I have an LP-3.1 preamp. I’ve had it for 2 months. In that time I’ve used many different rectifiers. I already had a Psvane Acme 274b. I first sampled it with a pair of Psvane CV-181 tubes. The sound was nothing short of glorious. I’m operating Martin Logan Spire electrostatics powered by a pair of Prima Luna monoblocks. I prefer them with EL34’s, but Genelec KT88’s work great too. Each monoblock uses 4 power tubes.

The Inspire pre works seamlessly with the PL mono’s.

I’ve had great results using NOS Westinghouse and Sylvania 6SN7’s, combined with a NOS RCA 5U4G rectifier. These preamps, like most Inspire products, are open to a countless combination of tubes!

Just in case anyone wanted something different...
 

Dennis just finished this SET Blue Racer today, featuring KT-88 delta D tubes by Lin Lai Tubes and a special Shuguang 6SN7. It is not spoken for, so the first $2450 gets it.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c5f3b88f_b.jpgUntitled by analog addict, on Flickr

Plug in any of the 6F6 - 6L6 - 6550 family that will physically fit, and treat yourself to pure clean SET/Class A sound. With the KT-88s in it, it will push 5 fabulous watts per channel.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...81cd3883_b.jpgUntitled by analog addict, on Flickr

Dennis has two Blue Racer more chassis in hand, so anyone who wants one should speak up now.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...9a77ea1d_b.jpgUntitled by analog addict, on Flickr

PM me to secure one of these now....

A couple of different images for your your viewing pleasure, one new, one old.

Here's a recent painting from Dennis' very talented daughter, featuring her dog Phineas and her interpretation of a Fire Bottle. The incarnation of pure single ended musical joy. One can bet that Phineas is listening to something more interesting than his master's voice.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...33aee0a6_b.jpgUntitled by analog addict, on Flickr

And here is a pic from Jan 2012, featuring Dennis and I looking at a vintage piece I picked up. Dennis said "Fire it up!" and we did, and it did.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c0f9f48a_b.jpgUntitled by analog addict, on Flickr

Once we dealt with the flames shooting out of one of the transformers, Dennis took it apart, fixed the short that set the tar on fire, put it back together, and lo and behold, it worked like a champ. Dennis can fix just about anything audio, (or HAM too)

5 watts for a kt88 means triode wired right?

Correct

SET Single Ended Triode

SEP Single Ended Pentode

300B-v is in house and playing in concert with a LP-2030 and sounds glorious. Better all the time.

That’s terrific news “Showme”, just don’t think about the WE300B tubes too much, they can drive some people to the point of insanity over their cost compared to inferior products, if you catch my drift. My new PSE 300 is really playing magnificently no matter what I throw at it. But I am still curious about rolling tubes in my 6FLV-v. After reviewing the paperwork that came with that amp I see that Mr. Had lists 6F6 tubes as well as the 6V6’s that many find to their liking. So that’s something new to explore. No such suggestions came with my PSE amp, so I guess Dennis feels it’s fully sussed out. After listening for myself, I think that seems to be the case. On a side note I noticed that the 6FLV-v is called a “Fire-Bottle” in the manual but it only says 6FLV-v handwritten on the bottom, rarely to be seen. But now I want to know what the “Blue Racer” logo signifies? Is this a new development to investigate?

Thank you! Love this gear. The "Blue Racer" intrigues me too. I've just simply run out of places/rooms for more equipment. I sold one residence and that added a system to my main house. Dang!

The Blue Racer looks like a knockout…also intrigued by these Linlai tubes.

fiddling around...
 

Still working on the speaker system....

Dennis adding some dampening material...

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...61ccfc70_b.jpgUntitled by analog addict, on Flickr

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One of the possible ports, using ...ahem...temporary fitment measures.
Port did help add definition to the bass, but I don't know if Dennis has made a final decision yet...

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...66c99412_b.jpgUntitled by analog addict, on Flickr

Huh, those are much smaller than I anticipated. How sensitive are they? I would think porting would boost that number.

Thanks for the update on the ongoing development of Mr. Had’s new speakers. Now how about a little info on that black & gold 9-pin amp with the WE396a. Will this be a Pgh. Pa. Sports team themed piece or is it more Marshall “inspired”?

Dennis anticipates that these speakers will be ~ 92db/w/m or so. All I can tell you is that they produce an amazing amount of sound for their size.



Which amp are you talking about?

Please keep us current on the speaker development, especially how low will those little drivers dig? I saw the pictures of the amp below & was curious.

Heh, that little amp is a one off, a side project of mine. Notice no Inspire logo.
The color scheme is just a continuation of a theme that has been running through a few of my last personal builds, i.e. copper accents.

I wanted to use the WE 396a as a driver tube, and instead of 6BQ5s, I went with an equivalent tube electrically, the 6GK6. The nice thing about the 6GK6 is that it is essentially the same tube as a 6BQ5, other than a different pin out and internal connections.

