Yup! :thumbsup:

I lived with the Masseto, Cortese, DeVore 9 combination for over a year and found it to be compelling, musical and dynamic. The amp and the speaker have great synergy sounding much bigger than its 10 very lively watts.

If and when you want to sell your Monbrison to upgrade let me know!

Its a Masseto....

Still - keep me in mind. North Van is not far!

How would you compare/contrast the Cortese to your GM70?

I loved the sound of the Cortese and had trepidation about "upgrading" to the GM70's (Matt had them on exchange and the deal was too good to refuse). But, to my surprise, the amps are similar in their PRAT, dynamics and their "alive" open manner. The GM70's just have a great deal more of the good things: especially space, air, texture and bass. These amps handle rock with more authority and do orchestral in a big, big way. I read an Art Dudley quip about the 70's being the "least Shindo sounding of the Shindo amps". I'm mystified by this because they display all the finesse of the Cortese in my opinion--voices are uncanny--while beefing up some important aforementioned qualities. Truly another rung up on the Shindo amp ladder. If you use the GM70 copper plate tubes, you get more of what Art may be used to: a burnished, beautifully rounded sound that makes it hard to switch back to "reality". Like having another amp in your arsenal.

I'll throw in my $.02 as well. I currently own both F2a and GM-70 amps (non-Shindo) and have auditioned those Shindo amps (Cortese and Lafon) at Pitch Perfect. To me, the GM-70 does share a lot of the traits of the F2a with the benefit of more power, better bass and even more sense of presence. I think I mentioned in a different post that while my 300B amp gives me the sonic perspective of 10th row in a hall, the F2a puts me in the front row and the GM-70 has me up on stage. In addition, copper plated GM-70's have a warmer, more liquid midrange than their graphite counterpart. My only issue with F2a tubes is that after a while I do end up missing some of the midrange warmth I find in other tubes (especially when listening to orchestral strings). Copper plated GM-70's adds a bit of warmth back over the graphite plated GM-70's.

So overall I agree with Steve from New Mexico (awesome system!). While F2a and GM-70's are both wonderful tubes, I prefer the GM-70 (especially with copper plated tubes). Only downside is I find the GM-70 tubes themselves pretty ugly.

The Lafon GM70's are by far my favorite Shindo amps of all those I have heard.

Very interesting stuff! I actually think the GM-70's sound like a great amp, but the CC-34 is the one that has caught my attention... Time will tell, and I'll review at some point whatever I do!

Thanks jw613, I appreciate the welcome. shindostevesan- Did notice that GM-70 comment by AD some time ago. Since Art failed to elaborate, it really didn't mean a whole lot. He did have an interesting column this month (Jan. issue) about the new Haut Brion, also referencing the previous HB, and the CC34's. I assume he was referring to the new version of CC34's, which came out around a year ago. I am referring to the 25 wpc CC's, not the CC-Q's. FranklinLG- the CC34's are great on the 0/96's. I think it would be worth your while to give them a listen. Enjoy that V/R, bet it will change the game for you.