Tony- Thanks for checking with Decware for us on warranty coverage.

CAJames- “Not using it in a Decware amp” …🤔Good idea.

You know that’s a small price one might have to pay for the results an STR provides.  🤩

So far so good🤞

Great insight into what it takes to go from 'good' sound in a room to 'as good as it can get' in a room.
Very dependent on the room and the exact needs of that room. Figuring that out is half the battle I would assume. Takes a very thorough understanding to get it right.


That is my goal here, to help advance the understanding which just may motivate those who want the best experience possible in their audio rooms.

When you factor in that an audio room is responsible for at least half of what you hear in your music, it should be a top priority when obviously people are concerned about how good their equipment sounds to them. That will either be a positive influence reinforced by the room itself, or a very bad influence which will falsely lead one to believe that the equipment is subpar. Nothing else could be further from the truth concerning the latter in most cases.

It all comes down to one very simple and honest conclusion. If you understand that a bad acoustic environment is going to make your system sound just as bad, then why would one continue to listen in that environment, ignoring the reality of the core problem, and just keep looking for more expensive upgrades to the equipment instead? There is an extreme lack of rationale there, completely void of logic.

I believe that what it takes, is to lead by example, and prove just how critical the room's influence is, and why it is so very important to make room acoustics top priority if one truly wants to experience what a good system can actually reveal.

There is absolutely zero doubt in my mind that if I allowed some of these individuals who ignore acoustics as something to consider, to listen in my room now ( and that includes using their own equipment if they like), this would be the very thing that would motivate a change in their own direction concerning acoustics. It would truly become a revelation within their understanding. We all know that experience makes everything crystal clear and absolute.

What I would expect to hear from them would be comments such as: "I just can't believe what I am not only hearing, but actually feeling in this room"....and perhaps," I had no idea that my system could sound this great! I am hearing vast amounts of detail , clarity, and separation within the music that I never knew existed". Or perhaps another likely comment would be, " The room itself just seems to be so much larger, that it is as if the room didn't even exist. The spatial qualities are at a level which goes way beyond the imagination.  And finally, one may comment in a final conclusion that with this new experience, it would become very difficult to go back and listen to the system in a poor acoustic environment as before.

And of course, I like to see someone take a look around the room, as if searching for phantom sources of sound projection, not only wide to the sides, but extended way beyond from behind the listening position. That is what real holographic imagery is all about.  You will never experience the reality of this openness with bad room acoustics, that is the cold hard fact!  You might think that you are, but just one listen in a well balanced audio room, and you will quickly understand the difference. Once that you have, it is very doubtful that you would want to return to a substandard alternative when it can be avoided.

Oh, and did I mention the quality and magnitude of low frequency information which suddenly just reveals itself at levels of pure amazement?  No, but you would marvel at what transpires in this regard once the room acoustics are within balance.

The effect of room modes absolutely destroys the quality of music perception! The degree of well defined accurate bass response is one thing that you will gain in a very significant manner. If you lack bass in your music, then perhaps you might want to do something about it. If you are swimming in a space full of frequency cancellations and bloating due to peaks and nulls, (and I can almost guarantee this is your situation in a smaller room), there is only one thing that can correct this.  I am showing how this is done. Either believe in the paramount foundation of acoustic control in which will grant you the very thing you are searching for, or just flat out ignore it. You are the one to benefit from this, not me.


Now it is understood that some people simply can't modify their listening room due to certain circumstances.  It is also understood that people do not want to accept that room acoustics could possibly make enough difference to make it worth their time. Really doesn't matter what the case is, acoustics matter more than anything else. If you are going to keep investing thousands in upgrades to the system in hope that somehow this will fix everything, well, that is going to be a very long and disappointing journey.

Words simply can not justify how critical this is, and no matter what I say here, it will never have the impact as a game changer that a live listening experience will most definitely convey.

Just because someone thinks they have treated a room good enough, one has to ask, was it the right choice to correct what actually needed attention, or perhaps, could this have actually had a negative impact on acoustics rather than doing what was expected? One of the biggest mistakes people make out of ignorance to the science of acoustics, is to overuse absorption tactics without the strict compliance of keeping the room ambience alive with the proper degree of reflection, and the correct use of diffusion techniques.

Yes, you are very correct, it does take a great deal of experience and knowledge to make acoustics work well in the audio room. The end result is a direct reflection of what these acoustic measures actually are. Just because someone throws thousands of dollars into various acoustic devices, then haphazardly places them around the room, does that guarantee a perfect outcome?  I doubt it, not unless these devices were well planned and created precisely to counter the problems at hand. No two rooms are the same. Each and every listening room have their own particular unique problems. What works well in one particular situation does not necessarily become the thing to do in another situation.


