More Shindo coming my way!
 

I've just put a deposit on a Monbrison preamp! It's kind of soon after getting the Cortese and - frankly - I can't imagine my system sounding any better, but it was a great opportunity so I jumped on it.

Even if it sounds like the Auriges, its looks will be worth it:

Behold the beauty:

http://www.dagogo.com/assets/images/...Monbrison5.jpg


http://www.dagogo.com/assets/images/...Monbrison1.jpg

Should be gracing my system in about 2 weeks!

Alberto

Sweet!

Having dipped your toe into those "cool green waters" you are know moving into the deep end....

Where... your heart beats faster and you are able to dig deeper yet into the music.

Congrats Alberto.

Watch out Stephen,
You're starting to speak like the Guru of a Sect :D: !

Congrats Alberto,
I read on a French Shindo forum that the Montbrison is one of the best preamps available. Many people use it with other amps than Shindo : Air Tight mostly but also SS amps like Pass labs.
They all say that it is very close to the Petrus !

BTW, Alberto,
Do you still use the Montille in your system ?
If not, is it going back to your dealer ?

I'm thinking of the Lafon GM70 for my speakers.
I like the sound of monoblocks. In my opinion they have many advantages over stereo power amps. And the 20 W should be enough for my use : I quite never use more than 3 W on the 2301's !
I'm in contact with the Greek importer.
Sometimes you realize that Greece, like other European countries, are not really "concerned" by the European laws :D: !
It could be dangerous to buy from him because the French customs could refuse the amps and send them back....

You mate..are a nut! But a good nut!

Jerome,

About the Montille and Auriges ... I am planning to keep both of them - at least for the time being.

About the Lafons GM70 ... If you were in a country where Shindo was well represented, I'd be the first (OK, second after Stephen) to tell you to go and listen. Listen long and listen well. As I mentioned in my review, the sound of Shindo is - by all reviews and accounts - quite unique and polarizing. For many people, it's the sound they've been longing for all their audiophile lives, but for many others it may be too much toward the "musical" side of the poorly-worded but commonly used "musical vs. analytical" sonic signature.

But ... since you are not in a country where Shindo is not well represented, I am not sure I'd go to the lengths you suggest and take the risks you mention (i.e. customs sending the amp back.)

Having said that, I recently took a lot of audio risks by dismantling my previous system and starting from scratch, and I've been richly rewarded. But I also let chance and opportunity guide me. I bought the Montille on a whim (since an Audiogoner near my house was selling it.) Had a lucky chance to get an Auriges a couple of weeks later. Then the Cortese, and now the Monbrison.

Perhaps you can get lucky too with some compatriot selling a Shindo amp that's already in the country. It might be wiser and safer to spread the word and keep your eyes and ears open for used Shindo gear - despite your preference for new.

In either case, best of luck and I'll be following your audio adventures my friend!

Alberto

Holy Shi* ndo! :)

Andy,

There are days when I think everyone on this forum (or any audiophile forum) is a nut. But there are nights, after a listening session, all I can think of is: "I wish everyone could listen to music like I just did."

In terms of personal satisfaction and daily enjoyment, I can't think of many other hobbies that deliver the goods as reliably as a great audio system.

Besides, if you are careful about what you buy and how you buy it, it's not that expensive a hobby. Some of the gear I've owned over the years has cost me less than a dollar per day.

The Sonus Faber Guarneri Homage, for example, cost me $6200 and I sold them for $5800 3 years later (=$0.36/day.)

The C220, cost me $2500 and I sold it for $2300 almost 4 years later (=$0.13/day.)

The MC501s which I bought from a fellow AA member (thanks!) were essentially "free" - I sold them for the same price I bought them.

Digital gear can turn out to be more expensive because it depreciates more quickly and more deeply, but even then if it's amortized over time, it's typically a few $/day. I paid $6000 for the MDA1000 (from Audiogon, but new in box) about 4 years ago. Even if I have to sell it for, say, $3500, its cost over time was less than $2/day.

In the end, I estimate the cost of my audio system to be just a few $/day - probably as much as it costs to have cable TV.

Shindo gear, like McIntosh, keeps the price extremely well - so I admit to being a little 'nut' over Shindo :yes: but a thoughtful one :D.

Alberto

Just move that decimal point a few to the right for me! :confused-18:

Ivan, in your case everything ($, watts, sq.ft., ...) is a few decimal points to the right -- but somehow I think you'll manage just fine :thumbsup:.

Alberto

Alberto...congrats my friend. It's another step closer to the delicious sound of live music. With the addition of the Shindo interconnects, A23 speaker cables & Mr.T you'll never leave your home.

Good Listening,

Dave

Sent from my iPhone using A.Aficionado

Dave, don't say that "you'll never leave your home." I am already dangerously close to that :D ... I get home from work and zip to my listening room. Emerge for dinner. Finish eating ... and zoom back into my listening room. Wake up on week-end and zoom into the listening room.

I think my wife would prefer I had a proper, old-fashion, affair at this point :D.

