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Dennis Had Inspire Fire-Bottle SET amp review

Hello to all,
I have been a tube amp lover for years and foolishly parted with a HK-CII and CV a couple of years ago. I have a Don Sachs 6SN7-based tube preamp that is even better than the HK-CI I had, with all the HK gear upgraded by Don with Jim McShane mods. I recently got a pair of Spatial Audio Hologram M4 open-baffle speakers and wanted to make the foray back to a tube amp. I auditioned a Musical Paradise MP-310 with an unfavorable impression of its sound so I casted about for an affordable ~12 wpc tube amp and ran across a Dennis Had Inspire Bottle-Fire amp. It came with new JJ EL34 tubes which, after a few hours on them, sounded quite good at low SPL, but at maybe 85 db, just sounded awful, with the bass distorted as hell. Well, a buddy laid a pair of KT120's on me to swap for the EL34's, and holy hell, the sound is just fantastic! OMG, I can drive them very nicely to 90db with negligible distortion.

 Here is my take on the amp.   With the KT120's, and a 274B rectifier, this is a quintessential "tube" sounding amp. It gives up a degree of accuracy and control compared to my CJ MF80 SS amp, but ah, Dennis's amp creates such a luxurious warm and euphonic sound, like a "warm wet wall of sound", with and enormous soundstage, far beyond the speakers.  Honestly, I have been in search of exactly this sort of sound for decades and the pairing of Dennis's amp with my OB speakers, which are very conductive to a low-powered SET amp, is just a supreme match. The vast array of power tubes and rectifiers available to roll through this little gem very well might tailor the sound to benefit of many listeners.  My best advice is that if you have compatible speakers, you would be smart to acquire a Dennis Had amp. I feel fortunate that all the knowledge and skills he applied to his Cary Audio line of tube gear is still available to us tube-amp lovers in his current line of tube equipment.  There are lot of fine SET amps available on the market these days, but the price of most of them is quite expensive, out of my budget for sure, but the cost of Dennis's gear is affordable to all music lovers. 
Cheers, Whitestix
whitestix
whitestix OP
729 posts
 
Buellrider97,
You have auditioned the holy grail of tubes for the amp so you have heard most all variations that the amp can produce.  Dennis's amp would be a match made in heaven for your efficient Zu's.  Don Sachs and Jim McShane, and humbly, myself, are all devotees of the Gold Lion KT88's.  However, the Psvane Treasures are much better and definitely worth a listen.  Don Sachs spec's them in his KT88 power transformer.  They are pricier than the Gold Lion's but Don thinks they are well worth the money.
Cheers,  Whitestix

buellrider97's avatar
buellrider97
426 posts
 
Hi , thank you for the suggestion on the KT 88 tubes . However I'm confused as to the Psvane Treasure ? I find Psvane Ti 11's and Shuguang Treasures . Could you clarify this for me please ? Also your input on the 274B rectifier would be appreciated. I've yet to try one . Also I found Grant Fidelity on the internet , but it looks like they " Drop Ship" from China upon payment . Any purchase input on the recommended tubes would also be appreciated . Regards , Mike.
whitestix OP
729 posts
 
Hi there,
I have the Tube Store 2748 rectifier in the amp, pretty inexpensive.   In my experience, rectifier don't have much of a sonic signature.   Don's KT88 power tube of choice, after his long-time love affair with Gold Lion's (which are still very very good), is the Psvane T-II.  You can get them in China directly shipped at a better price than from the other well-know Northern American supplier.  BTW, I am running KT150's in the amp at the moment, which are affordable and sonically pleasing, and perhaps a bit more impactful than the KT120's.   Still, I'd love to hear a pair of the Psvane T-II's in the Had amp.  Cheers, Mark
buellrider97's avatar
buellrider97
426 posts
 
Hi to all , just touching bases. I recently picked up a pair of 1970 NOS Tung-Sol 6550's . They now have some time on them . I'm using a NOS Mullard 4 notch GZ-34 and a NOS Telefunken E88CC. The sound is fantastic . Great clarity and a 3-D image that rivals good headphones . I just finish listening to Simon and Garfunkels first recordings and it was outstanding . I played some Chris Issac due to the quality of his studio crew and it was sublime . Diana Krall sounded like she was in my living room ( sorry Elvis C. ). However, at $358 for the pair , they would not be my first choice. I don't own a signal generator and an oscilloscope but the output is lower than the KT-88's and definitely the KT-120's. At 12 watts , dropping a few make a big difference in " THE WALL OF SOUND ". The 6550's lack bass and even with a good sub it's noticeable with certain music. But the mids are open and the treble is SWEET ! They make the Gold Lion Reissue sound dry , but that's a great tube . Giving up a little tonal quality ,  but with a huge soundstage and fantastic bass are the Tung Sol 120's. I still going to try the Psvane II''s . I have found a huge difference in my system using NOS driver tubes . And lesser tonal change with the rectifier as mentioned by you , but still worth the effort . What I have learned so far is how good the NEW PRODUCTION power tubes are . In closing I'm thankful for everything posted as it is spot on . I hope that I've contributed something worthwhile too. Happy Holidays and Happy Listening , Mike .
whitestix OP
729 posts
 
Great post, Mike, happy listening!
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