Shindo Green in Wine Country

Owner

Hi Breezer,

Just read your comments and question. I've been back in Hawaii for the past month with minimal access to a PC (and no HiFi) so sorry for the delayed response.

My progression of Shindo amps were initially a Montille EL34 (paired with a Monbrison preamp) then a Cortese F2a (paired with first a Monbrison then a Masseto) then I moved on to pair of Lafon WE300B monoblocs (paired briefly with the Masseto then a Vosne Romanee). Speakers throughout this process were a pair of stock Altec 846A Valencia's. At every level, it was a pleasure to listen to my system. The level of detail, coupled with, for lack of a better word, a certain emotional connectivity to the music. If I were to stay at a particular level in the "journey", I wouldn't feel my system lacked for anything. The Monbrison/Masseto and Cortese pairings were particularly satisfying. I listen to jazz, classical, R&B, R&R, women vocals, Hawaiian slack key and the system pairings reproduced these genres very well. The Cortese is a great SET amp. When that was inserted into my system, plucked strings and dissipation of the crash of a cymbal took on a whole new dimension, well recorded vocals had that "in the room" quality. Background noise was minimized, almost black. There was none of the fatigue I had experienced with high powered SS equipment paired with less efficient speakers that was the earlier HiFi path I had taken.

I would have stayed with Cortese but the Lafon WE300B's became available and that was my "mad splurge" for the year. Earlier this year I acquired a pair of Corton Charlemagne's that use the EL34 tube and they also sound great with my Valencia's. My plan is to alternate between the Lafons and the CC's as soon as I re-insert the Valencia's back into my system (I'm currently running a pair of Quad ESL 57's which pair up better with a pair of Quad II monoblocs). I think my system is set, except for a move to the Giscours should a reasonably priced, gently used one come on the market.

Best wishes to you and your audio journey!

closdesducs July 27, 2019 00:01

Hi,

Can you please tell more about the sonic differences between the Cortese F2a and the Differences, strengths and weaknesses of each one?

Actually I use a Giscours with Cortese F2a with Salabert in open baffle, but think about an update to Petite Latour or Line Magnetic 22a System in the future.

Thanks very much and wish you many many fantastic hours with your exceptional system.

breezer July 13, 2019 10:54

Owner

A couple of system additions and equipment rotations as we move into spring here in NorCal (thank goodness!). I acquired a gently used pair of Shindo Corton Charlemagne monoblocs that feature the NOS Telefunken EL34 from an audio friend in SoCal. He has always taken impeccable care of his equipment which helped seal the deal. I also pulled out of storage a stock pair of Quad ESL 57 speakers that I acquired in 2012 down in SoCal and their matching Quad II monoblocs. I thought I'd give the Altec Valencia's part of this spring/summer off and run the 57's to ensure that they survived the Big Move back in 2016. So far, so good! They sound awesome with great synergy with the rest of the system!

closdesducs April 10, 2019 21:31

Owner

mcslipp,

Thanks for the kind words and the recommendation! I do love tasting Lafarge's Volnay Clos du Chateau des Ducs and his Clos des Chenes. Volnay is such a great Burgundy commune! Lafarge, d'Angerville, Lafon and Montille keep raising the bar so high. I was digging around in my LA cellar locker two weeks ago and came across a box of '98, '99 and '02 Lafarge and another box of d'Angerville from various vintages all safely "sleeping" until the right time. In fact, I'm finally traveling to Burgundy this fall for the very first time and I hope to walk and gain a better understanding and appreciation of these hallowed vineyards.

Cheers,

closdesducs

closdesducs July 06, 2018 04:00

Hey Closdesducs, fellow wine lover (Master Sommelier/Shindo nut). Great system! Would love to one day hear a Lafon 300b as I have a desire to maybe move in the SET direction. Been lusting after a Lafon GM70... Keep drinking and listening. BTW if you like Clos Des Ducs check out out Michel Lafarge - his son is a friend. Great stuff just takes ages to come around.

mcslipp July 04, 2018 11:08

Owner

Now that I'm firmly entrenched in my retirement digs, it was time to tackle an area that my system has always lacked; namely FM audio. I had acquired a well-kept McIntosh MR-67 FM tuner in LA back in 2009 but circumstances prevented me from integrating it into my Audio Research system and later my Shindo system.

I was also excited to acquire a fairly well-kept REL Precedent 646C mono FM tuner from a fellow audiophile in the Bay Area back in February 2017 and it's refurbishment and re-calibration were finally completed in May 2018.

