kevinmi

Very nice stuff! If I didn't already have 2 turntables and 4 RTR's, I'd be all over it! GLWS!

My Inspire amp has a different "infinite impedance regulator power supply circuit" that sounds like I don't need to swap out rectifier tubes. I am running a 5U4 with all tubes from 6L6 up to KT-150's without a problem. Right now I'm running RCA black plate 6L6 GB tubes that sound wonderful. Also, my driver tube is a 6SL7, not a 6SN7. I've read that they aren't really interchangeable, but I've heard of people doing just that. I'm confused on that , I guess.

I replaced my original K33B woofers with Crites cast woofers and noticed a little bit better bass response. I don't know what happened with my other post, I thought I was responding to a question about enclosing the backs.

I enclosed my K-Horns several years ago, and the biggest downside I see is the added weight making it hard to move them around.Plus you can't get at the woofer without taking the enclosure off one side. But let me tell you that enclosing the backs of the cabinets will not make them into speakers that will sound great no matter where to put them. Although enclosing them will help a bit in placement, they will still sound their best in a corner. They don't have to be as critical as open backed Horns with all the sealing and such, but you still need corners to get the most out of them.

Wow, I'm learning a lot.

What ever happened to the 7's for sale in MI? Haven't seen them advertised anywhere.

I'm getting better every day. It takes a little time to get over these things when you are older! I'm spending plenty of time listening to music and drinking wine (for medicinal purposes). When are you and Claude doing a road trip up this way?

Luckily for me, I purchased a Dennis Had Inspire amp that only uses 4 tubes, so tube rolling is a lot cheaper. My Latino amp uses 4 output tubes, and it gets quite pricey swapping them out, especially if using vintage tubes. I do have some new production tubes, Gold Lion KT-88's, Tung Sol 6550's, Kt-120s, Kt-150's, etc. I'm noticing that some new tube prices are approaching vintage tube levels. Have you tried any new 6L6 tubes vs EL-34? I find the vintage 6L6's more to my liking than El-34's, just wondering how new tubes might compare?

Those are some pretty tubes. I'm gonna be mad if I start buying new production tubes because of your posts!

In my journey down the tube road, I had several different tube preamps. What I ran across was that some cheaper units I had experienced a bit of hum.Also watch out for "hybrid" preamps that are nothing but solid state preamps with a tube buffer added. If you are going to spin vinyl, I'd look into a unit with a tubed phono section. I really enjoy mine Good luck on your journey!

What is the reason for choosing a tube pre over a solid state? If you are looking for a warm tube sound, you may not get it with just a tube pre driving a ss amp.I have both tube pre and amp on one system, and ss pre and tube amp on another. Not hearing a lot of difference between the pre's, but I do hear a bigger difference between a tube amp and a ss amp.

If you haven't already, check out Vinyl Engine website. There is a lot of info on all things vinyl.

Those are beautiful speakers. Glad to see there is a turntable in the mix! As we like to say around here, "welcome to the madness"!

Do you have a removable headshell? If so, you can get a heavier headshell and run a medium compliance cart. There are also headshell weights available to help balance out tonearm/cartridge combinations. I have had good luck with the Ortofon 2M Black cart, but I believe it is a medium compliance cart. Also a little pricier, but good deals are to be had on used ones. I used to run high compliance arms/carts, but I found that using a heavier arm with a less compliant cart yields a better sound with less surface noise. That's just my opinion, your mileage may vary. When mating a new cart to your arm, be sure to check that the resonance is well below listening levels, assuming you have a test lp to properly set up your system. I've seen high compliance carts on lightweight arms that were less than optimal, needing a little tweaking to get the resonance level lower.

i really enjoy the Old World tubes as well. Mullards, Teles', Amperex, etc. Prices are really going up, so get a stash while you can!