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Shindo preamps

I heard the Masseto last week at a dealers, and was very impressed. I will be taking the next step soon, to hear it with my amp at that point. I have heard from another source that the Shindo's are designed to sound close to an older Marantz preamp design, can't remember the model though. I am trying to get opinions on the following. Does this mean that the Shindo has a somewhat forgiving character to it, as compared to the more modern designs such as Cat or ARC. I know this may be a generalization, but am curious as to what the thoughts may be on this. FWIW, I have no plans to do Shindo amps, because I will be sticking with mid-efficiency speakers. I did not feel when hearing the Masseto, that it was not detailed enough. In fact, it was a strong point. I heard a very low noise floor, allowing the detail to come through. It just sounded right to me, simply got right out of the way.
fjn04
vinyljh
46 posts
 
Hello Fjn04,

Designed to sound like a Marantz is definitely not correct. If modern means high resolution and a low noise floor, I think Shindo has you covered. If modern means bright, thin and a spotlit treble, Shindo will not sound modern. From your description, it seems like your ears told you everything you need to know.
mikeyc8
174 posts
 
Fjn: yes I agree with Vinyljh, Shindo does NOT sound like Marantz. I believe you may be confusing it with Cayin, as they have some amps that are supposed to sound like the vintage Marantz and some like McIntosh. Cayin makes good value products, but its not in the same league as Shindo.

When you say mid-efficiency speakers, what sensitivity are you talking about?
fjn04 OP
1,339 posts
 
Hi, the quote on the Shindo was stated to me as follows. "Assuming that it's the Shindo Masseto that you're considering,you should be aware that it's basically a reworking of the Marantz 7 circuit. The Wavestream phono stage is also the same basic circuit. When properly executed, it's a very pleasant sounding design that can make alot of recordings sound better than they really are".
I am presently driving Vandersteen 5A's with a Vac Phi 300.1 stereo amp. I can't say at the moment if I will stay with the 5A's, but I am not planning changing speakers. When I do, all I know is my price range will be around the cost of the 5A's. So, no more than 15-16K new or used. If the Masseto was sweetening things up a bit, I did not notice. I could not detect any loss in detail in the system I was listening to. I think of mid-efficiency speakers as 87-90db. IMO, I would be reluctant to use a 40 wpc amp on a speaker in that efficiency range. I would try a 40WPC amp with a 90db speaker, but would have to hear it before I subscribe that it would work for my tastes.
pitchperfectaudio
6 posts
 
Fjn- Despite what was erroneously stated to you (obviously to me, not by someone who knows what they are talking about), ALL Shindo preamp and amp circuits are designed from the ground up by Ken Shindo and are entirely of his own design and not meant to sound like Marantz products whatsoever. There is no 're-working' of Marantz circuits..

Sounds like you really liked the Masseto. It's a wonderful preamp.
Sincerely,
-Matt
pitchperfectaudio.com
vinyljh
46 posts
 
Indeed. Sounds like you received the info from someone completely misinformed. Technically they're completely unrelated.. From tubes to circuit to power supply- not a similarity to be found.
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