So I'll be swapping both units in and out of the Shindo system to evaluate and assess. My initial impressions are that both sound pretty sweet which is mind boggling to me for FM tuners that are ~50-60 years old! I'm also researching what to do for a final FM antenna arrangement.

It shaping up to be a great summer!

closdesducs June 12, 2018 00:22

Owner

A friend from Chicago and his family recently came out for a Wine Country visit and really enjoyed listening to the "magic" of a Shindo-based system and it's synergy with Altec 846A Valencia's. Shortly after their departure, I came across a Craigslist ad for a pair at an estate consignor's shop in nearby Sacramento. I checked them out, ostensibly on behalf of my friend, and they were even more pristine cosmetically than my current pair! But my friend is several years away from constructing a dedicated listening room and possibly assembling his own Shindo system, so after mulling it over, he ended up passing on the speakers. But the thought of leaving behind such a beautiful pair of Valencia's made me pause...

But I think it will all eventually work out fine. An audiophile friend from Hawaii who plans to retire and move to Oregon in several years committed to acquiring my first pair of 846A's. So until that day comes, I have an extended period of time to install the mast_mutter crossovers, play around with raising one of the pairs off the floor, and do a true side-by-side A/B evaluation.

I think I will refrain from reading any more Craigslist ads for awhile...

closdesducs August 09, 2017 04:10

Owner

System edited: Latest system upgrade/addition is an Auditorium 23 Hommage T1 SUT acquired from a fellow Agoner. I'm slowly unpacking my boxes of LPs after the Big Move in late December/early January (beyond exhausting; hopefully never again) so it's been fun re-listening to albums with the T1 SUT inserted between the Shindo 301 TT and the Vosne Romanee preamp. An already "involving", very musical system became even more involving. Listening sessions late into the night are now a regular occurrence.

With the free time that retirement brings, I'll gradually start playing around with raising the Altec Valencia's off the wood floor and installing the Mast_Mutter crossovers for a trial listen and evaluation.

closdesducs April 18, 2017 01:42

Hi Lawrence,

Thanks for the info on your MW 5400ES mods. I checked with the fellow Agoner that I am buying my MW from and he also uses the same Phillips rectifier tube that you do, saying it is the best in his experience/opinion. Current price is $119, only an 240% increase in price over the $50 you paid. lol

Just as I thought I had secured an exemplar of the summit of this MW model re: upgrades, I find out that options exist to take it even farther (shoulda known of course). Audio Magic Illusion umbilical, MW 9.9 power supply, and, of course, better tubes. I guess that's what makes this hobby fun over the long haul.

The MW player will hopefully be here by the end of next week. I will let you know how it goes/sounds the week afterward.

Best to you Lawrence,

Dave

dlcockrum November 01, 2016 23:03

Hello Lawrence,

Thank you for such an insightful and earnest reply.

I thoroughly understand your perspective and the very effective wine analogy. Your system is providing you what only superior systems do, strengthen and deepen the emotional connection of the music we love and cherish.

Charles

charles1dad October 31, 2016 22:57

Owner

Hi charles1dad,

I pondered on your questions over the weekend as they were (as always) very thought provoking. I can't provide a meaningful response to your second question as I progressed up the Shindo "food chain" over a period of about 5 years through the following moves:

Monbrison & Montille

Monbrison & Cortese F2a

Masseto & Cortese F2a

Masseto & Lafon WE 300B monoblocks

Vosne Romanee & Lafon WE 300B monoblocks

So apart from very little slices of listening time at Matt Rotunda's Greenhaus events, I don't have extensive first hand experience with the VR-Cortese combo that I could contrast with my present VR-Lafon pairing.

I almost typed in "upgrades" instead of "moves" earlier, but I hesitate to use that word as it would do Shindo a disservice. From the get go, the Monbrison-Montille combo exceeded musically all of my previous systems and if I were to not move beyond that pairing, life would still be very good. But Matt's upgrade program provided opportunities over time to experience the beauty (at least to my ears) of the difference between the push-pull Montille and the Cortese F2a SET and the preamp refinements from the Monbrison to the Masseto and now to the Vosne Romanee.

I may be stretching this analogy a little (but I am moving to wine country after all <g>), so please forgive me if it comes across rather clumsily. For great Burgundy domaines, there may be several different bottlings ranging from a simple bourgogne that combines grape sources from several vineyards; a village, that is vineyard specific but not of premier or grand cru quality, a premier cru which is vineyard specific and very much displays the terroir of the vineyard to a grand cru that is the absolute expression of what that vineyard is capable of producing. There's very much a thread of commonality between all of these bottlings as they reflect the vineyard manager's and winemaker's care and vision. As I progress through these different levels, I encounter increasing levels of complexity; the profundity of their bouquets, textures and impressions and wines that, as a whole, strike a cord in me and move me emotionally.

