Shindo + Digital...Your Experiences
 

Now i know most folks that get involved with Shindo are already big into vinyl but i have yet to venture down that path quite yet even though I've got a decent set of starter albums handed down from my Dad many years ago.

As the new owner of a Shindo Pre & Amp I'm looking to extract the most music from what i have now (1000's of FLAC files) and eventually look to vinyl when time, and pocketbook, allows.

That said I'm looking to my fellow AA'ers to share their experience with finding delicious digital on a Shindo based system.

As you can see from my sig, I'm currently using the Transporter (wired) as a source with the music stored as lossless FLAC files on my Windows Home Server.

To kick off the thread I'll share a review i found on AudioAsylum where a Shindo user has had excellent success with a TeddyDAC (of Teddy Pardo fame). I'm unfamiliar with this piece and have thus far found relatively little about it but this is the kind of experience i'm looking for. I've since asked this user to share his updated thoughts via PM through that site.

Digital Drive

Thanks ahead of time! :music:

Jayson

Dear adhesiv,

I use a dCS Puccini CD player (also acting as a DAC for my MacMini + Halide Design Bridge S/PDIF interface) along with my SHINDO Monbrison preamp.

The excellent soundstage from the Puccini match very well with the spaciouness of the SHINDO's house sound. This is a highly recommended match for a digital source ;-)
Btw, in Singapore I've recently auditioned a Wadia / dCS + Shindo Aurièges (2 boxes) + PASS X250.5 + Sonus Faber (sorry, not sure I know the model for this floorstander) and the dCS proved its superiority big times over the Wadia which had a very "darkside" sound not very natural.

Jayson,

I never thought I would say this, but with the Shindo Cortese and the Tannoy digital from the MDA1000 sounds 100% analog and 100% delicious and, depending on the recording or pressing, sometimes it sounds better than analog!?!?

As always, facts and actions speak louder than words so here's an example.

I have a lot of recordings both on vinyl and digital. Since I am a fan of progressive rock (hey, sue me :D) I have pretty much the entire Pink Floyd, Genesis, King Crimson catalog on both formats and I also have multiple pressings of both formats (e.g., 6 copies of Pink Floyd's Relics, 4 different vinyl pressings and 2 CDs.)

In the past, I kept CDs for car listening and for when I was too lazy to get up every twenty minutes to flip sides. Serious listening and when I wanted deliciousness always called for vinyl.

Adding the McIntosh MDA1000 blurred the line between digital and vinyl but I still felt that vinyl was superior enough to warrant the extra effort.

Since I added the Cortese to the system, not only I don't get any - and I mean ANY - digititis (that unpleasant listening sensation and fatigue from annoying artificial CD glare) but I also get a lot of that wonderful smoothness, fullness and spacious soundstage that makes vinyl so addictive.

I still spin a lot of vinyl, but now it's more for variety and for fun than out of necessity.

I think this has as more to do with the fact that the Cortese is an SET than it is a Shindo. An SET amp is, IMO, the best thing for making digital sound smoother and fuller.

Alberto

Adding a Shindo Arome may improve digital further.

Agree with TommyC above. IMO, adding a Shindo preamp or preamp/amp combo will do nothing but increase your enjoyment of digital. That being said, I find that I spend 85% of the time listening to Analog. Only time I really listen to digital now is when I want to hear a CD where I do not have a vinyl equivalent. Since Shindo does not make a CD source it's probably safe to assume his gear is primarily voiced around analog.

Sibelius...I get that Shindo is primarily used in vinyl setups however as I tried to state, I'm not yet ready to invest in that part of my system and want to take advantage of the majority of my existing music library of which I've spent a considerable amount of time building/transferring into digital lossless. Have you had experience with the Arome? I'm curious in learning more about this piece.

Cellindo...Thanks for the experience, I've had very limited exposure to dCS gear but will see if I can find an opportunity to do some more in depth.

Alberto...The MDA1000 seems to have universal praise amongst MAC folks...not a lot of talk though outside the MAC circles but for the cost (even used) I can understand why it may not be in a lot of systems and thus the limited info. Maybe one of these days I can swing by and have a listen :)

TommyC...Does Shindo still offer the Arome and what exactly is it/does it do? Also do you happen to know what the cost is?

To share as well, Matt at PPA also recommended the Wavelength Brick/Cosecant or the previously unknown to me Acousticplan Digimaster. Does anyone have experience with these DACS in at all?

You can PM Matt about this. He's the expert.
In a nutshell, the Arome is a transformer you put between a digital source and a preamp. It'll make digital smoother and more analog.

In my Shindo system, I'm using Ayon CD2s CDP right now. Class-A triode vacuum-tube output stage 4 x 6H30 EH. Burr-Brown DAC's, upsampling to 24/192, USB (24/96), S/PDIF inputs. Variable output with remote control so I can adjust the volume from my lazy seat. :D

Zero fatigue, gorgeous sound. :music:

The EAR/Yoshino Acute 3 looks very interesting as well but I have not heard it.

If you are looking for a DAC only to be coonected to a computer source, the AYRE QB-9 is also a very good proposition. Always nice and smooth sounding even with revealing speakers such as WILSON or AVALON.

Something very cheap and still great: the HEGEL HD10 USB DAC. It blown me away recently.

The Calyx DAC I am using is the first digital I have had here that has managed to take me regularly to my musical happy place.

It's nature is similar to the better Weiss dacs, no grain, glare or exaggerated edge, plenty of detail still, rhythmic structure, good flesh and most of all engaging musicality... this is the first digital that I have had that has let me forget it is 1's and 0's...

It reportedly also benefits from an improved 5 volt power supply (Kingrex) and I am also planning supporting it even further with either a Mr T or Purepower.

Have also heard real good things about the Playback by Designs if you have a few more $$$$

cheers
Graham

Main Music:Pure Music>Wireworld silver starlight USB>Mac Air with 256GB SSD>Wireworld silver eclipse 6 ICs >Calyx DAC>Shindo Aurieges L>Sanders Magtech>Wireworld Silver Eclipse 6 SC>Magnepan 3.7
Head Music: Audeze LCD2 and AKG 702>Violectric V200 headphone amp
Also: Meridian>Straightwire and Kimber ICs>Peachtree Nova>Quicksilver GE 8417 monos>biwired Kimber 8tc>Proac Response 2