Alberto

Alberto,

Thanks very much for the advice. Your words are gold.
This is what I sent to the Greek importer :

"Dear Mr Batjakis,

Just to give you more informations about my system and motivations.
My aim is probably to keep the 2301's and have the choice to switch between them and the Shindo amp(s) depending on my mood / type of music played and so on.
My preamp is the McIntosh C1000P. It has 3 or 4 outputs for power amps. So the 2301's and the Shindo amps would stay connected all the time to the preamp. And I will only switch the speaker cables depending on which amp I want to listen to.
My speakers have a 4 ohm nominal impedance and 89 dB efficiency.
I don't want to change them because I love them.
I also love very much the 2301's : they are the best amps I ever heard, no matter the price. But of course, I did not hear everything.
I want to try Shindo amps because they are supposed to be very different than many amps and this would give my system some "fresh air".
I would prefer monoblocks but I'm also opened for a stereo power amp. "

What is strange is we had a couple of mails since this morning and since I mentionned the 2301's, he did not say a word :scratch2:

Of course, I won't buy a Shindo amp if I can't listen to a system who uses it.
But I'm confident I will like this kind of sound. I think that we have similar tastes.
There is a small Shindo club on the french hifi forum. The guys look pretty cool and open minded. I will try a "trade listening" if they want to : go to listen to a Shindo amp and have one or two of them come to hear the 2301's if they want to. That should be easy.

About cutoms finally, no problem. The dealer reminded me that, opposite to what we could think, Greece is in the EEC ( :D )and therefore, no customs control will be made in France !

BTW, I wish we could have in France the same customs as greeks.... :D

You'll be the first informed with Stephen of what's going on here !
Cheers,

No regrets here...

http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/ear0295l.jpg

:lmao:

:roflmao:

Alberto...you are now in the Green Waters.

Dave

Sent from my iPhone using A.Aficionado

Great news about customs. I had thought about the EEC rules, but figured you knew something I didn't. That makes it a lot easier!

Getting in touch with the local Shindo club sounds like a great idea. I am sure they are a passionate bunch and would love to share their system.

Alberto

PS Your idea of using your preamp to drive two different amps is great. I am a believer in flexible systems (you might recall I used 2 preamps to change to the sound based on the quality of the source material.)

If you do that, you can afford to go to extremes and go for the full SET sound without being concerned that it would be too rich or smooth - since, if the recording (or the mood) calls for it, you can switch back to the more neutral sounding MC2301s.

Sounds like a great plan!

Alberto

Thanks Alberto,

Yes I like also the idea to tweak the sound depending on the recording / mood / time of day and so on. I will even keep the ARC 100.2 for ambiance music and my son's parties...
Moreover, collecting tube amps is a funny hobby :D !
The greek importer told me that the Lafon GM70 could be not enough for my speakers because he said that the power of 20 W is for 16 ohms only. At 8 ohms, it goes down to 10 W. He suggested Corton Charlemagne, but I 'm not looking for an other push pull of KT88.... : I have the King of them !
So I will wait for his other suggestions...

I would definitely not go for another push-pull KT88. It would not sound different enough. On the other hand, it might be difficult to find a really high-power SET amp.

I would not rule out the Lafon entirely or quite yet. You mention that you rarely go above 3W. While 10W will not be enough for big symphonic music played at realistic volume (or rock played quite loud) I believe it would be more than adequate for more intimate and quiet listening sessions. I would also add that class-A/SET watts "sound more powerful" than your typical watts. Don't ask me how or why, but it seems to be the case.

In other words, you can use the Lafons for some sessions where the music and the target volume are suitable - and you have the "big guns" MC2301 if you want hear Mahler with full volume and dynamics.

I did this quite a bit when I had my MC501s. Sometimes I would plug in the Bottlehead SET (2W/ch) and still have a great (if lower volume) listening session.

Alberto

Exactly what I thought Alberto !
I will copy your thoughts and paste them to send to the greek importer !
Have a nice evening ! ( don't forget your wife :D ! )

Alberto,

I wanted to share with you what Mr Batjikis, the Shindo importer for Greece, just replied to me. I know he is a great person now and I will buy from him with confidence, should I follow the green way according to Master Stephen and Preacher Alberto :D!
"Lafon GM70 may indeed give you what you are after provided that your speakers are not a difficult load.

It is true that the expression of loudness in SE designs is different to that of PP designs, leading to the illusion that SE amplifiers are more powerful than they really are. I would say that this is more a sonic characteristic rather than an ability to drive difficult loads with low power.

Given that only you can decide what is satisfactory for your musical tastes, you are also the one to judge what is a problem in your system and what is not. My suggestion is to borrow a SE amplifier from a friend and try it with your speakers. This would give you a good idea of what the limitations may be.

There have been many discussions since the 90's regarding the possible compatibility of SE amplifiers with average sensitivity speakers, but I feel that including Shindo in such discussions miss the point. Shindo products are genuine Japanese artisan creations made in very limited quantities. They posses a unique sonic character no matter the design topology, type of tubes used, or power rating. It is up to the user to reveal their quality in the right system.*"

I hope you will appreciate !
Cheers,

Alberto,
Did you have a chance to hear the MONTRACHET EL34 ?
I know it's a push pull but it is class A and from what I read, it has not the extreme finesse of the Cortese, but it swings more and it is highly musical....

