is the Montille a real Shindo?

The Montille is a real Shindo. The comment from the other poster seemed to have been made looking at the price rather than performance.

The Montille has all of the characteristic Shindo sound, typical Shindo parts, and build quality. Of course, you are not getting vintage Western Electric transformers. The NOS EL84 tubes in the Montille also do not cost nearly as much as the NOS 300B (i.e. real Western Electric tubes not moder production) tubes in the Western Electric limited.

The Shindo preamps all have the same sonic signature but with more refinement, weight, dynamics, etc. as you go up the line. The amps, however, all sound slightly different. They each take on the characteristics of the tubes used. The Montille will be immediately familiar to anyone who has used an EL84 amp. The EL84 is a very under appreciated tube.

I own a Shindo Vosne Romanee and a Cortese amp. People constantly ask me why I use the much more expensive Shindo preamp an a less expensive amp. The simple answer is I like the particular sound of the Cortese and the F2a tube. I also really like the push-pull 6L6 Haut Brion. It's not that I don't think that the Shindo flagship 300B limited isn't a better amp. It's just that the signature of the Cortese appeals to me more.

The Montille and Auriges would be my desert island combo. The main thing about Shindo is the correctness of tone. You get this with this combo. It also works with a fairly decent range of speakers. You don't have to have 95dB+ speakers. I've heard them work well with Devore and Verity audio speakers.

Shindo has been in business since the early 70's. I can only think of a handful of high end companies that have been around as long. There is no 'fake' Shindo. The price is based on what is needed to build rather than a price point.
If you do a search of old Shindo gear (especially is Asia), you'll find a range of prices. For example, a Shindo Apetite push-pull integrated.

I'm in a transitional period right now.

I was using a pair of Ocellia Kedros (PHY-HP based speaker). I sold those because they were annoying my neighbors.

I made a temporary move to a pair of Devore Gibbon Nines (the first production pair actually). They work well with the Shindo gear and are very apartment friendly.

I currently switching to an Altec 604 based speaker. I'm getting quotes from Ken Shindo on a Shindo crossover and cabinet for the 604s. Eventually, I'd like to get a pair of Shindo Compact Latours if I don't go for the Shindo 604 speaker. I currently have the 604s in an open baffle. These work well in my room but are a bit too wide for long term use. The Altec speakers such as the 604 or the 515B and 288C combo work ideally with the Shindo gear since this is what Ken uses in voicing his equipment.

Frankk

You seemed to be off on several points in your comments.

First, you seem to be confusing the Montille with the Montrachet.

The Montrachet is a EL34 based amp that can be ordered as either a push pull or single ended amp.

Don't be so enamored of something being DHT or single ended. I used to think like that many years ago. However, a good design is a good design whether it uses DHT, pentodes, etc. Just slapping a 300B, 2A3, 10Y, etc. into an amp does not make it great. In fact, one of the big problems with SET amps is that is is relatively easy to build something that sounds good. To make it sound great requires a lot more effort. An effort that I don't really see in many commercial offerings. Trust me. I've been building my own stuff for over a decade. One of the reasons I own Shindo gear is that I know what it takes to build something and I can appreciate the exquisite details Ken puts into everything he builds.

Also, there are no issues with Shindo getting electrical approval in the US. Otherwise, Shindo gear would not even be on sale in the US. The electrical issues are in Europe due to new EU laws that just went into effect. This affected not just Shindo but a large group of companies.

As for pricing, it is not unusual for gear to cost less in their domestic market. Also, grey market goods can give the illusion of lower pricing (pretty common in Asia). I suspect you picked up this point from other posts on Shindo gear made a certain poster. I'll leave it at that.

Ken Shindo does not speak English so direct communication is difficult. However, his service has been exemplary due to the efforts of Jonathan Halpern, the US distributor and Matt Rotunda at Pitch Perfect Audio. For example, my Shindo SPU cartridge developed a problem. The repairs and rebuild job was done free of charge and Matt loaned me a cartridge to use while mine was being repaired. The loaner cartridge was a $2K cartridge. I would consider that pretty good service and customer support. Also, even though Ken does not speak English, he is fully aware of his customers. When I ordered my Vosne Romanee, Ken sent a message via Jonathan and Matt that he would put something extra in the preamp since I was a good customer. Again I would say that the support is very good.

Shindo has decided to be represented by his distributors and dealers. A lot of people deride the value of a brick and mortar store or lament the lack of service. In my dealings with Jonathan and Matt, I've received nothing but the best service. It is a service that I also have no problems paying a premium for. In the end, you get what you pay for.

BTW- if the push-pull Montille doesn't float your boat, no problem. You can always go for a Shindo Lafon using real PX25 tubes or have something custom built for you. All of his gear are limited editions anyways.