[Hubb]

 Having been an observer of the activity in this circle for a few years now, I am about to become an "active - full on" member.  Two weeks ago this coming Monday after a couple of lengthy phone calls and several emails, I placed an order with Louis for some Omega Speakers.  They could best be described as Super 3XRS' on steroids.  An RS5 1.5 way in cabinets 35" tall by 11" wide by 8.5" deep.  Louis says I'm a natural for single driver speakers because I have been listening to my music via Martin Logan hybrid electrostats with dynamic woofers.  I am also selling my MC275 (the second pp tube amp I have had) and looking to replace it with an SET amplifier.  The two presently getting the most consideration are two favorites of this circle - the Decware SE84UFO and the Wolf Ear Audio Kitoki. I''m kinda liking what I see under the Kitoki's hood with what appears to be a toroidal power supply transformer and quite a bit of power supply capacitance.    I am presently employing the excellent Rogue 99 Super Magnum for pre and phono.  Any comments/suggestions on the amplifier front would be very welcome.  The speakers will come in at 98/99 db efficient.  My musical tastes are quite eclectic but volume levels rarely break the 85 to 90 db range.  This is a new adventure and I'm very much looking forward to all the new nuances and "presence"  I will hear/perseve in my music when delivered by the simplest and most straight forward of replay devices.
Michael

[Louis O]

Hi Hubb,

Many thanks for your post and welcome. Great working with you too and they are looking very good. I'm building the cabinets right now and soon I will be veneering them. They are very fast and have excellent sensitivity and dynamics for it's size. Both amps would be a great match. Both amps are excellent and have excellent synergy.

I will post finished pictures when they are done.

Thanks again,
Louis

[BearCityUSA]

As for amps, I highly recommend one of Dennis Had's Inspire creations. He sells direct on eBay. There is one on that auction site right now. https://www.ebay.com/itm/152270484295. I have no affiliation with Dennis beyond friendship and I own an early KT model and one of his new PSE models. Both are unique and incredibly versitile. Tube rolling from 6v6 to KT 150 with differnt driver combinations are fair game and offer tayloring to one's system and tastes.. I have not had the pleasure of hearing the amps you list so cannot offer comparison critique. Oh,... Dennis does have a 45 SET model and he has strapped the Firebottle in Triode as well if you are set on a SET circuit. He can be contacted through eBay.

[roscoe65]

I will second the recommendation for a Dennis Had Inspire Amp.  The one on Ebay right now is a tweaked version that has received an upgraded power supply.

The Inspire amps are very versatile.  In their normal pentode configuration, they will put out 5 wpc (6V6) to 12 wpc (KT88).  You can tube roll just about any pentode ever made (some will need socket adapters).  If you ask, you could get it triode wired as well, in which you will get about 2.5 wpc (6V6) to 6 wpc (EL34, KT88).  With 98 dB speakers 5 wpc is almost ideal.

The downsides:  it really wants a preamp.  Since you already own one that isn't a problem, though you may find yourself wishing for Dennis' LP-27 line stage.  It is also more expensve than the Decware Super Zen, but not much more so.  It is also not a romantic sounding amp.  It has a modern SET tube sound, but that can be tweaked with tubes (Pope 6V6GT's sound wonderful) and coupling capacitors (Dennis uses Jantzen and Audyn caps, whereas Steve Deckert likes Jupiters.  The Jupiters should fit in the Inspire amp since the values are pretty low in the amp).

[Hubb]

Thank you gentlemen for the recommendation and reinforcement of Dennis Had's Inspire amplifiers. He  certainly churns out amps on a regular basis for a "retired" man.  I checked out his eBay site the amps are certainly flexible/versatile.  A friend of mine has an older Cary stack driving some Martin Logan full range stats. 
Micheal

[Hubb]

So after looking into Dennis Had's Inspire amps my crazy brain got to going all over the place with questions.  I began wondering why Dennis used single ended pentode designs instead of single ended triode.  Of course google got a lot of use.  I stumbled across the site of La Dolce Audio.  http://www.ladolceaudio.com/   Has anyone in "Omega Land" had any experience with Terry Gesualdo or any of his amplifiers??  I wish I had $2000.00 kicking around loose I'd buy one of his amplifiers just based on the story he tells in About Us. 

[opnly bafld]

Dennis makes single ended triode, pentode, and parallel single ended amps.
Terry makes (made?) good sounding amps and is a good guy.

[sunnydaze]

So after looking into Dennis Had's Inspire amps my crazy brain got to going all over the place with questions.  I began wondering why Dennis used single ended pentode designs instead of single ended triode.  Of course google got a lot of use.  I stumbled across the site of La Dolce Audio.  http://www.ladolceaudio.com/   Has anyone in "Omega Land" had any experience with Terry Gesualdo or any of his amplifiers??  I wish I had $2000.00 kicking around loose I'd buy one of his amplifiers just based on the story he tells in About Us.

You like that story?

Check out this one:

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/tube-lance-cochrane-black-krinkle-finish-2016-10-06-amplifiers-93442-morro-bay-ca

Do the Google, you will find that Lance is a highly regarded amp builder.  His approach and priorities makes me want to own one.  He dabbles in several different circuit types.  If you keep an eye open, he drips them onto AG slowly......always with a colorful description / writeup.     