Large listening spaces require completely different measures than what small audio rooms must undergo to be worthwhile.  It is far more difficult to make a smaller room sound as good as a larger room, especially when that larger space is built with ideal dimensions which conform to the golden ratio aspect.  There is a proper tool for every job. You don't use a screwdriver to remove a bolt!  Every situation requires a targeted approach in order to identify the actual problem, and what it actually takes to correct that problem.  I make this very clear concerning diffusion techniques. Prime number quadratic residue diffusers are the first choice in a large space.  They are a poor choice in a small room.  The design of binary diffusion tactics was developed as an improved alternative to use in smaller rooms. If you truly understand the science behind these designs, then there will be absolutely no doubt as to the reality of this proof.

If you can afford to invest that much money in acoustic products which are completely overpriced for what they actually are, then great, that is the easy route. At least you are doing something about a very bad situation. But for those on a budget who just can't spend endless amounts of cash on toys, but simply want a cost effective way to solve their acoustic problems, then the d.i.y approach makes perfect sense.

Sure, not everyone has a shop or the tools to get this done, but most people have friends that will help them do this at a reasonable cost.  And of course, there are those that simply do not want to build these devices.  Sure, there are many reasons to buy from a commercial outlet, but that comes at a huge price! You may not be able to get that premium device which would be perfect for your situation, but you can still compromise and come up with a lesser form of rectification which fits your means respectively. For the actual investment, if you are armed with the proper degree of knowledge, and posses the ability to create these designs yourself, then you are going to get a much greater return on your investment when you compare how much more you can get for a fraction of the price.  If that is not a factor of concern, then by all means, go retail.  Just make sure you actually know what you are buying and that this is the proper choice for your needs.

If you buy the wrong devices, you are in for a very expensive lesson in failure. Just remember, a snake oil salesman will sell you anything that will be the "cure all" for your needs according to his sales pitch.  He has something to gain from convincing you to part with your money.  Someone who gives advice from a logical approach, yet has zero expectation of profit, is most likely the direction which will guide you to success. This source of advice usually stems from honesty and experience.


It is very difficult to get things exactly as they should be. So naturally, it is expected that mistakes will be made, and changes will be required. When you have very little investment in a failure, it is easy to overcome. It is hard to rationalize failure when the cost factor becomes a devastating reminder of how true this really is.

That is something to strongly consider.

Your comments here reinforce exactly what I just covered. I just expanded upon the very things that you indicated.

Whatever choice you make concerning acoustics, just do your homework and get an A on the final exam!

And of course, there is plenty more to come here.

FWIW the wording of the warranty is:

Quote:


So the way I read it is if your amp fails because something goes wrong with your STR you aren't covered, just as you wouldn't be covered if something goes wrong with your conventional rectifier, or other tubes. If you are using the STR and the amp fails for an unrelated reason then you are covered. But, as a practical matter it is hard for me to imagine a rectifier related failure, STR or conventional, that does anything more than blow a fuse, or two. But JMO/FWIW and all that. I’m not using mine in a Decware amp.

First time without Sarah in 8 months and change.

I’m not crying, you’re crying!

Hey, duaneh, that's a good question. I would guess that, yes, it does. Perhaps someone has had a chance to run it by Steve to get his position. I have to call Decware this week, so if no one knows one way or the other, I'll ask Sarah. If she does not know, I'll see if I can ask Steve.

Does using an STR impact the Decware warranty?

May they sound even better than they look!🤩

The more I listen to this cartridge the more I think the tone is perfect.  It's a vintage tone, somewhat laid back with this arm and extraordinary well balanced.

The tone and balance of this cartridge makes it possible to stay focused on the music the whole time without system or recording related distractions. Now, I know in a higher mass arm tube we could make this cartridge slam like a canon but the inner beauty of the midrange would suffer which in turn would make everything else suffer.  So with this arm the cartridge is coming across as flawless.  

So knowing this, I decided to treat myself and purchased a new LP of Boston.  I was genuinely surprised how good it was.  In fact it was pretty flawless.  The sound stage was perfect and exact, deep, wide, the tone and overall presentation made me feel like I was there.  Sitting in the center of the audience 45 feet back from the stage that was itself nearly 30 feet deep.  There wasn't a single note I didn't like.  I just couldn't find anything wrong with it.  This was an audiophile recording if I ever heard one.  And the drummer, Sib Hashian, I have to say -- holy cow!

