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Japanese Exotica Kondo, Leben, Luxman, Zanden

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  #111  
Old 09-13-2012, 11:59 PM
JSimberg JSimberg is offline
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I'm sure he (Mr. Shindo & Sons) have spare parts of everything he makes plus alot of the things he probably has specially made for him.
  #112  
Old 03-06-2013, 05:32 AM
sickophant sickophant is offline
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Originally Posted by PHC1 View Post
I have a friend who is still very bitter after purchasing a very expensive Krell transport back in the late 90's which has been a paperweight for many years now. ...
I had a similar experience with a Krell transport, the incredibly BEAUTIFUL KPS-25s, bought late 90's. There will never again be such an industrial looking boys toy and in a sick way I miss that unit a great deal, the monochromatic blacks and greys, the way the stainless steel heat ventilation mesh on the top took on a burnt patina as if a factory producing exhaust. Its authority and analytic skill for the redbook standard was all Krell, was military and utilitarian, was all American, was neigh a signal lost.

It has that incredible lid. All manual, heavy and stunning, the LCD(?) screen that would be transparent when the lid was open and activate to grey pixels whilst playing to cut ambient light from contaminating the laser. Although you could turn that off while playing as well for the full transport effect. (In fact there was a small bug in the design and if the lid was caught shy of closing, lifted just a fraction again and then lowered just a fraction and then pulled straight up to open position the transport would still see the lid as closed and the unit would play lid open. The bug is there, it was just a matter of finding the right lift and lower.)

A large, long acrylic lid with housed electronics for the screen and safety switch that prevented the player from playing should the lid be open, it was raised by hand into a slightly tilted back almost vertical position, CD and puck loaded to the transport and then the lid was brought forward and released forward for the soft action lowering mechanism to really, really gently flatten the lid to the player. Then the action.

It was hinged with just two tiny hardened steel pins in a hinge mech. arrangement that handled the soft lower. The stresses on those pins with such a long weight swinging away around on them must be enormous.

In this case, not the transport. Stress fracturing claimed a pin one day, bit right through it at the hinge/lid interface; and the transport was dead. It had to be sent from Australia to America for a new ... pin. Several hundred hundred dollars later I had a new pin.

A bloke called Pat at Krell was extraordinarily helpful and willing and the repair was done very promptly and returned. However, God that was an expensive hardened steel pin for me. I think they charged me for it too, if I remember correctly. And, And, I asked, "did you happen to replace both pins while it was there?". "No", they felt the second pin did not need replacing.

Yeah, not what you expect for that sort of money and not a bill I wanted at that moment either, nor the ripped off feeling. Definitely not something anyone deserves. What's wrong with just letting people play your gear and listen to music!? Why not just over engineer the pins? Like a hardened steel cylindrical block instead? Something that would hold up a building. Their electronics are purely over-engineered, why not the mechs.?

But by God, what a piece of sex that machine was. The tool box, the "Swiss army knife" of audio, transport, DAC, pre. and power supply in a single chassis, it was just such an interesting and somehow counter-audiophilia concept; and they feared not and they produced it and it was a great piece of gear. Then the pin.

The event was my trigger. So I traded and I would now never again consider Krell on my menu of options. Particularly now they have lost d'Agostino due to a separating of ideological paths. I would hazard a guess:- when Krell released their first iPod dock! I suspect, if not already, Krell will be manufacturing overseas soon, I guess they are on the pure profits march. Good luck for their new direction, I suppose. They have built a business and a brand for so many years, maybe it's best to go for the cash. I have no regard for Krell anymore.

Thank God I discovered what Kondo was all about. The Krell KPS-25s and FPB-600 and a grand stash of extra cash went toward my discovery of what Kondo-heads have always said, Kondo had a magic.

Please, I am not here to start up a Kondo bashing. Albeit to say, I know what I'm hearing.

Last edited by sickophant; 03-07-2013 at 02:51 AM.
  #113  
Old 03-14-2013, 02:37 PM
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94turbo3.6 94turbo3.6 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JSimberg View Post
I'm sure he (Mr. Shindo & Sons) have spare parts of everything he makes plus alot of the things he probably has specially made for him.
How true this is I don't know but I was told by a credible source that Ken Shindo purchased tons of parts back in the day and has stock piled an enormous inventory. I was also told that for every unit he builds he inventories at least two spare critical parts so once his allotment is depleted he will redesign the unit around what he has. Could this be why he is constantly changing and modifying his designs. I don't know.

I do know of someone who had a problem with a tube for one of his amps and although it was replaced free of charge the tube had to be returned through the authorized dealer before a new one was sent.

As far as 356's go you can always send it back to Porsche and for a small fortune they will rebuild it to original factory specs. A well known shop locally does some fabulous work and restored the first steel bodied 356 along with a Pebble beach winning America roadster (one of 6 in existence I believe) even after spending a million each for these cars the factory still dismantled them and rebuilt them to their requirements so who is to say what is good enough.
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MAIN SYSTEM: Shindo Masseto, (2) Accuphase A30's, Arcam DV29, Transrotor Darkstar, Jelco 750, CA DaVinci, Audience AU24SE, JL F-112, Totem Winds. Ricchard Gray OFFICE SYSTEM: Mac C26, Mac 2505, accuphase T-100, Marrantz, Technics SL1400MkII, CA 2002, Tandberg 10X, Nak 680ZX. Fried R3 signature (owned since new) HT: Arcam AVR600, Mrantz UD7007, Panasonic 65" VT50, Dali Helicon 7.0 (2) JL F-110, DAILY TV VIEWING: (In build phase)Panasonic 58" pro series Totem tribe 5.1 Arcam AVR300 (temp) DV88,Sony BR GAMING SYSTEM: Runco XP50DHD, Arcam AVR250, Dali Mentor 5.1, Xbox 360 .Too much more to list
  #114  
Old 03-14-2013, 03:56 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 94turbo3.6 View Post

I do know of someone who had a problem with a tube for one of his amps and although it was replaced free of charge the tube had to be returned through the authorized dealer before a new one was sent.
I had a problem with a tube on the Monbrison and Matt (Pitchperfect) sent me a new one the next day. That's what I call service!

