Shindo Masseto
 

The Masseto preamp has landed! :banana:

Unpacked the nice double box, unwrapped the Masseto (Matt packs them meticulously with clear wrap followed by bubble wrap and the gear sits in packing peanuts inside the box followed by outer box). :thumbsup:

This Masseto has been gently preowned and enjoyed with a date of birth of 12/28/2008 according to the enclosed paperwork. Looks absolutely new. As I pulled the Masseto out of the box, the first thing that struck me is the rather significant difference in weight between the Masseto and Monbrison. Since they are virtually identical otherwise, I assume the amorphous-core step up transformers acount for the difference in weight.



From Stereophile:
Masseto is a full-function preamplifier, with line and phono stages under one roof. The Masseto goes a step further, providing a switchable choice between moving-magnet and moving-coil phono inputs, the latter accomplished with an onboard pair of amorphous-core step-up transformers.

Actually, the Masseto goes more than one step further. It begins by coddling the input signal with a Tocos (aka Tokyo Cosmos) carbon-comp volume control, and ends by buffering the line-level signal with a pair of custom-wound output transformers. (The Masseto's output impedance is a low 600 ohms—which compares favorably with the 5k ohm output impedance of the Shindo Aurieges.) The Masseto's dual-mono power supply is based on a pair of Philips 6X4WA rectifier tubes, the phono stage uses one Philips 6189W and one Philips 12AT7 per channel, and its line stage uses a single LCP86 triode/pentode per channel. (The LCP86 is a rare, Telefunken-specific variant of the PCL86 dual tube used in the Aurieges.) The two Telefunken tubes are mounted, House of Usher style, behind a small window on the panel, and are illuminated by a pair of green LEDs: a welcome touch of whimsy in a hobby often drained of same.

I did notice the Telefunken LCP86 tubes were leaning ever so slightly, probably started to work themselves loose from traveling across the country.

I took off the front face plate, made sure the tubes were nice and straight and sitting firmly in their sockets.

Hooked up the Masseto that took place of the Monbrison and am now warming everything up. :thumbsup:

Stay tuned for imperssions. :music:

This is my preamp and the photo is courtesy of Matt Rotunda.

Beautiful clean looking preamp .

Pretty little guy, enjoy it Serge! :yes:

Congrats Serge !
it's beautiful :thumbsup: !

Serge.......Looks very nice. Happy listening.


http://www.audioaficionado.org/attac...-photo-17-.jpg

Such a seemingly harmless little green box... and yet indeed it has the power to snatch you out of reality perhaps even forever... as it is said in the East... gone, gone, gone goes the goer... congrats Serge :yes:

cheers
Graham

Congrats Serge. Looking forward to your impressions :thumbsup:

Congratulations Serge!!! Enjoy the :music:.

Congrats. Very nice preamp. I trust you will hear a noticeable difference (for the better) compared to the Monbrison. Don't worry about the Telefunken tube lean. I had the same issue when I received mine from Japan and remembering calling Matt. As long as the tubes light up and there is sound, then you have proper tube contact and everything is fine. If you are concerned with the appearance you can always open up the chassis and straighten them.

Very nice Serge!

Can't wait for your impressions!

Congrats Serge, looking forward to reading your opinions..

speaking of 'lighting' up

my right driver tube flashes brighter than the left on turn on - without opening the amp and checking how the filaments are wired, is this normal? if wired in series it would be - but would just like to know if this is the case or not

perfectly normal, no worries. :yes:

-M

Thanks Matt!

:music: When this happens, all is right with the world. :thumbsup:

-M

The Masseto looks brand new! Looking forward to your review on this gem.

Serge...beautiful, congrats and looking forward to reading your review. Don't forget the pix.

Dave

Sent from my iPhone using A.Aficionado

Serge,
Congrats, that is a beautiful piece of equipment. The photo evokes a mental sound!

Perhaps "Psychological" would be a better choice of words. :D

Whaddya mean? :crazy:

:D

Gentlemen, thank you!

I've been taking in the new sound and "flavor" of the Masseto for the last few hours and it is indeed an incredible preamp.

It is often said in the reviews that Shindo preamps give you "more of the good thing" as you move up the line. To my ears that doesn't do the Shindo components justice. :no: Can one say that one wine over the other simply offers more? Can fine art be compared as saying one offers more than the other? Can one poet offer more over the other? It is a matter of taste my friends.

The Masseto struck me right away as having different flavor than the Monbrison, not simply "more"... The Masseto has a more complex, richer harmonic structure, even richer tone and body, it is a different "flavor" of delicious like Alberto would say.

I hear a stronger Telefunken "flavor" with the Masseto. :thumbsup: I used to own a SET/OTL headphone amp that was tubed with Telefunkens (don't recall which :tears:) that were provided to me by a friend who sourced them from Germany. I'll never forget those countless hours I spent listening to it. It was orgasmic! Have heard various Telefunkens since, nothing was quite like it. The Masseto immediately reminded me of much the same tone, body, richness and smoothness. Ahhhh.... :music:

The Masseto/Cortese once warmed up simply amazed me with it's smoothness, relaxed, inviting, seductive voice and even better holographic and palpable imaging. My system changed once again and no, it was not simply more. It was more in the sense that it was even more hauntingly real, the presence of the vocalists, the instruments, everything was fleshed out even better but to simply say that it is more would again not do it justice.