I've used them in a similar manner about 10 years ago and wanted to try them again. The kicker is that they are essentially dirt cheap, with good old stock, or NOS examples running $20 a pair. OK so the WE 396a isn't cheap, but other examples of this tube, the 5670, can be found quite cheap as well.

Anyway, I finished the build earlier this week, and went by the shop to let Dennis put it through it's paces. We made a few adjustments, and it's a strong 4.5 wpc with some impressive bass response.

Dennis liked it a lot, enough to want to take it home tonight, but I have some friends coming by Friday I wanted to show it to, so I told him he could have it Monday.

Adjusting....

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ca40ea22_b.jpgUntitled by analog addict, on Flickr

Measurements...

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https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0ae3125a_b.jpgUntitled by analog addict, on Flickr

The distortion measurements really surprised me. At 1 watt/1KHz, there is almost no third order distortion and the second order distortion was -55db, which is really good.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e053da49_b.jpgUntitled by analog addict, on Flickr

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So, I'm happy it turned out as well as it did.

As far as the speakers, Dennis didn't bring them to the shop today, but told me he has decided on a port configuration, so he will be doing some woodworking later this week....

Oh and BTW, that 300b-v in the middle of the table is heading out to it's new owner in CA tonight...

I have some 16gk6 tubes that I have been trying to ID. One is labeled GE "Great Britain" and the other is labeled International but have the GE dots and "Made in Japan." They are identical otherwise. Have also seen the same tube labeled Siemens and made in Canada lol.

Other than the labeling they look identical to the 10gk6 seen here:
https://www.radiomuseum.org/tubes/tube_10gk6.html

My push pull amp uses external supplies for the heaters so I can use 16v tubes with no trouble. Was excited to get some adapters because at first I thought I had the equivalent of GE 6bq5. Then I thought I had the Mullard made el84. Now I don't know what I have and I'm not sure it's worth getting adapters at all lol.

Edit to add that I have now just seen another identical 16gk6 labeled International made in Korea. SO that's 4 different countries. I'm willing to bet they were all made in the same place.

Rumor has it that Dennis has just purchased a sleeve of NOS 6GK6s....
;-)

That little “side project” with a volume control would be pretty cool, even if that means it’s necessary to add another 5670.

I may be wrong, but I thought a volume control is nothing more than a pot in place of the normal voltage divider coming from the signal input. Shouldn't require an additional tube...

I found some treasures at an antique flea market.

I think the seller did not know what he was selling at this price after negotiating.

Good for me.

a pair of Arcturus 01a and a pair of De Forest D 01a for a total of 100 EUR

both had a good emission on his tester, but I don't know if it was calibrated.

Will try them soon.

[IMG]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...04243ddd_c.jpgIMG_20230330_154801 by cgn- dt-n, auf Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ce559639_c.jpgIMG_20230330_154820 by cgn- dt-n, auf Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...bc202a53_c.jpgIMG_20230330_154842 by cgn- dt-n, auf Flickr[/IMG]

Hello Analog Addict,

did you read my PM with the described problem?

I may be wrong, but I thought a volume control is nothing more than a pot in place of the normal voltage divider coming from the signal input. Shouldn't require an additional tube...

I was just imagining that little 396A cutie feeling a bit lonely. My 300 PSE has one but is paired up with a 6SN7 playmate. Another amp has 4 5670’s lined up single file, Indian style (can you still say that[I do have Native American heritage]) in a row, proving the adage that teamwork makes the dream work.

Brought to you by the number 10, ah,ah,aah

Those tubes are beauties! The DeForest tubes are very rare. I have personally listened Arcturus 27 tubes in LP27; very nice tubes. The 01As should sound fantastic.

Hi, everybody

Does anyone know the exact values for the fuses that Dennis installs in the devices?

I would be grateful for this information.
I think it should all be slow blow variants, but how much amperes

CJ5
KT88 SEP
LP2030
PH-1a SET
300b DJH

Whoa! I don’t have anything that can use those but I would have bought them just for historical purposes. They look great too! Great find!

Last night I dealt with the new tubes in the LP2030.
WOW, parts.
The Arcturus are a dream. high resolution, great timbres deep tight bass. wide stage but exact assignment.
The de Forest sound very similar, but the stage is a bit smaller and starts a meter earlier.

Ultimately, a matter of taste, both a stroke of luck.

Only one thing I noticed.

all globe shape types I've tried, Ken Rad, Sylvania, Cunningham, Philips, etc. Do not hum or buzz when the pre is fully revved. for this they react to impact sound and touch.

With the ST types it is exactly the other way around. slight humming in the loudspeaker but shock-resistant.

I have a pair of Ken Rad 71a ST which can do both, no noise and not sensitive, but the stage is a bit smaller.

In the end, I can live well with all combinations in the pre amplifier, bad ones don't really exist.

it's more a question of optics, what you like. Globe, ST, the glow of tungsten wire or the simple version without. the blue of the Arcturus or the small nipple on the de Forest. all nice to look at.

