Dennis Had Inspire Amps

[FloridaBoy]

One problem I am facing is too many speakers, too many amps, and not enough room, and not enough time to listen and play with everything. I need to decide my end game system (or as close it gets in this hobby) and sell/give away the rest and hope I don't regret getting rid of it. I'm settling into a three rig configuration: A decent HT rig; a good single-driver/SET rig, located in the same room; and the "big rig" that has its own dedicated [small] room.

+1 I need to part with two amps and a lot of tubes that I will never use.

I was tempted by the Softone Model 8 a direct coupled 300B amp from Japan that is about $1000. But.... It's a disease.

[Analog Addict]

Dennis has come up with another breakthrough, a topology that he's never seen before and told me he'd like to patent it. However, when I told him a provisional patent would be at least $1200 and a full application around $10K, he changed his mind. In a nutshell, he calls it the Infinite Impedance Regulator Power Supply circuit. I can't get too much into the specifics, but the rectifier tube isn't a rectifier anymore. Diodes are used for that purpose. Anyway, here's the new amp....



and here are some pix from our listening session yesterday afternoon...











We listened to a lot of tube combos in it, and I think we were both in agreement that this combo sounded the best, an overwhelming huge sound with a honey tone and incredible 3D soundstage. Tubes are old Tung Sol three hole plates, a Sylvania 6SN7 GT "bottom getter", and a 5V4 in the "rectifier" slot.




Here's the undersides....




And unfortunately, Dennis does not drink.

Lastly, if you look closely at the table of amps, on the right side you will see the 45 SET amp (missing a filament transformer that was appropriated for a LP-27a). Behind it is my 45 SET amp that Dennis used as his test mule as he developed the Inspire 45 amp. He has it badged W4USR which is his HAM call sign. This amp features an 83 rectifier, a 6SN7/6SL7 up front and of course a pair of 45s. Also novel is a secondary power switch for the HV, while the main power switch only lights the filaments. This is necessary to vaporize the Hg in the 83. If anyone is interested, contact him and I'm sure he would part with it....

[Bombadil]

Nice pics. Dennis is quite the innovator.

In my tube rolling, on my 17 watt KT88 HO, my favorite combination to date has been with a 5V4GA, a Sylvania 6SN7GT bottom getter, and with either Genalex KT66 or KT88 output tubes. So pretty close to what you have found.

[Bombadil]

Originally Posted by FloridaBoy

One problem I am facing is too many speakers, too many amps, and not enough room, and not enough time to listen and play with everything. I need to decide my end game system (or as close it gets in this hobby) and sell/give away the rest and hope I don't regret getting rid of it. I'm settling into a three rig configuration: A decent HT rig; a good single-driver/SET rig, located in the same room; and the "big rig" that has its own dedicated [small] room.

I know of what you speak. I have too many of everything too.

I've been using my two Inspire amps with a pair of Focal Aria 906 bookshelves, which has sounded pretty good. But am thinking of selling off the Focals, a pair of Spica TC-60s, Von Schweikert VM-2, my Cary SLA-30 tube amp and maybe a couple more pieces to purchase a better pair of monitors. Maybe my Inspire SE EL84, but maybe not.

My big rig is anchored by a pair of customized Von Schweikert towers. They started life as VR-4s, but, as a favor to me, their designer, Albert Von Schweikert, upgraded them, charging me just the cost of the parts. He had the bass module cabinet drilled out to accommodate larger (9") woofers, replaced every driver (5 of them), new crossover network, upgraded internal wiring. Then he took it into his company's sound chamber and personally tweaked the crossover until it met his ideal.

It eventually became very similar to his production VR-5SE speaker, which sold for $25K. To my ears, it sounds spectacular. Throwing up a wide, deep soundstage which can be startling. I've compared it up against Wilsons, Sonus Fabers, B&W selling in the $15,000 range and wouldn't have traded even up for any of them.

Efficiency wise, I'm not really certain of where it measures. I think it is around 91dB, but hope to run some more comparisons against speakers which I know their efficiency. Right now I'm in the process of moving and have the VS in boxes, likely not to come out until Nov or Dec. I have been powering them with a 20 wpc triode 6CA7 amp (which uses Audio Note output transformers), in a 600 sf room, and it has worked well. When bi-amped with the 6CA7 powering the mid-tweeter module and SS amps powering the bass module (which crossover at 400Hz), it sounds fantastic and I have plenty of volume. Am really looking forward to connecting my Inspire KT88 17 wpc SE.

[FloridaBoy]

Originally Posted by FloridaBoy View Post
One problem I am facing is too many speakers, too many amps, and not enough room, and not enough time to listen and play with everything. I need to decide my end game system (or as close it gets in this hobby) and sell/give away the rest and hope I don't regret getting rid of it. I'm settling into a three rig configuration: A decent HT rig; a good single-driver/SET rig, located in the same room; and the "big rig" that has its own dedicated [small] room

That was from one of Rosco's posts. I'm sure we are all guilty to a degree.

[FloridaBoy]

Dennis has come up with another breakthrough, a topology that he's never seen before and told me he'd like to patent it. However, when I told him a provisional patent would be at least $1200 and a full application around $10K, he changed his mind. In a nutshell, he calls it the Infinite Impedance Regulator Power Supply circuit. I can't get too much into the specifics, but the rectifier tube isn't a rectifier anymore. Diodes are used for that purpose. Anyway, here's the new amp....

So what does the 'rectifier' tube do in the amp?

[Rosco65]

Originally Posted by FloridaBoy

Dennis has come up with another breakthrough, a topology that he's never seen before and told me he'd like to patent it. However, when I told him a provisional patent would be at least $1200 and a full application around $10K, he changed his mind. In a nutshell, he calls it the Infinite Impedance Regulator Power Supply circuit. I can't get too much into the specifics, but the rectifier tube isn't a rectifier anymore. Diodes are used for that purpose. Anyway, here's the new amp....

So what does the 'rectifier' tube do in the amp?

If I had to guess, act as a damper diode or a regulator tube. A couple of other manufacturers do that.

[FloridaBoy]

Originally Posted by Rosco65

If I had to guess, act as a damper diode or a regulator tube. A couple of other manufacturers do that.

I have heard of some Cary SLI 80's configured like that. Too many new iterations for me.

[Bombadil]

I do like the underside of that new design. Such a clean look. Nicer than mine, which looks a bit jumbled under there.

[david45]

And I thought I was set on getting the new PSE amp...