Hi Jérôme,

I think that, one day, we need to talk together since we are both French. However, I don't have much experience with the Shindo amps: I know better their preamps ;)

Hello !
I can't send you any pm because you're not a subscriber.
You can send me you infos at jeromewanono@yahoo.fr
And BTW, Welcome to AA ! :thumbsup:
Ouuppps 98 posts, you're not a newbie here ! We probably don't go to the same forums....

Jérôme, I'm Laurenta on the French forum: so, you know me.
And I was a good client of Alain C. in Paris, so we might have already met in person, in the past years.

Alberto, Cellindo, Stephen,

The greek importer finally proposes me the Corton Charlemagne EL34 monoblocks :
Shindo Labs Amplification
Did you hear them ?
Thanks !

I haven't heard the Cortons, but it's not a single-ended design. I am sure they sound wonderful - and you'd have plenty of power - but it's another push-pull amp.

I'd hate to be in your shoes having to make such a decision without being able to hear them in person first. Personally, if I did not have a way to try them out first, I would not pull the trigger. I've gotten lucky a few times doing that, but I also knew that if I changed my mind I would not have lost too much time and money. This does not seem to be the case here.

Alberto

Yes, buying amps without listening to them is a tough decision !!
I only did this with McIntosh products in the past and I have been happy with all of them. Moreover, selling them has always been easy.
The Shindo prices are comparable to Mc amps, and much more expensive if you count the price per Watt. So yes, a tough decision.... :scratch2:

Any chance you can get yourself invited to listen to the system in some of the people in your local Shindo forums. Perhaps you can offer to bring a bottle of wine whose name matches the amplifier you'd be listening to :D.

Alberto

No, they don't have those.
But I know now what I will do.
I will call Alain Choukroun who was the main Shindo dealer in Paris. And I will ask him this : " Do you think that you will find me a buyer for these blocks if they don't fit my needs, and I will buy you something else ? " if his answer is yes, then I will go for them !

Jerome,

Even though my little Montrachet EL-34 is only half of the mighty monoblocks that you are considering... I can tell you this... I love my amp and the EL-34 tubes that make it sing.

The EL-34 is called the "King of Tone" for a reason.

I think that you will NOT be disappointed.

Thank you Stephen,

I was right now writing to the greek importer to ask him the main differences in sound between the Corton Charlemagne EL34 and the Corton 80 ( KT88 ) but really, even made by Shindo, I don't see the point of getting an other KT88 amp...
Yes I listen to EL34 designs before and I always liked them so I think that I should like these monoblocks.
This is a tough question for you but I do ask it anyway : do you think that they could make the EB1i sing for moderate volumes of course ?
Oh and BTW, I don't know why but the Montrachet is more powerful than the Corton : 30 W against 25W
Maybe becuase of the beefier transfos, the Corton is supposed to be more involving and dynamic than the Montrachet according to the greek importer. The Montrachet needs a very well thought system to sing perfectly, like yours indeed.... : this is the opinion of Mr. Batjakis " Montrachet has a low profile character. Gentle and discreet. It needs careful system set-up to deliver.
Corton EL34 presents an exciting perspective to musical reproduction. Beautifully balanced with the immediacy one would expect from a SE amplifier but with the solid foundation of PP. Can be addictive in the right system. One of my favorite amplifiers."

Alberto,
I'm so sorry, I realize now that I derivated your thread to my needs and questions. Please forgive me !

Back to the MONTBRISON !!

Jerome, I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but there is no need to apologize - or stop. This is very interesting to me and all "Shindoists", please feel free to continue.

Alberto

That is very kind of you Alberto.
Actually I may order a pair of Corton Charlemagne EL34 this week.
BTW, this is by far my favorite wine !

Congratulations, it sounds like a great pairing.

I like the wine name scheme used by Shindo - very classy.

If I start an audio company, I might copy that:

The Chianti - Entry-level EL84-based push-pull amplifier. Lively and on the bright side. Rated 6 on the Delicious Scale.

The Amarone - Deep, dark and rich sounding SET. One sip and you won't be able to stop. Rated 10 on the Delicious Scale - going further might melt the speakers.

The Barolo - Powerful EL34-based push-pull with a rich tone and an hint of sonic tannin. Rated 8 on the Delicious Scale.

...

Hmmmm, this could be fun - better stop now and get ready for my real job :D.

Alberto

Congratulations Alberto Glad to see you have found that sound that brings you happiness. Enjoy!!!

Thank you Jeff.

The saying "Different strokes for different folks" applies to audio as it does like many other things in life. Happiness is knowing what "strokes" you like and the finding them.

Alberto

Alberto...add a Brunello mono amp with the power of the Barolo and the sonic complexity and richness of the Amarone and you have a full amp line up :D