It's interesting to note that when streaming Boston from Qobuz it really takes a ZROCK to make it sound right.  But the LP with the right amplification, tubes, cables, tonearm and cartridge is perfect.  You wouldn't want to change anything about it.

I guess the greater question is how many have given up on 70's rock because by the time they acquired their own stereo system it was the 80's and CD players were the new rage?  The mastering was changed for the new format and it ruined most of the music of that era so we thought the sound sucked and it did unless your CD player cost more than a new car.  I feel like I'm getting my music back with this cartridge and arm.  The Fidelity Research in contrast would push the balance with more presence and overlapping somewhat oversized images.  Still enjoyable but not as natural or refined so basically it adds its own flashiness to the presentation that would in turn leave some parts of the record sounding less enjoyable.  



Steve

Wow, nice catch there - James!

Elrog tubes always look beautiful

Aber ja!

Aren't they pretty!

Uh-Oh! Just bought a used pair of Elrog 845s!



Stuff is about to get real.

"Red Garland's Piano" Rudy Van Gelder Remasters cd



Followed by

Gregory Groover, Jr. "Lovabye"

I believe it has to do with the break in time of the internal components. Capacitor will start to break in fairly quickly, but the curve flattens out just as quickly making capacitor break in 10x longer that tube break in.

Thanks; that what I was afraid was the case, and I have done so to inform people that the items have sold. I see some posts that the title reads "SOLD", so I was hoping there was someway to do that irrespective of when the listing was posted.
Thanks again,
Chris

You can only edit posts for a couple of days after you make it. After that your best bet is to post SOLD at the end.

How does one go about changing the title of a post on the classified to "sold" so people don't waste their time viewing the post if the item has been sold?
Thanks,
Chris

Greetings, adamttt.  Welcome to the forums.  This is a great place to get your questions answered and share your experience.  BTW- those are my SV83 monos that you purchased!

I agree with Donnie and CA.  If what you have is working, not humming, and 10x the amp rating (or at least 2x) you are good.  In my experience you cannot go wrong providing a lot of capacity in the power section, and would prefer this to risking not having enough.

I would keep your 1000W transformer. If you are going to use a transformer IMO it should be rated for 10 times the power you need so you aren’t limiting transients. There is no such thing as a transformer that is “too powerful.”

Welcome here adamttt.

If you are not having humming issues with your current transformer I wouldn't worry about it.

The amps take what they need, the power isn't forced into them, so you will be fine.

Hello everyone, first time poster here!

I have monoblocks that I got from the US and that I run through a step up/down transformer in Europe. The thing is the transformer is - in my opinion - way too powerful at 1000W vs the low W from the amps.

What transformer would you recommend? Is something at around 70W enough? Should I worry about the shielding and filtering if I use a transformer?

Thanks a lot!

Village Vanguard Live Sessions, Vol. 1

When you don't listen to Dizzy for a while he can floor you with how great he is. Also. . . Ray Nance and Pepper Adams! Great session.

Great news!

Hey Hearafter. I actually did initially reduce the amps gain a little, when I boosted the output gain on the preamp, to compensate. Failed to mention that. I adjusted the master volume on the preamp for late night listening. Glad you found your tube synergy. I actually feel like I found mine this evening, as well.

Earlier, I swapped out the RCA 5z3 for a Cryotone 5U4G, which sounded similar, but good. I just swapped it for a Mazda GZ32 and WOW! Everything is just so right, right now. Goosebump city. That little bit of extra voltage did the trick. Different methods, similar results like you said. Think I’m going to sit with this combo for a bit. Don’t see need to change anything right now.

Thank you all for your responses and input !  Received the replacement fuse a few hours ago and just swapped it out for the one that was blown.  Happy to report that I'm up and running and all sounds amazing !  The fuse must have saved the rectifier tube as it is working well.  I will look into getting a backup rectifier and maybe invest in a NOS that everyone raves about.

This is an amazing community, thank you again !

Quote:


Unless I missed it, and I'm pretty sure I didn't, no one has NOS 805s in their STR. I'm looking forward to your review. I have considered NOS 211s, but so far have resisted the temptation.

Some people I know object to organ music, esp. baroque organ music, because it sounds too "churchy." But Handel's Organ Concertos sure don't, at least IMO.



On CD.