I think I understand why Ken Shindo names his creations after wine. :yes: To try to explain the difference along traditional hi fi terms would not get the message across. Just like fine wine, one must taste and decide if that particular flavor, the complexity, the bouquet, the body, is the one your palate and taste buds appreciate and agree with. I think one can probably appreciate the analogy of various fine wines better than any of the numbers and other cliche's like "Reference" this, "Evolution" that... "1000" this "2000" that... Because all Shindo products are special in their own way! Which flavor you prefer is up to individual taste. :yes:

All I can say is that my ears are really appreciating what I am hearing right now. The Masseto strikes my ears, my audiophile and music lover's palate and taste buds in all the right ways. :yes: The Masseto covers me from head to toe with goosebumps. Yes, this little green box is one serious goosebump making machine!

I was completely satisfied with the Monbrison but I needed to explore higher up the line or I would have not understood what the other Shindo flavors are like. I think I am starting to get it now and I am very happy with this particular upgrade. :music:

Masseto is a rare and exclusive ‘Cru’, coming from a small vineyard of seven acres which bears the same name and which is known for its exceptional terroirs. A Merlot of great structure and longevity, production is severely limited due to an extremely rigorous selection and to the philosophy of excellence. One of the most sought after wines in the world, Masseto is frequently protagonist in the most important international auctions and constantly receives excellent ratings and unanimous consensus from the most important opinion leaders around the world.

While I can't uncork the real Masseto wine every night, I am certainly looking forward to uncorking this fine music making combo and enjoying the rich, complex taste and body every night! :music:

http://static3.wine-searcher.net/ima...y-10155377.jpg

Nicely written Serge :thumbsup: and congrats. It's only a matter of time before VR is auditioned next :D

What about going to the Petrus and be done with it? :D

Serge....Congrats and a very nice write-up:thumbsup:

Matt sure knows how to take some beautiful pics....his website is full of them :drool:

Cyril, definitely. :yes: Matt makes it so easy with the full trade in value. Moving up is much less painful. :D I am looking forward to spending some time with the Masseto first. :music:

Perhaps some day I will get up there. But for me the journey is just as much fun as the destination. :thumbsup: I like to try the different flavors along the way, Shindo and others. :thumbsup:

Thank you! Yes, Matt is great with a camera. :thumbsup:

Serge,

Do you plan to try your Shindo preamps with your MC275?

I would love to hear the results of this!!

I do not believe Serge has a MC275

Well then the best solution to that problem is that he gets one!!:D

I am very interested to hear the results of a Shindo Pre with a MC275. I hope that someone puts that combo together sometime. It may have to be me!

Belated congratulations Serge!

As always your write up is great and I think I know exactly what you mean. I can almost hear the Masseto through your words :tresbon:.

Alberto

I'm not sure the price difference between Monbrison and Masseto but percentage-wise is it possible to say how much of the Masseto the Monbrison delivers? oh and yeah, totally envious :drool:...

Not that a Preamp upgrade is on my radar anytime soon, my next journey is SET land (and complementary speakers), but you never know...:D

I used to own an MC275 along with the MC501s and I swapped them weekly to get a different flavor and a perspective going.

I would imagine a Shindo preamp with the 275 would be a great combo but I can tell you this, the one Shindo amp I have owned so far is not just in a different league, it is on another planet all together compared to the MC275. The MC275 sounds more vintage, veiled and overly romantic by comparison. They are in different price leagues and very different topology as well. The 275 is a very enjoyable amp but not the kind of sound I personally would be looking for after investing in the rest of the system like I have so far. Of course the 275 does have much more power for various speakers. I don't need more than 10w with my current speakers though.

Serge, many congratulations and beautiful preamp. Also I have to say that your post is, to me, one of the best of the year. The way you're describing what you're hearing made me believe and almost hear as if I was there -- brilliant narrative.

I wanted to ask, these Shindo preamps seem to be very tightly targeted to Shindo amps. Do you think that you'd lose too much by going to SS amps. Would that be sacrilege?

Sal

Thanks Serge - :thumbsup:

Enjoy!
:music:

-M

I've found that Shindo preamps work very well on their own but be careful with mating with SS amps. I have used my VR with a bunch of tube amps (primarily SET and OTL) to great success. Tried it with an ICE SS amp and all the "magic" completely left the room. There may be better high end SS amps that work well with the Shindo preamps but I would not risk it without listening to the combo before purchase. Of course, pairing with a Shindo Amp would ensure synergy so that would ultimately be the safest way to go.

I've enjoyed in the past 3 years great results pairing a Monbrison preamp with either an Air Tight ATM1 EL34 push-pull or the highly transparent Cello E150 monoblocks. Ideally you want a high input impedance for your solid state amp.

I'm now considering a PASS or an AYRE amp. Btw, an Auriege phono + Pass X250.5 was a great combination that I auditioned recently.

All this endless talk about matting Shindo preamps with non Shindo amps. Yes in some cases it will work just fine and can be used as a stop gap towards a shindo amp/pre combination. The real magic occurs when the two are mated together. Just bite the bullet, I did with the purchase of a Masseto & Haut Brion a few years ago and have never looked back.

I am now awaiting the arrival of a pair of Devore O/96's purchased from Matt. That addition in some ways will end the journey for me. I will likely never leave the Shindo brand, but only move up the brand.

Shindo Masseto in action.

Of course there is no way to share the actual quality of sound, certainly not through the iPhone to youtube recordings. :no: Perhaps someone will find this interesting none the less. :thumbsup:

[ame=http://youtu.be/B9QUfRnb56U]Shindo Masseto - YouTube[/ame]

Congrats again Serge :music:

You are on a different planet for sure from your Wilson/Lamm and SF/Mcintosh days :D
I have to say it amazes me that you are so happy with only 10 watts of power :yes: . I am happy for you that you are enjoying your new 2 channel system.