And that's been my very happy similar experience with Shindo gear. With the caveat of properly pairing their gear with the right type of speakers and sources, a listener enjoys thrilling audio at Shindo's entry level, but if one chooses to progress through their various preamp/amp combinations, while the nuances become increasingly difficult (at least for me) to articulate, the listening enjoyment and pleasure increases exponentially. It's the old cliche of the system getting out of the way of the music and one is left anywhere between enjoying great musical and vocal performances or despairing over not so great to mediocre recordings. And I find myself increasingly less compelled to seek another path to take on this crazy audio road nor look for a tweak to extract that "little something extra" from my system.

Anyway...my apologies for this gossamer thread...

In another forum, I used to call an earlier version of my system the Road to Hana. It wasn't about the beach at the end of the road, it was the twisty, scenic beauty along the way that forces one to slow down, take in the view, and enjoy the drive. It's been a fun ride!

Kind regards,

Lawrence

closdesducs October 31, 2016 15:04

Owner

Hi Dave,

Congratulations on your upcoming retirement and move to TN. And thank you very much for the BBQ recommendation!

The tube is a Philips 5R4GYS rectifier tube that Robert H. Levi wrote about in Positive Feedback back in July/August 2013. I am a member of the LA Orange County Audio Society and Bob is our president so when he wrote about this tube, my interest was piqued.

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue68/5R4GYS.htm

I ordered a pair of these tubes (one to try and one as a backup for if and when the first tube goes bad) from Upscale Audio and ran it initially in the ModWright PS unit without the stock cover. But I wanted an elegant solution to better house and protect the new tube, so I called Kristin at ModWright and they were only too happy to fabricate a custom cover with a cutout that accommodated the width and height of the Philips tube. If memory serves me right, it cost about $50.

The ModWright has served me well and I haven't even thought about doing any additional upgrades or changes in the digital arena of my system since I acquired it in 2013. I am interested in your thoughts and impressions once you get your unit as I didn't do the SR Black fuses, Gen VX, and Bybee rails to my stock Sony XA5400es due to budget constraints.

Anyway, I hope this info helps. Best wishes to you on your audio journey.

Kind regards,

Lawrence

closdesducs October 29, 2016 04:44

Owner

closdesducs

closdesducs October 29, 2016 04:44

Hi Lawrence,

I plan to soon do the same (move to East TN). I grew up there and feel it to be God's country. I hope you will enjoy it. Be sure to try Ridgewood Barbeque in Bluff City.

Quick question: I notice that you have a BIG tube protruding from the top of the Modwright PS with a necessary hole in the top and the cover rotated 180 degrees. Is this a Modwright upgrade or did you do it yourself? Any other custom mods to your Modwright you would recommend? I have one coming shortly and my curiosity is piqued. It already has the Truth umbilical, SR Black fuses, Gen VX, and Bybee rails.

Thanks ahead of time for your input.

Best to you Lawrence,

Dave

dlcockrum October 28, 2016 09:28

Hello Lawrence,

Congratulations on both your upcoming retirement and move. You have an exceptionally lovely system that surely must sound divine. What are the essential differences you've noticed moving from the Shindo F2A SET to their 300b SET? I imagine that both sound wonderful paired with the Vosne-Romanee 😊.

Charles

charles1dad October 27, 2016 20:37

Owner

Dan,

Thank you for your comments; it definitely has been an interesting audio journey! A lot of passionate, interesting, committed people along with the occasional audiophile or two that deserve to be "committed" <g>

As for Los Angeles, I will miss the warm weather and the beach, but the traffic has been going to heck-in-a-hand basket the last several years and being from a small town on the island of Kauai, it's time to move to a small town in Wine Country.

Thanks for the well wishes and Happy Listening,

Lawrence

closdesducs October 26, 2016 10:45

Love your system, a great collection of gear! Congrats on you eminent retirement (welcome to the club!).

I was born & raised in LA, and was glad to leave it behind, back in 1971. Never been back. Western Washington has been very good for me, I hope Norcal is great for you.

I'll be checking on your progress, to see how you fare with your move.

