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I realized that the serial number does not indicate the authenticity of the model...

How do you determine if a part is a fake? If a part with a poorly done or a suspiciously looking marking meets all the specifications of the genuine part that you can verify, would you still declare it a fake?

the 3rd one is the only one with the box after the cree label that matches parts i have. my parts mostly have a w13814 date code

I will show three photos as a riddle. One copy from DigiKey/ two variants from China, and surprisingly, one of the Chinese ones is not a fake. Who can visually determine the fake?

Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence by Dream Theater (2002) https://album.link/frb2khtqzt3f9 Example: Realizing there were a few gaps in my Dream Theater history. Filling those gaps. Happily.

Note, not my soldering job. battery in microscope dead too much work to get the 1:1 lens out.

Yes, I'm interested to know why the increase is twice as painful, maybe it's better?

please show a photo of the ST brand sign. And if you write that I show hFE measurements, I will have a holiday.

Lots of Luedji Luna. Lots and lots. And just a little extra.

Unusual Weather by Michael Manring (1985) https://album.link/kcfjzcvstwqth Example: It has been too long since I have listened to Michael's fretless bass. I have this on vinyl, but that is in storage, which is sad. But music is still good.

i just looked at what i had in stock. F405 and F413. both work fine. logo looks printed on. not etched and not stamped either.

Stax just posted this on X in Japanese but it made me laugh: Anybody want to venture a guess why this had to be posted? Terrible headband design strikes yet again.

Okay. Please do report back when you hear from Mouser, then I’ll explain why I think hFE of 341 is more reasonable than 150 for an STN9360.

sorry. P.S. I wrote my conclusion on 9360 in Mouser. I wonder what the answer will be.

The slatted door style has a lot of intricacies and places for failure. It looks simpler than the actual design. Many dados and places where parts have to fit exactly. But they went together easier than either of us expected. Not an accident, but Al's planning and forthought. Absolutely worth the effort, as they'll be an eye catcher for sure. This has been a rewarding project in several ways. Now that I'm no longer working as a carpenter, it's my much needed release for creativity. And Al and I are really enjoying the woodworking and smashburgers.

Update on the bathroom vanity cabinet, and some shots of two matching white oak linen closet doors with a slat design. Not fully assembled in these shots but you can get the gist.

Are you having a good time, Belvedere? Hip Service were. Serving up a diverse collection of crowd pleasers. Jackson 5, Beyonce, ABBA, Journey. Tight.

Your style is not acceptable here

You offered your opinion and analysis, I offered mine. Although we disagree, I hope we can respectfully disagree.

Just in case someone can make use of this one way or another. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/215798863-audiophile

A quick update on this build. Regarding the low-frequency distortion at high volume that I mentioned earlier, I did some troubleshooting. First, I checked the GRHV output for the +300 V rail. It's extremely stable and consistently holds at 300 V, so it doesn’t seem like any current limiting is kicking in. By chance, I noticed that the D3 LED (next to the 2SA1968 and I'm using STN9360 in this spot) flashes during loud low-frequency passages. That seems to suggest the current mirror may be going into over-saturation. This might be related to the two 150 kΩ resistors labeled R8A101 and R8B101 in the schematic. In the original Megatron, there is actually just a single 150 kΩ pull-down resistor instead of two. That difference might be causing the issue. Also measured the anode voltage of the 12AX7 tied to the current mirror. Under loud, bass-heavy signals, it shows a clear voltage drop from about 355 V down to 345 V momentarily. I’m planning to try shorting one of the 150 kΩ R8 resistors to see if that improves things. Updated: Turns out the current mirror itself was fine. The culprit was actually one of the PSVANE 12AX7 tubes. I suspect there may be a reason these were on sale at TubeDepot. At least the one I got had issues under load. Anyway, swapped it out and the problem is now completely resolved.

probably easier to change the cathode resistors on the current sources.