Measurements - Clearly Explained

The Dennis Had "Inspire Fire Bottle" amp I bought recently has NO specs anywhere I can find, except descriptions in his Ebay comments regarding things like output from various tubes and power supply design…I bought it because it’s cute (the first consideration by any true audiophile), and after reading 10,000 pages of comments here and there. Had says things like "You’ll be listening to your record/music collection as if you were hearing the performers for the first time. This jewell delivers the emotion of the music ... big time. The amp plays like a 50 watter with amazing control and slam." As far as my experience with it goes, he’s utterly correct. It works well with what I already have (preamp, DAC, cables, efficient speakers, etc.) so maybe I’m just lucky.

Hi Wolf!

Those are always great finds.

But as an engineer, anything that sounds good, I'd like to know why so I could replicate it, whether or not it goes with established dogma.

Like, maybe it adds plenty of 2nd order distortion, or has noise in the treble which enhances digital recordings.

Best,

E

Had does go on about the 2nd order harmonics inherent in this amp, and regarding "dogma," the entire SET (or SEP in this case) world has its own dogma it seems, and I'm all for it as it's a thing that has transformed my thinking about such things (although I've used relatively low wattage guitar amps for many years…including a hand made single ended amp with a tube rectifier). Regardless of all that, this amp "seems" to have less distortion of ANY kind at even louder levels, and the openness and apparent clarity may be the amp simply fooling me, which as long as I like the results is just fine.  As Fremer said in a recent article, "my hearing gets worse, but my listening gets better," which certainly applies to my old person self as I continue to produce and mix concerts and play music. Had's new stuff since retiring from Cary seems like an assault on convention (and pricing), and if he makes a remote preamp I'm in with one of those too! Note no measurements are around for the Fire Bottle amp unless somebody else has tested one, but Had certainly measures things and his idea of what sounds good might just be the same as mine.

@wolf_garcia

Nothing wrong with that at all in my mind. :)

I just don't like influence/idea peddlers promoting ideas about power and impedance not supported by facts.

Buy and listen to what you like!! :)

Best,

Erik

Erik, Agon has always been big on "alternate" facts, long before the term came about.  Where else can you find clever lil clocks and pebbles?