definitely going to have to add a spacer of some sort fit these.
60mm x 50mm

These are some of my best tube formulae using Sophia Electric 274-B Mesh Plate. As you can see there are several good alternative driver options I like for the different output tubes:

GE 6BX7 GT RCA Radiotron 80 RCA 27 - Preamp
RCA 6SN7 GT Sophia El. 274-B Genalex GL KT88 - Amp

GE 6BX7 GT RCA Radiotron 80 RCA 27 - Preamp
Sylvania 6SN7 G/B Sophia El. 274-B Genalex GL KT88 - Amp

GE 6BX7 GT RCA Radiotron 80 RCA 27 - Preamp
Sylvania 6SN7 GTA Sophia El. 274-B Genalex GL KT88 - Amp

The above is valid also with 5Z4 and 5AR4 rectifiers ...

GE 6BX7 GT RCA Radiotron 80 RCA 27 - Preamp
Super Radiotron 6SN7 GTA Sophia El. 274-B Russian 6L6 GC - Amp

GE 6BX7 GT RCA Radiotron 80 RCA 27 - Preamp
Phillips JAN 6SL7 WGT Sophia El. 274-B RCA 6V6 GT - Amp

I still need to roll some more drivers with the 6L6 and 6V6 output tubes, but for KT88's my rule of thumb is: "6SN7 opens up detailing and tames the over-emphasis in the higher frequencies, keeping that nice bass about the same"

The 6SL7's are great drivers for the 6V6's, and the 6SN7 favor the 6L6's.

All this of course in my gear, etc... I also would like to stress the importance of room conditioning ... Essential!

Bring them on, Buddy! :D

What is the best way to secure these types of capacitors to the inside of the chassis? I know zip-ties are probably best, but if you don't have anything to anchor it to - what does Dennis use to attach it to the side walls? Is that a silicone glue or something? I'd guess you wouldn't want a solvent-based glue that could potentially eat into the casing of the capacitor. Any idea what's considered the safest/best securing glue?

Thanks!