Sonically, almost all tubes in the LP2030 that I have tried can be classified as equivalent.
The differences are if at all so minimal that they will not be noticeable in some set ups.

It is rather worthwhile the tube rolling in the Power Amp, here the differences between different drivers or rectifiers are much stronger.

The globe type of tube I might ever use in my equipment is the 37. All the reports I have read say that the globe versions of the 37 are much more prone to being noisy than the G versions are. I had always heard that those early triodes were pretty microphonic and it doesn’t surprise me that they can be noisy. Interesting that you have the opposite experience.

why opposite, I have no noise when they are switched on, you just must not approach them, touch them or make the chassis of the device vibrate, if you leave them alone they play fantastic.

The Coke Bottle forgive almost everything on external influences, tend only with fully turned up the volume button that a slight hum can be heard in the speaker. at least the specimens I have.

I will have a look at the mounting of the tube bases if I have time. maybe you can decouple them from the device with a small rubber ring.

or I misunderstood you, my English is not the best

In my experience, all the 01As and variants are pretty microphonic, with the globes being worse than the ST shape. I also thought that Dennis had some sort of modification that dealt with this issue, but I could be mistaken...:scratch2:

Not that anyone gets it wrong. The LP2030 is one of the best preamps around. the hum and sensitivity of the tubes is minimal. And except for testing, no one comes up with the idea of tapping on the tubes or chassis while listening to music or listening to music with the volume control in the maxilal position. The slight humming is only minimally present at a distance of 2 meters without music.

I have 6SN/L7 and 6C5 which are much worse in this respect and have thrown them away.
the FullMusik 6SL7 mesh, for example, I complained 2 times to the supplier until I had some that made no noise. and that was a hum which felt 3 - 4 times as loud as that of the 01A Coke bottle.

All in all, the whining is at a very, very high level and neither a fault of the amplifier nor the tubes.

The Inspire Speaker is done!
 

Or at least the design is now set. There are some details to finish out, such as determining the retail cost, creating the logo, and determining when we might have the first pairs available, but that will follow soon.

This is the veneer we are planning on using, at least for the first run...

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6b2cf50a_b.jpgUntitled by analog addict, on Flickr




Dennis decided to add a couple of 2" ports and it really brought out the bass, in a very articulated manner.

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Running either a new 300b-v amp or my new 6GK6 amp, I was able to FEEL the bass through the furniture/floor. I've never heard bass that good from that small a speaker, even ones that use bass equalizers/active boost.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b2ed160a_b.jpgUntitled by analog addict, on Flickr


Dennis says this speaker is ready for prime time, so now we just have to determine a fair price.

Stay tuned...

Very interesting design. Looking for to follow up posts.

Inspire 3.1 speakers continued...
 

Dennis has been playing with these a bit more back at the ranch.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...af7d5682_b.jpgUntitled by analog addict, on Flickr

We found that they sounded best with the tweeters on the outside at the shop, but Dennis says at home they sound better with the tweeters on the inside. So...he says he will provide an explanation of what to listen for when new owners are determining placement in their own listening rooms. Meanwhile, I'm pleased and honoured he's using this to power them....

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...761fe428_b.jpgUntitled by analog addict, on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...929c42e9_b.jpgUntitled by analog addict, on Flickr

A text from Dennis a few minutes ago after i asked him the difference between the performance of the 6GK6 and the 6BQ5…

Since the 6GK6 inner structure (lower electrode capacitance) are designed to be used in low power RF driver circuits it reveals a difference in midrange clarity and a lack of that tubby bass found in many of the 6BQ5/EL84 amp signatures. So all in all the 6GK6 tube, audio signature is a refreshing, clean realistic midrange presentation vs the darker tubby EL84 offering. So as I mentioned earlier, I will return your bucket of bolts, 6GK6 amplifier in June or July!!!!

Guess he must like it....


He also said this…

Yep, I’m puttin u on notice .. a mighty Inspire 6GK6’er will be commin soon old man!!!!

Now I gotta convince him to build a 6GK6 PSE…

So what are you estimating the output power of your “ bucket of bolts” to be? If it sounds that good to Dennis it makes me interested. Good job on your part.

well...
 

Thanks. My amp puts out about 4.5 wpc, but I'm running the 6GK6s pretty easy. Now Dennis, OTOH likes to squeeze every last electron of performance out of his output tubes. However, that's the different mindset between a tube collector and an amp designer. I would expect him to be able to get 5-6 wpc out of a set of those tubes.

However, these are inexpensive tubes. I was looking at a nice pair of Sylvania blackplates on EPray that tested almost new and were going for $20 the pair plus $5 shipping. So if the tubes only last for 7500 hours instead of 10,000, who cares?

6GK6 as PSE could be a very good idea.

I know the tubes from guitar amplifiers and there they provide a very clear sound in the midtone range and tight bass.

I'm looking forward to the result.

New speakers look quite intriguing, but currently more interested in the 2030 pre. Not sure I can live without a remote volume control though...ideas on how others have addressed this desire?