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What's old is new or is it? - Inspire Sweet 807 SET tube amp

audiodon

audiodon

Addicted Member
Hi,
I received this last week after putting my dibs in some months ago.

It's a new design Dennis Had did using sweep tubes.
8 watts/channel. 10 inches wide.
Great summer amp in my office system.

Is it old or is it new?
SET is old technology, even in tube terms.
Yet, this is a new take and was designed and hand assembled by a master.

Sound:
Great delicate class A sound. Great low-level detail retrieval. Good for 8 watts. In my office system with my Spendor minimonitors, I haven't had it run out of gas yet.
 
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I heard this little jewel- Don's setup with the Spendors, a Lexicon disc player, EAR phono stage, Wired For Sound pre, Polk sub and a humble Technics TT and Stanton cart was just amazing.

I kept thinking how close to perfect this sounded, and how many people don't get this level of performance in their own main rigs/systems. It was truly that special.

Four things struck a cord and stuck with me-

1)How engaging the listening session was- more than impressed, I felt a bit envious as I was seduced by it's abilities.

2) How the amp, in person, looked- it is a true work of art by a talented craftsman, a labor of love indeed. Just magnificent!

3) The amp's ability to play at a robust volume without a hint of strain or excessive effort.

4) The overall fullness of the sound with a single sub added to the mix.

Don, your talent for putting together cohesive systems is respectable.

And Dennis Had- well, the man really can build a kick-ass system. Wow!
 
Note to folk looking at the pics- they do not do this amp justice.

It truly has an amazing build quality to it and the subtleties of the tones and colors of the materials is lost in these photos. The amp is beautifully put together and well finished.
 
Interesting that Cary Audio don't make it clear that their new gear is no longer being designed by Dennis. I've seen reviews of recent Cary amps that still mention Dennis' name, making me wonder if it's general knowledge that he isn't at the helm any more ?

Per a 2012 AC thread:

My good friend Dennis Had retired from Cary a few years back - he's enjoying now retirement with among other things rebuilding Maganvox amps selling them on ebay as Inspire Amplifiers by Dennis Had

Only one human being gets a mention on this page:

http://www.caryaudio.com/about/story.html

Very corporate, IMO.

http://www.caryaudio.com/about/team.html
 
Sometimes it is time to move on.
Anybody who gets one of these gems is a beneficiary of Dennis Had's next phase of life.
 
audiodon said:
Sometimes it is time to move on.
Anybody who gets one of these gems is a beneficiary of Dennis Had's next phase of life.
Click to expand...

Indeed. I'm lucky to have been contacted by Dennis last week and am now waiting to receive my very own "Sweet 807".

Having something hand-made by Dennis Had is an absolute honor.

-Steven
 
estreeter said:
Interesting that Cary Audio don't make it clear that their new gear is no longer being designed by Dennis. I've seen reviews of recent Cary amps that still mention Dennis' name, making me wonder if it's general knowledge that he isn't at the helm any more ?

Per a 2012 AC thread:

My good friend Dennis Had retired from Cary a few years back - he's enjoying now retirement with among other things rebuilding Maganvox amps selling them on ebay as Inspire Amplifiers by Dennis Had

Only one human being gets a mention on this page:

http://www.caryaudio.com/about/story.html

Very corporate, IMO.

http://www.caryaudio.com/about/team.html
Click to expand...

Retired is not exactly how it went down. But that's not my story to tell. And FWIW the current CEO came on board as an accountant.....:scratch2:
 
OK - I guess we need to focus on the positives, and Dennis seems very happy to be selling his amps on e-bay, as do his customers fwir. Win-win ! :D
 
estreeter said:
OK - I guess we need to focus on the positives, and Dennis seems very happy to be selling his amps on e-bay, as do his customers fwir. Win-win ! :D
Click to expand...