Best regards,

Dan

islandmandan October 25, 2016 18:18

Owner

System edited: Well, my retirement and impending move out of LA is just around the corner so I jumped at the opportunity to trade-in my Masseto preamp for a gently used Vosne Romanee via Matt Rotunda's Pitch Perfect Audio "trade up" program. The VR is just settling in, but I hope to maximize my listening time before boxing my system up for The Big Move north. Vosne Romanee is my most favorite Burgundy terroir (with Chambolle Musigny and Volnay close behind) and this preamp does these famed vineyards justice! Subtle nuances, texture and an oh-so-black background. A part of me wishes I weren't moving so soon...

closdesducs October 25, 2016 13:59

Owner

System edited: Transitioned from the Shindo Cortese F2a SET amp to a pair of Shindo Lafon WE 300B SET monoblocks. I also acquired a pair of custom crossovers for my Altec 846A Valencia but will wait until I am at my next and final destination before installing them. Not too many more changes to make other than perhaps one or two more preamp upgrades and acquiring at Auditorium 23 Hommage SUT to raise the level of my analog set up.

closdesducs August 09, 2016 20:47

Owner

System edited: Well in May it was the addition of the Shindo 301 Player System turntable. July brings a transition from my much beloved Monbrison to a Masseto as part of Pitch Perfect's Trade Up program (Thanks Matt!). The Masseto is still settling in from its UPS journey, but if last night is an indication, the Summer of Vinyl just ramped up several notches! I may not leave my loft until work forces me to on Monday...

closdesducs July 11, 2015 16:27

Owner

System edited: The first of two major upgrades to the System. I really need to dig into a sea of shipping boxes and find that carefully stored VPI 16.5 LP cleaner. It's looking like it will be the Summer of Vinyl...

closdesducs June 05, 2015 14:13

Ducs, Some great additions- Classics! Heard great things about the Schick tone
arm. Looking forward to your report on the Quad/Quad combo. Regards-Jet

jetrexpro February 13, 2015 07:15

Owner

System edited: Couple of recent, fun additions to the system to provide a different audio path every once in awhile as the mood strikes me. A pair of vintage Quad II monoblocks that are in fairly good shape that I plan to run with my Quad ESL 57's; a Don Garber Fi X4 that features a pair of NOS Tung Sol 46 tubes; and a 12-inch Schick tonearm to pair initially with the Thorens TD-124 mkii. Now if I can find the darn VPI 16.5 record cleaner amongst all these storage boxes...

closdesducs February 12, 2015 19:21

Owner

Jeff1225,

I have to agree. Matt's Greenhaus events are a great experience. I just have to wear a bib to catch all the drool after looking and listening to all the great gear. I missed the last one but hope to make the next G-haus. Cheers!

closdesducs October 10, 2014 12:38

Clos, I believe the finish on my AN-e's is Indian Rosewood.
Jet

jetrexpro October 06, 2014 19:26

Showing 1 - 25 of 62 posts

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Merch

Description

Room Details

Components Toggle details

Shindo Labs Vosne Romanee

Shindo Labs Lafon WE 300B monoblocks

Shindo Labs Corton Charlemagne EL34

Shindo Labs 301 Player System

Auditorium 23 Hommage T1 SUT

ModWright XA-5400es

REL (Radio Engineering Labs) Precedent 646C Tube Mono FM Tuner

McIntosh MR-67 FM Stereophonic Tube Tuner

Altec 846A Valencia

Mast Mutter Altec 846A custom crossovers

Don Garber Fi 2A3

Wright Sound WPA 3.5 SET

Quad II monoblocks

Don Garber Fi X4

Wright Sound WLA 12

Delphi Imager

Thorens TD-124 mki

Snell Type J II

Snell Type J III

Thorens TD-124 mkii

Schick 12-inch

WyWires, LLC Juice II Silver power cords

Box Furniture Company D4S

Auditorium 23 Step Up Transformer (SUT)

Silvercore MC for SPU Special

Silvercore One-to-Ten SUT

Auditorium 23 4.0M Speaker Cable

Shindo Labs 2.0 M Silver Balanced

Shindo Labs 1.0 M Silver

Shindo Labs 0.5M Silver

Shindo Labs Mr. T power conditioner

Ortofon SPU Classic GM mkii

Altec 846A Valencia (second pair)

Ortofon SPU A Mono

HH Scott 121-C Dynaural Equalizer Pre-amplifier

NOS Western Electric 2.5M (8 ft ) KS13385L-1 26 Strand 16awg speaker cables with black sheathing

Quad ESL 57

Comments 62

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