Do you have any links to Tone Arts Laboratory - I couldn’t find anything. It seemed like there was limited information about them ceasing production on their website (no mention if I remember).
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Tone Imports in NY was the US importer; Pitch Perfect on the West Coast was a big dealer of Shindo and still lists trade ins. I don't think it is impossible to get them serviced but wasn't one of the selling points of the gear the select use of vintage parts? That could present an issue in sourcing. A fellow I knew from the audio fora a few years ago bought a complete high end system of Shindo --was absolutely delighted with it after going through a lot of high-end components in a fairly short time and steep learning curve. Last I knew, he sold everything and moved out of the country--young guy too. Interesting life. |
No idea. Doesn't much matter about the current status of Shindo as he used beautiful point to point wiring and construction that's very accessible and components that many solid technicians can get their hands on if needed. The gear is easily repaired. Some components are surprisingly common and inexpensive that Shindo found to sound best. Sure, there may be some parts such as tubes especially that may be hard to source but many owners have a good stock on hand. Even so, there are often options for tube replacements.. |
I spoke with a Shindo dealer last week, and he informed me that Takashi has split from the company. He will build Monbrison and one amplifier under the name Tone Arts Laboratory. Apparently, there were disagreements between Takashi and his mother. Shindo will continue! Ken's wife brought in former employees to build other models in their lineup. This is printed in small letters on their website "Shindo Laboratory, Inc. never affiliated with Tone Arts Laboratory."
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@daytrader I don't plan to go further down the line with Shindo since this is the happiest I've ever been with my system. I've always been curious of the brand and recently found a post here from 15 years ago saying that I'd like to try Shindo someday. The Shindo magic is in its preamp; they all exhibit the Shindo house sound in varying levels. I was instantly impressed the moment I listened to the Monbrison yesterday. The amps, on the other hand, all sound different; this, of course, is all from research. As for speakers, Shindo are commonly paired with Devore Fidelity, Living Voice, and their own speakers. All are easier to drive than my current Magico V3. |
Hi Scar972, I bought my Shindo Aurieges-MM Preamplifier back in 12/8/10 shipped direct from Ken Shindo, I have yet to ever consider selling it and I’ve made lots of gear changes since then. I had thought about the amps in the past but didn’t appreciate the narrow range of speaker selections I would have to pair with most of them. But as you say, the magic has always been in the preamps unless one goes full blown Shindo system, which favors a certain type of music. BTW, I’m still running the original tubes which is pretty amazing. Enjoy you Monbrison. |