Absolutely correct. I haven't met many people who are happier doing what they are doing. One of the things that becomes quickly obvious when you talk to him is his enthusiasm and enjoyment in what he is doing day to day. Now when he gets a bunch of amps behind, he will start to groan a bit, but if you spent every day working 4+ hours soldering, it would get old too.

Cary on the other hand, nearly killed him.....:thumbsdn:
 
From what I read Mr Carver is also very happy designing and building tube amps once again. I don't think there's a comparable joy in trying to run a large corporation.

Congrats on the amp Don - it sounded good in that room and I bet it sounds far better at home where you have it dialed in.

jblnut
 
beautiful sound and looks

Thanks again for bringing this to the AK fest in Walpole. It is very special and a sweet match for the Spendor Bookshelf speakers in a near field listening setup.
 
audiodon said:
The days of companies having an inventor-in-residence seem to be over.
Click to expand...

I see it as symptomatic of the same 'greybeard' phenomenon that afflicts the rest of this hobby. Check out any photos/video from a meet, and its a sea of middle-aged men : at 55, I'm not being ageist, but that's the reality. Nelson Pass looks like Dumbledore from the Harry Potter films ...... :D

There are younger audiophiles out there, but I wonder how many engineers graduate with a view to working in a 'cottage' industry ? Perhaps I'm way off-beam, but I've seen several factory tour videos where there are an awful lot of people who appear very close to retirement age. Check out the Audio-Note factory tour vids on Youtube or any of the 6Moons pictorials - as mentioned earlier, how many folks want to spend hours each day soldering ? It's a tedious job, but someone's got to do it.

Interesting times ahead. :scratch2:
 
I'm just getting the time to get back to it as the day-to-day needs of career and family allow.
It could be a dying thing like model trains, but when young people have been exposed, opportunity may shine like a beacon to them as the social landscape changes later on.
 
estreeter said:
I see it as symptomatic of the same 'greybeard' phenomenon that afflicts the rest of this hobby. Check out any photos/video from a meet, and its a sea of middle-aged men : at 55, I'm not being ageist, but that's the reality. Nelson Pass looks like Dumbledore from the Harry Potter films ...... :D

There are younger audiophiles out there, but I wonder how many engineers graduate with a view to working in a 'cottage' industry ? Perhaps I'm way off-beam, but I've seen several factory tour videos where there are an awful lot of people who appear very close to retirement age. Check out the Audio-Note factory tour vids on Youtube or any of the 6Moons pictorials - as mentioned earlier, how many folks want to spend hours each day soldering ? It's a tedious job, but someone's got to do it.

Interesting times ahead. :scratch2:
Click to expand...

"retirement" time is becoming an euphemism for "old" age, when it should be a time for reconsidering all that you have learned and putting that experience and knowledge into creating great things or doing great service. I know, America thinks its all about the "youthful" energy, but the reality of restrictions placed on one when they are young (marriage, kids, trying to provide, schools, etc.) drive the young to engage in those businesses that can provide the financial support to provide for their family, thus, the all-out goal for the MIGHTY DOLLAR! Which is somewhat short-sighted, but one in which our money-obsessed culture is determine to hitch every able-bodies soul to for the enrichment of ? (not you).
 
StevenZ said:
Indeed. I'm lucky to have been contacted by Dennis last week and am now waiting to receive my very own "Sweet 807".

Having something hand-made by Dennis Had is an absolute honor.

-Steven
Click to expand...

I know this is from many years ago and I hope you are still enjoying your amp. Question, is the Sweet 807 an integrated amp? Can I connect my iPad or a CD player to it? Or does it require a preamp?

Thanks!
 
Jefffeith said:
I know this is from many years ago and I hope you are still enjoying your amp. Question, is the Sweet 807 an integrated amp? Can I connect my iPad or a CD player to it? Or does it require a preamp?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Hi, unfortunately I didn't keep the 807. Best of luck in your search. If you're in the market for a fantastic amplifier, Kenny Russel over at GetDynaco.com can help you out. His amplifiers are truly wonderful.
 
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