Along the list of my possible worries, what happens when Shindo breaks waaaaaaaaaay far down on my list - and I listen to my Shindo 4+ hours/day.

Alberto
  #115  
Old 03-15-2013, 07:51 AM
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94turbo3.6 94turbo3.6 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alberto View Post
I had a problem with a tube on the Monbrison and Matt (Pitchperfect) sent me a new one the next day. That's what I call service!

Along the list of my possible worries, what happens when Shindo breaks waaaaaaaaaay far down on my list - and I listen to my Shindo 4+ hours/day.

Alberto
I am assuming you purchased from Matt? Did you have to return the old one?

I agree somethings are just not worth worrying about the pros outweigh the cons in so many ways with shindo equipment.
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MAIN SYSTEM: Shindo Masseto, (2) Accuphase A30's, Arcam DV29, Transrotor Darkstar, Jelco 750, CA DaVinci, Audience AU24SE, JL F-112, Totem Winds. Ricchard Gray OFFICE SYSTEM: Mac C26, Mac 2505, accuphase T-100, Marrantz, Technics SL1400MkII, CA 2002, Tandberg 10X, Nak 680ZX. Fried R3 signature (owned since new) HT: Arcam AVR600, Mrantz UD7007, Panasonic 65" VT50, Dali Helicon 7.0 (2) JL F-110, DAILY TV VIEWING: (In build phase)Panasonic 58" pro series Totem tribe 5.1 Arcam AVR300 (temp) DV88,Sony BR GAMING SYSTEM: Runco XP50DHD, Arcam AVR250, Dali Mentor 5.1, Xbox 360 .Too much more to list

Last edited by 94turbo3.6; 03-15-2013 at 07:53 AM.
  #116  
Old 03-15-2013, 08:14 AM
KingRT KingRT is offline
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You know you have a good question when there is out pour of emotion.
Example: If you call a skinny guy fat, he laughs!
If you call a fat guy "fat", he comes out swinging!
  #117  
Old 03-15-2013, 10:29 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 94turbo3.6 View Post
I am assuming you purchased from Matt? Did you have to return the old one?

I agree somethings are just not worth worrying about the pros outweigh the cons in so many ways with shindo equipment.
Yes, I did buy from Matt. No, I did not have to return the faulty tube.

Frankly, I am much more worried about having all of my other "non-boutique" equipment serviced than my Shindo components.

I would recommend, however, buying (either new or used) from a Shindo authorized dealer. You may pay a bit more than buying from, say, an Audiogon, seller, but you will have 5-star support behind your purchase and complete peace of mind.

Alberto
  #118  
Old 03-15-2013, 11:42 PM
kev313 kev313 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KingRT View Post
You know you have a good question when there is out pour of emotion.
Example: If you call a skinny guy fat, he laughs!
If you call a fat guy "fat", he comes out swinging!
Unless the original question was answered right away and the three follow up questions by the original poster were variations on trying to be argumentative. Why ask the question? Why not just come out and say what you're trying to allude to with the question. "I'm pissed because I haven't reviewed Shindo gear."

Wait...Crap.

I meant, "There must be something wrong with Shindo gear because only one guy builds it and it's so mysterious and it doesn't come from a big corporation that was bought by a bigger foreign corporation that I've reviewed and gone to their factory."

Hold on...oh hell...

Well...you get what I'm saying.

Also, if you call me fat and we both know I'm skinny, I laugh. If you call me fat because you think I'm fat, but I'm skinny and you can't accept it because it is the square peg to your round hole, yeah, I tell you. Ok, maybe not YOU, just this hypothetical dumbass who we are discussing.

DISCLAIMER: If I want to read a McIntosh or Audio Research review, I think I might download a copy of Tone Audio.

I missed this thread.

Last edited by kev313; 03-16-2013 at 12:02 AM.
  #119  
Old 03-16-2013, 12:09 AM
kev313 kev313 is offline
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And on a somewhat - ok, totally - related note, I've got this Meridian HT processor from about 8 years ago sitting next to me (Is Tone cool with Meridian? I think he might be.) and it's kind of useless for blu ray. Or any of the HT audio that has come out over the last several years. Oh yeah, no HDMI.

Kind of an anchor. Cost $6500 new.

I have to ask the hard question...Isn't this way crappier than the worst case scenario that you can imagine with your Shindo?
  #120  
Old 03-23-2013, 04:37 AM
sickophant sickophant is offline
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Buying into home theatre is very much like buying a computer or mobile phone, anything related to the digital realm, it'll be outdated tomorrow. Home theatre is far and away from anything to do with stereo audio, an audio deck from the same era as your paperweight, even from the same firm, will most likely rock 'n roll like it was touted to do in the day. Digital is years away from stabilising any aspect of its technology, including connector types, especially connector types.

Last edited by sickophant; 03-23-2013 at 09:15 AM.
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