jimjimbo Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 Wondering what your impressions are, speakers you are driving, etc. I have been trying to contact Dennis through his ebay contact, but no response in a week or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimjimbo Posted October 19, 2017 Author Share Posted October 19, 2017 Please disregard my inquiry into contacting him, I received a message this afternoon. However, I would still like to hear your impressions of the amplifiers. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 Yeah... pretty darn good. It took me a long time to find a 6sn7 that really kicked in the lower registers... probably due to a slightly soft dampening factor. Mids sparkle and up registers are slightly rolled off, all in all I have no regrets. Very quite sound floor but not completely black. WE350b's were magnificent in this amp... but cost more than the amp itself. Depending on which model you get, I had the hotrod inspire with upgrades that comes in at around 1500$, I would rather wait and get a used VRD for 1800-2000$... the push pull VRD is in a different class sonically imho. I think the inspire would be awesome if purchased used in that 750$-1100$ range. If anyone is looking for a tube compliment for this amp, I have a full set of high-end Chinese tubes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 Drove heresy II, modified Cornwall and La Scala II... I'm just sayin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 Used a eastern electric point to point tube preamp, solid state preamp and the NBS.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 Dennis had one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimjimbo Posted October 19, 2017 Author Share Posted October 19, 2017 18 minutes ago, CECAA850 said: Dennis had one. Carl, you are so darn clever....yes, saw his listing today. He told me he usually lists his finished units on Thursday's or Friday's each week.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimjimbo Posted October 20, 2017 Author Share Posted October 20, 2017 Very nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert_kc Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 Yes, I'm glad to own an " Inspire “Fire Bottle” SE Stereo Tube Amplifier HO". Speakers: RF-7II. My favorite tube compliment thus far: 6L6GC / 5V4G / 6DJ8. Tube rolling can be fun ... until you realize you've tried more than 100 combinations of tubes ... P.S. There is another forum with more than 4k posts about the Inspire SEP amps. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjw1678 Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 This is my Inspire Hotrod. I have tried new production Genalex KT66 tubes, Tung-sol KT150 tube, vintage NOS Western Electric 350b tubes, and new production Tung-sol 7581a tubes. My favorite is the new production Tung-sol 7581a tubes. I have also tried various 6SN7 tubes - NOS RCA, Shuguang treasures CV-181z, and new production Tung-sol - I keep coming back to the Tung-sol tubes. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 Dennis is a pure joy to speak to... the man is truly a happy person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjw1678 Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 This is my favorite Dennis Had Inspire Amp. My 45 Firebottle. 2wpc and uses type 45 tubes. It is the best sounding amp I ever heard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost240 Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 I have a pair of Fire Bottles. Amp and Preamp. These run my Khorns easily. Before these I had Mcintosh separates. Mc202 and C220 Tube pre. Once I heard the Inspire amps the Mcintosh equipment was quickly put up for sale and is now long gone. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stainz Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 RJW1678 - your Russian Tung Sol 7581's look gassy! Dennis Had's freshly built 2A3 tube amp is just over $1k now - with nearly 3 days left. There is a PRC-made 2A3 amp @ $1.9k on evil-bay - with a volume control. That's a big bottle for 3 Watts! My Musical Paradise MP-301 MK3 puts out 6.5W in UL (Class A - no fb.) with a 6L6G equivalent. I tried PRC-made EL34B's and OEM 6P3P (~6l6G), settled on the latter, but replaced the input bottles with RCA (metal) NOS 6SJ7's. The amp drives my Heresys nicely (Loud & clear!) - with a resistive summing circuit hooked to the speaker outputs to derive the volume control tracking L+R signal for my JBL SUB 550P 10" sealed baffle subwoofer - matches the Heresy's LF driver and extends it a bit - approaching a Cornwall (Maybe a 'Heresy-corner-wall-subwoofer'??). Whatever - it sounds great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjw1678 Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 Stainz - my Russian made Tung-sol 7581a tubes had that blueish glow from when I first plugged them in, it looks worse in pictures than in person. I now have over 150 hours on them, they sounded great when I first plugged them in and now they sound even better. They are being marketed as a 6L6 with extra headroom, I find them very balanced and musical with very good bass, hi frequency, & midrange. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 So op... are you getting One? I would if I were you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stainz Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 When I was fifteen and in the 10th grade, my folks moved closer to the HS I attended (1964). I walked by two TV shops going to/from school. I had built SS radios - and repaired VT & SS table radios and phono's - I was fifteen and needed $ for college. I got a job at the shop a block from my home - I was working for min wage - inside, at least. Birmingham gets hot in the summer - and most folks didn't have a/c then - neither did the shop. I welcomed the opportunity to go on house calls with Mac, their tube changing whiz - I carried the tube caddy and the tool box. I found that RCA and Sylvania tubes seldom needed replacing; GE's were next, with Tung Sol being the worst - but they had the greatest mark-up. I mention this because their power tubes were frequently gassy even then - and they were made in the US. I wonder if the Russians bought up their old tooling? Odd that I saw the blue glow and recalled Tung Sol - had to clean my readers to verify! They are tubes - one day they will fail - meanwhile, enjoy them! John 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimjimbo Posted October 20, 2017 Author Share Posted October 20, 2017 4 minutes ago, Schu said: So op... are you getting One? I would if I were you. I don't know yet. Will need to have further conversation with Dennis. Of course, I will be sure to shout from the highest mountain peak if I do decide to purchase, and I will have to make sure that he has extra insignia's/badges to attach, just to make sure that everyone knows what they are..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjw1678 Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 Also Dennis Had gives great support on the Inspire equipment. I had 1 channel on my LP-3a pre amp make a crunching noise and then the channel got quieter. I replaced the tubes with known good tubes, it did not fix it. Sent Dennis an email. He had me ship it to him, when he received my LP-3a he fixed it and I received a notice that he shipped it back in less than 4 hours after he received it. My LP-3a has been working fine ever since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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