Adamaley,  are you still looking for a 845 to 300B adapter? If you are, let me know as I have one I could send.

Tony

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Grumble, grumble. I got 300B adapters with my STR-1002 but quickly decided that 300B and/or any of my conventional rectifiers didn't come close to the 10V DHTs so I sold them off. Since I'm done buying tubes (pass the candle...) this is only academically interesting to me. But it is interesting none the less. Is the top cap on the 8020 the same size as for 872A/4B32 tubes?


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Stacking 2 adapters is a start. How about 3?



This was an early test stacking 845 -> 300B, 300B -> 5U4 and 5U4 -> AZ1/AZ12 to try some Telefunken 4V rectifiers.

Just received an email from Al saying my STR should ship this week! The unit is burning in now.  :D

I hope yours arrives in better shape than mine did. Mine came this week with an almost offensive lack of padding. The STR was damaged, screws dislodged, feet broken, transformers loose. It seemed like it might just be cosmetic but it blew the rectifier fuses on my SE84UFO and is going back to Canada (paid by me, of course). I've gone through two rounds of products from STL and both have had serious problems. When they work, the STR is magical, when it doesn't, it is infinitely frustrating. I would say the same for dealing with Al. He replies instantly, but clear information is often lacking.

I could go on and on about my woes with Al and his products, but needless to say, I am eagerly awaiting the Decware Dynagrid. I also hope I am the outlier and everyone here can enjoy theirs—I will be jealously following along.

Tony, glad it worked out in the end. It's too bad something blew, there are so many people that have had to send their STL gear back for repairs so it just underscores my doubts about build quality and QC. I will refrain from going on a lengthy diatribe concerning build, shipping, or opening up the units and fixing it yourself... Perhaps after Decware's DGR is released then the external rectifier will take off and more companies will look into developing them.

Back in July I plugged my new STR-104 into my UFO25 and both 3B22 tubes arc'ed. AL sent replacements. With them I moved the STR-104 to my CSP3+ and was very happy with the effect. Then, while rolling to 2A3’s, the front socket came loose. I returned the unit to AL who replaced the sockets with nice ceramic ones. I’m spooked about using it in my UFO again (and look forward to learning more about Steve’s gadget) and my system clearly benefits from the STR-104 in my CSP3+, but the problems I had do raise QC questions.

My unit is coming all the way to Melbourne, Australia. After reading JHC's post, I'm kinda nervous. I just hope Al has packed it well enough to survive the long journey.

It’s a shame so many people are having issues with QC of these components. My STR has really elevated the sound of my system and I was lucky to thus far not have any functional issues with mine.

That said, I was quite disappointed when I received mine, with the quality of workmanship. The case itself does not show pride in workmanship, like Decware components clearly show. The woodworking is subpar, with chips on edges where the wood was cut and no sanding or care in finishing. Just a coat or two of paint sprayed over the rough wood. A quick pass with a sander, before building the unit would go a long way to giving a more quality look and feel. For the cost of these, I don't think that's unreasonable.

In a comment from above, Adamaley mentioned the 8020 tubes, so I picked up a pair. I had one 845-300B adapter that allowed me to pair one 8020 with the 872A. The 872As have been my favorite tubes for the STR-1002-Super, though it's not for everyone, for all the obvious reasons. The SQ of the 872A in my system is a bit laid back, but very rich with a lot of texture. The single 8020 tube gave the 872A more punch and life. Brighter and louder but not tiring.

I contacted AL and asked if I could exchange my 845-5U4G adapter for a second 848-300B one, and we made plans to do that. Shipping it Canada via UPS took 3 weeks. Initially, UPS sent it from Berkeley to LA by their fastest stagecoach service, then, for some reason, they said they would hold it in LA for a month before shipping it to Canada.

AL is now experiencing delays in sending me the second 845-300B adapter, which will allow me to try out two 8020s. These delays seem to be the new normal. Once I get the adapter from AL and try two 8020s, I'll add a comment or two.

The STR arrived safe and sound today. Al's packaging was first rate. It's driving my Lampizator Baltic 3 DAC. With 30 minutes on the clock, i'm flabbergastered. It's dead set gorgeous sounding.

Good to hear both of you got your STRs without issue, and that you're as happy with the improvement as I am. It really is an amazing piece of gear.