Has anyone tried some NOS 805s in comparison to the current production variants? I have RCA 805s and Amperex 805s. I'm excited to see how they sing and maybe mix them with some new blood.

GS,

One reason I asked about the paint is that I tried it years ago on a tube, a Russian rectifier... can't recall the numbers, but some saying it was a GZ34/5AR4 replacement that sounded more like a GZ32 replacement to me. I can't find it now, but I recall it not being an improvement to me whatever it did...enough so, I did not pursue more experiments at the time and forgot about it, so not a complete test. I may have gently scratched the paint off. Can't remember details, but why I was hoping you had logged what happened sonically, especially that being a lot of paint on a lot of tube. Sorry for being so vague, but it makes me wonder how close your DGs, painted pretty new, are to DGs without paint?

Thanks, I agree... especially big power tubes, burnin is a buzz kill.

They had basically no hours on them. I put the coating on to block the light, which didn't work very well. I'm using two pieces of charge pipe to block the light now.

I enjoy the TAs. I do want to get more time on the 211s and 805s too. Tube burnin is a real bummer.

Many thanks for sharing listening observations on tubes for the STL-STR's everyone. In addition to the stock Crossar 805B tubes, looks like the Linlai 845-DG's will be a solid 1st tube roll.

My Timber Nation rack is 13-15 weeks out, so I'll plan the Super STR-1002 order accordingly. Cheers everyone this looks so promising.

HK

GS. The TAs were resolving here, but definitely, by comparison, leaning "warm," for which dark is clearly a part, though I can see how they might play differently depending on all else.

I wonder if you logged the difference between the DGs unpainted compared to painted other than smell.

I recalled last night the reason I stopped playing the 845-DGs is because I coated them with the Audio Magic Blackout Paint. When the tubes got hot there was an unpleasant odor. Now, one has ~130 hours and the other 90. They are sounding really good. The odor is also just about gone, I’m guessing these will stay in for a long time without any tube rolling…. or should I say twisting as they twist to lock in.

I didn’t find the “TA” family to be dark in my system I can see how that would be a good description with them.

I haven’t had much time with the system the last 2 months or so, so I haven’t racked up as much time on the tubes as I would have liked. The Jumbo tubes do take a long time to settle.

I hear you on all the options going to the 1004.

Replaced my RCA VR 150/OD3’s  with Westinghouse OA3’s and yes that was the ticket.  Everything just opened up and improved with the same gain settings I was using for the VR150’s.   Conclusion: the OA3 voltage  is a much better match and brings out the best of the RCA 6AC3 in my Torii Jr. - nice tube synergy now.  Really am enjoying this tube set👍👍🤪

Liquidblue-  Interesting results with your gain adjustments.   Just a different way to get the same results. I am using the 6CG7’s as input tubes in my Torii Jr. On my system I get better SQ results turning down my amp volume while increasing my preamp gain slightly and increasing the preamp volume control.  This appears to give the 6CG7 input tubes more current while the preamp provides more gain and the amp output tubes do less of the load.  
I find it very interesting how all our systems and components set up's vary and need adjusting in different ways.
Next up is rolling some VR tubes to see what kind of an impact that makes on these tubes.

Quote:


Interesting. I guess I'll put some hours on it and give it another try.

Sounds good  either way to me.  I prefer to enjoy whatever tubes sound the best to me at the moment. If you want to roll right away it doesn’t do any harm.  Just realize it will be a moving target until hundreds of hours are logged. I would stick with the recommended tube families and try to refrain from buying tubes until the component has settled in.  Some may prefer to let the component settle in with stock tubes first while others are rollers.  To each his own I say no right or wrong here. Just my take here…

Nice album! I have the two cd version.

Nice.

Re: the 1002 to 1004 upgrade:

It's not so much about any one set of tubes. I just don't want to be limited. If I'd understood more about how the STRs work when I was first seriously interested, I probably would have talked myself into the 1004, as my preference is to just pay the money and get it done when possible, avoiding future hemmong-and-hawing and shipping things back and forth all over the place. Between the incoming 104 and the imminent 1004, I should be able to run pretty much anything, which is ideal for components I intend to hold on to.

FWIW, I find myself using the choke much more often than not. I agree that it seemed potentially gimmicky at first, but it really does open up after enough hours and I wouldn't want to be without it now.

Decided to do some light jazz this morning while driving in my work vehicle.  Landed on this David Brubeck Quartet “ Dave Digs Disney”.   This album was inspired by a trip with his family to Disneyland.   Very pleasing album to listen to and quite enjoyable.  Streaming in Qobuz Hi Rez at 24/96.  

