Dennis Had Inspire Amps

[FloridaBoy]

Originally Posted by Justlisten2

Man, I was just looking at Tube Depot, they are selling XF-2's (double halo) for $200 per tube!!
I guess that is still cheap compared to the $500/tube they are asking for Phillips Miniwatt metal base EL34's!!
Tube prices are getting crazy!! $500 for one EL34 tube???!!!

Those tubes are priced on rarity. New production power tube are the equal to and often better than NOS. There are some exceptions, like Pope 6V6's.

[FloridaBoy]

Originally Posted by pstrisik

Supply and demand. I think tube audio is gaining in popularity and they just aren't making any NOS tubes these days!

We would not have the selection of new production tubes available today without the guitar guys. They use more tubes than us audio types.

[FloridaBoy]

Originally Posted by richamor

My LSA Statement monitors are 89db at 6 ohms and are plenty loud. No stress on the amp at all.

As I understand it, the sensitivity is an indication of how loud a speaker will play at given power. It's the low impedance that will kill a lot of amps and drive them into clipping. I watched Dennis short out his speaker leads with no damage. I did that on my ST70 and produced a nice big spark.

If the impedance of the speaker is flat it should be easy to drive with a low power amp.

[FloridaBoy]

Originally Posted by Aercool

I *really* like mine. They seem to go an octave lower in bass than with the 6V6GT, any Chinese/Russian KT-xx I've tried, 6V6G's (least bass of all, probably, but super sweet mids).

They're tough to find in good condition matching pairs where the getters don't look like a dried up water spot. Finding shiny thick mirror-clear getters on these big old tubes is a challenge. The bigger the tube the more difficult to seal and prevent air from getting in, at least that's my guess. I offered $300 for a pair on eBay (big gamble) for a pair he'd offered a BuyItNow at $399. I was a little surprised he came down that much. Mine are branded as GE, which might have a little less cache than a Type I (no holes in the plate) branded as TungSol, but it's essentially the same tube otherwise. Mine are probably 70's vintage. What I liked was that they were matching cosmetically and those minimalistic tests that sellers offer. How would we challenge the results? I doubt there's a tube tester within 100 miles of me! Peter could probably beat that diameter by a wide margin! So, no buyer's remorse for me. They have a powerful sound, deep rich bass that just lays on the ground like fog. My Zu Omens are rated for 35-25kHz frequency range, fwiw.

Got a new 1964 Amperex 6DJ8 in the mail today - in it goes to listen to Bill Frisell's new release tonight which also happened to come in the mail today.

I've had those 70's 3 hole 6550's too. Nice tubes and Kevin Deal thinks they are the best vintage. *I* wouldn't pay the premium for the late 50's black plates.

[FloridaBoy]

Originally Posted by Simonatsea

So far the gold lion GZ34 and my full music 6SL7 sound the best with my winged C EL34. It is more of a fun sound to me, lots of drive, loads of bass, and the 6SL7 to give it a little HIFI accuracy. Cant vouch whats best for the tubes longevity however

I've not used the GL GZ34. Have you compared it to a Mullard? It's great to have some new production options.

[FloridaBoy]

Originally Posted by pstrisik

Dennis says it is the best amp he's ever heard!

I didn't get the price though, did you?

I'm happy with my KT-150, but this is intriguing. Googling Type 45 tubes says it is a triode, so this amp may be a true SET.

The 45 amp is a true SET amp. I have had 300B amps and a Korneff 45. *I* preferred the 45. I was considering the Inspire 45 but did not want to get back into the $400+ a pair for tubes. He has one on the bay recently and it was $2595 with EML mesh plate 45's that cost $629 a pair. If you have speakers that can sing with 2 watts, IMHO, a well executed 45 amp is the bomb.

[FloridaBoy]

Originally Posted by Loop4fun

Not sure he's set on the pricing, so I'd hate to put it here... But I did order one. In copper, to match my 6v6.

He said it's a true set and I would guess about two watts output. (I didn't ask!) My speakers are 16ohm/100db and will easily work.

What speakers are you driving?

[FloridaBoy]

Originally Posted by pstrisik

Glad you are liking them. I've never tried Hytrons. Have tried a number of other 6v6s. If you like them, time to give Popes a try! They're not too expensive and won't stay available forever I'm sure. I also have liked NOS Sylvanias and National Union.

An RCA5Y3GT is what I'm using for the rectifier also. My driver is different tube type though.

I have a 6V6 Decware Mini Torii and the Pope's are excellent. The inexpensive Russian black glass 6V6's are very good too but they need a lot of hours. The Tung Sol reissue 6V6 is an excellent tube too.

[FloridaBoy]

Originally Posted by slefley

Yes I have the same amp in Copper and am using a Sophia 6SL7 driver. I added the Mullard 5AR4 with the Pope's and now the two are very close. The 6V6 comes out on top for transparency while the KT150 have more body/warmth. Honestly I can live with either, and I'm sure in a different system the results could be different.

How many hours did you have on the KT150's?

[pstrisik]

Is the IFA-1 an integrated?

Do you have cable coming in to your system anywhere? I had to add a noise blocker on mine, but it cured it.