[bluemike]

You like that story?

Check out this one:

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/tube-lance-cochrane-black-krinkle-finish-2016-10-06-amplifiers-93442-morro-bay-ca

Do the Google, you will find that Lance is a highly regarded amp builder.  His approach and priorities makes me want to own one.  He dabbles in several different circuit types.  If you keep an eye open, he drips them onto AG slowly......always with a colorful description / writeup.     

not bad prices either..thanks for sharing 

[parbaked]

This thread at Hawthorne details much of Terry's work with the SEP 6CL6 Spud Amps. It provides a lot of insight into how Terry works/thinks although he's come a long way since this thread.
https://www.hawthorneaudio.us/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=3770
Terry also helped Richard Becker (Aum Acoustics) design a really nice version with Electra Print iron.
The Spud amp was originally designed by Jef Larson (Abraxas Audio) another fine builder and gentleman.
I have the last SEP 6CL6 Spud that Jef made before he retired...it's a beauty.



Jef used bigger Edcore iron and added tube rectification and a switchable headphone.

Lance also builds good amps. He is an interesting man with talents way beyond electronics.
He builds PP amps with his own circuit in two sizes; EL84 or the larger 6L6/5881 in the above link.
If you contact him through the ad, he often has other amps sitting around to sell.
Lance has also taught this circuit to a number of people, some who build commercially e.g Jim Nicholls (JWN Audio) and Steve White (Empire Audio).
If you google him, there is a good write up from Dick Olsher on Lance and Jim Nichols.

I also have on of Lance's amps from when he built more regularly and sold on eBay.
Lance described it as a Stealth EL84 because the excellent but ugly Conn organ OPTs are hidden under chassis.
It sounds fantastic.



Another building I'd recommend is Sean Casper in WI.
Sean is a meticulous designer/builder.
I have a one of Sean's 300B SET amps using the superb C3m driver tubes.
Easily the best 300B SET I have heard.



He can build this circuit with 45, 2A3 or even rare AD1 tubes.
http://glowinthedarkaudio.com/AD1.html
I can share his contact via PM, if you're interested.

Enjoy your Omegas. The design sounds fantastic!
Cheers

[Hubb]

Sunnydaze that IS a fantastic story.  Much like Terry's, it makes you want to hear/buy one of his amps as quickly as possible. 

Parbaked I think, like the gentleman at glowinthedarkaudio, you have too many phenomenal amplifiers and should share one or two of them with me.  Now I have more designer/builders to google.  I was aware of the relationship between Lance and Jim Nicholls.  Isn't Lance like Jim's mentor??  I need to revisit Jim Nichols' site/operation.  Seems to me a few years back he was struggling a bit to keep up.  That's one of the better looking chassis on Lance's EL84 amp you have there.  If I recall from Terry's bio the Spud amp was his second audio epiphany, the first being a Decware Zen.  Wasn't the Spud the genesis of his Virtuoso?? I think Mr. Casper might be out of my network. 

Thank you both very much.  You've given an obsessive googler more to research.  I should have my new Super Duper 3XRS 1.5 way in another week or so. 

[sunnydaze]

While you're at it,  look into Will Vincent.   Older gentleman in Idaho.  Really knows his stuff, old school rock solid amp builds.  Even how he ships is rock solid old school -- amp strapped to a wooden board, inside a heavy corrugated box that looks 50 yrs old.     

Old timer that prefers phone to email / text.

He's slowed down a bit over the years, but he still sells under the name "autospecialty" on the typical audio sites.

I own one of his Baldwin Organ amps, and it is fantastic.   It beats many big name brands, at a fraction of the cost.   All visitors who hear it are impressed.

See some of his stuff here:

https://www.google.com/search?q=will+vincent+amps&rlz=1C1CHZL_enUS689US689&espv=2&biw=1097&bih=537&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwif0vCF-OvPAhWBVSYKHZVBBDIQ_AUICCgD

Clicking on some of the pics will take you to his old ads.

Google away, and Enjoy!   

[Hubb]

Thanks once again Sunnyvale.  I am a bit familiar with Will Vincent's work. I have a Dyna ST70 that was modded by Don Allen out of Phoenix.  He's now retired to Florida I hear.  So being in the Dyna circles I have bumped into Will's pieces.  Right now I'm trying to worm some decision making info out of Roy Mottram of tubes4hifi/VTA.  He has a SET 6l6 amp on the market.

Michael

[Hubb]

Oops darn auto spell.  Sorry Sunnydaze.

[sunnydaze]

Thanks once again Sunnyvale.  I am a bit familiar with Will Vincent's work. I have a Dyna ST70 that was modded by Don Allen out of Phoenix.  He's now retired to Florida I hear.  So being in the Dyna circles I have bumped into Will's pieces.  Right now I'm trying to worm some decision making info out of Roy Mottram of tubes4hifi/VTA.  He has a SET 6l6 amp on the market.

Michael

Yeah, Will's work is well known in Dyna circles.   I know in the past he's done big volume there, but that's not all he does.