Originally Posted by PHC1 (Post 189835)

Jerome, I understand. It is difficult to get Shindo to sing properly. Just because a speaker makes sound, doesn't mean the gear driving it is giving it its best. There used to be a time when speakers were ultra-efficient and impedance friendly for what was the amplification of choice, the only choice... tubes.

That was before transistors were invented. These days speaker manufacturers pay much less attention to the efficiency and impedance that often swings wildly. Who cares about the speaker specs when any deficiency can be overcome with power! Power is cheap, especially now with digital switching amps, class D. Except that it takes many bandaids to cure the multitude of sonic deficiencies to make a SS amp sound great or at least tolerable. Sterile, grainy, lean, thin, etc..... sure, throw enough negative feedback into an amp to make it behave and it will measure better but.... what about the sound???

Fortunately we live in times where many manufacturers are able to make us more or less happy with their designs. It was much easier to make a tube amp back in the day that sounded good because of the inherent advantages of tubes, soft clipping, even order harmonics (depending on topology of course) but they were limited in resolution and "air" as well as "bandwidth" because some of the vintage parts were not up to par to today's standards (some vintage parts are actually quite good sounding). Today we have even better tube amps but we hardly have speakers that mate well anymore with the inherent limitations of tube designs!

When we consider SET amps, I'll quickly quote wikipedia, "SET amplifiers typically show poor measurements for distortion with a resistive load, have low output power, are inefficient, have poor damping factors and high measured harmonic distortion. But they perform somewhat better in dynamic and impulse response. Also, SET-amplifiers allegedly (there is little agreement on this) sound good at low power levels without the perceived need for higher sound levels like transistor amplifiers allegedly do".

We quickly realise that we need proper partnering speakers. :yes: Not many out there, are there?

Of course the Shindo amps will sound different as well, the fundamentals of Push-Pull vs Single Ended Triode are a bit different too. Different tubes have different flavor as well.

I don't think it takes a genius to figure out that going the low powered route, it takes some effort to put together a system that will do all the components justice. It is a more challenging path and well worth it to some and not so much to others. To each his own. :yes:

I think you already came to that conclusion when you experimented with VERDIER triode amps. They made sound come out of your PMC speakers but you didn't fall in love... It will not be any different with Shindo! While Shindo may be magical, it doesn't have the kind of magic to overcome simple laws of physics and electrical theory. :D The McIntosh MC2301s are designed to work well with just about any speaker and have the guts to do it too. :yes:

Originally Posted by sibelius (Post 189209)

... It also appears that at least in the US Shindo has stopped going to trade shows. I was kind of disappointed that Pitch Perfect was not at the last two California Audio Shows given that the shows were essentially in Matt's back yard. I understand that hotel suites are not the best environment to show off gear but still would have been nice to see and talk to Matt and other Shindo owners and hear about potential new products coming down the pike.

Again, thanks for the reminder on Jeff and Jules. My memory is not as good as it once was.

Originally Posted by pitchperfect (Post 190181)

Sorry to disappoint. I had received many inquires whether or not I was doing the Cal Audio Show, and my thoughts are that...
(1) With all due respect to the promoters of this and other shows it is a large investment for little return, in my eyes.
(2) Since I have a showroom in the city, lugging all my stuff to a local hotel, and guaranteeing only mediocre sound (relatively speaking) is not my idea of a good time. :sigh:
(3) True about meeting folks, though, but this brings me to #4...
(4) If anyone wants to visit me anytime, and they are in CA/SF/East Bay Area, by all means give me a call and swing by. You don't need a show to do it, as I'm always happy to shoot the breeze and spin some music. :music: Sibelius, if you wanted to swing by and hear a few more things, c'mon down..

It's only a matter of locking in a day/time when I am @ the shop..

I will be having a get together soon, btw, so stay tuned...

Best,
-M

Originally Posted by omodo (Post 169661)

I am also curious about the Corton-Charlemagne EL34 amps, and have been unsuccessfully trying to find any reviews or owner experiences, in particular to determine whether it or the Cortese would be most suited to an Altec 604 based setup (or if I should stick with my Montille EL84).

Due to my location it's also very hard to demo or hear either amp in my system, so I share you frustrations Jerome.

Originally Posted by PHC1 (Post 191131)

Matt, when you have some time, perhaps you could share with us some of your experience with the various Shindo gear and speakers, (Shindo and others) as well as your preferences and favorites. :thumbsup: Your idea on what constitutes a well balanced system, the different topologies and tube variations, etc, some of your favorites from the past experience of setting up Shindo systems for your clients, etc.. It doesn't have to be all in one post. :D Perhaps "Matt's weekly blog" here on AA. :banana:

Originally Posted by sibelius

Agree with PHC1. Very few people have the experience with Shindo in the US that Matt and Jonathan do. As time permits any Shindo "nuggets" Matt would like to share would be appreciated.

Originally Posted by f1 fan (Post 191164)

+1...

Dave

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