Mark Masters Ensemble "Wish Me Well--Reflections on The Music of Gary McFarland" SACD

Maria Schneider and the SWR Big Band "Jazz Works and Arrangements" disc 2

Setting the right mood for this dark, warm morning.

Just received my pair of RCA black plate 6CG7’s today and have had them in for a few hours now. My initial impressions were mixed. The issue I was finding was it sounded too soft and dynamics were reduced. I had not made any changes to settings on first listen. I am using the pair in the output position of my CSP3 in place of 6N1P’s that I have had in there for the majority of time. I’ve also tried pairs of 6N6P, several 6SN7’s with adapters and various 6922 types over time, but had settled on the 6N1P’s for the past few months. Once I boosted the output tube gain of the preamp a notch up I regained much of the lost dynamics. After a few hours of having them in there I am finding a really nice level of clarity and micro detail with these tubes. Instrument separation is excellent and the sound is spacious. Overall tone is pleasing and warm, without being dark. My preliminary impressions are good, but yes Hearafter, It did benefit from a bump in gain. Checking the data sheets, the 6CG7’s have a gain factor of 20, while most 6922 types, including the 6N1P are 33, which if my math is correct is a difference of 4db gain? So I see why they like gain levels to be pushed a little more than the 6922’s. I am able to listen at low volumes by reducing the master volume on the preamp and do not lose any of the clarity or dynamics. I’m going to keep these in for a while and play around with gain settings and try a few other rectifiers to get more familiar and see how they fare. For reference, the other tubes I currently have in there are a US Amperex 6922PQ input tube and an RCA 5Z3 rectifier. I should have the three plate tubes early next week to try as well.
LB

Spent more time with the RCA 6CG7 Blackplates with center shields in my Torii Jr amp.  These are really nice sounding tubes you guys recommended.  I would not have come up with trying these in my Torri Jr. Thank You!!  They are paired with 4 Mullard EL34 xf2, 2 RCA VR150/OD3, STR-104 super rectifier. The one thing I did notice is these tubes sound better with more gain.  To get optimum SQ I have to play them louder than 6922/7308 variants.  Not an ideal tube at low volume.  They become soft/veiled, less detail and less dynamics/bass.  But with the right amount of gain/volume these tubes are excellent and keepers.

GrooveySauce and CAJames-  Thanks for validating my choice on not getting the choke upgrade.  Once again Al steered me right👍. I just love the way my little Str-104 sounds and has improved the SQ.  Really like the fact I don’t have to buy the big tube pairs and can use tubes I already owned. Great flexibly between my amp and preamp rectifier tubes. No regrets with the Str-104 “Today”

Bloodlemons-Wow a Str-1004 you are going in “Deep” enjoy it!

Groovy. A different setting for sure, using 6SN7s to 300Bs, to 845s as power in my amp... and you can hear notable changes with any, input, driver, power as usual... Also I have done some clarifying in this amp, making it more fast, resolving and neutral, so it does show a lot of a tube.

Anyway, to me the Linlai 845-DGs took a long time to burn in. They sounded more rigid for quite a while but pretty good being so spacious and resolving, especially once the bass refined. Sorry I stopped tracking hours, but guessing closer to 200 or more, than 150. And then they really started to get resolving with lots of open space, and complex detail/harmonic information very present, but still smooth in their clarity. Not getting any sense of rolloff or truncation, while not being too bright for me... These tubes here show the difference in how very resolving and clear is not necessarily "bright." For me, bright tends to be hard and unfriendly, whereas, very complex fine detail and space can be super revealing, while softening edges some because complexity is so well resolved.

The 845TAs here took even longer, not surprising, the black carbon sprayed ones notorious for long burnin in general I think... but guessing more like 250-300 to start to get in there. These were more difficult for me here because for much of the burnin they were a little dark and sluggish for me, but finally they came out nicely, enough resolution and space to make their warmth sweet with the right company.

Linlai 845-WEs here, similar time as DGs I guess, and sounding clear and resolving, somewhere in between the other two... biggish, solid and open, with a warm and smooth patina that is not thick, and a little rounder detail compared to DGs... less emphasis on very fine stuff so far anyway. Whereas the DGs with clean company, gains right, seem so unaffectedly spacious it is like there is no tube here. At least at this point... guessing the WE may end up closer in open detail, not having as much time as my DGs

Vinicius Cantuária "Cymbals"