Shindo Aurieges L versus Monbrisson

for Shindo---spend as much as you can on the preamp, then get a suitable power amp. works best this way.

I had an Aurieges L for about 8 months before upgrading to the Monbrison 7 months ago. In my set up (Wavelength Brick>Monbrison>ML No. 334>Devore Nines) the difference was jaw dropping (I guess that means >10%). I love Shindo gear for its tone and the Monbrison offers significantly more than the Aurieges.

Be forewarned though, if you're not already into analog, having the phono stage makes it much too easy to make the leap (I'm picking up a new TT this week).

One nice part about Shindo gear is a good dealer will offer generous trade ins on both new and used gear. It makes it easier to move up the line and starting with an Aurieges wouldn't be a bad move in my opinion.

Agree with first poster. In my experience as you move up the Shindo preamp line the improvement is noticeable - much more than 10%. Given the price points of the varying units I sure hope that would be the case as well.

I owned an Aurieges L for about a year before I upgraded to the Masseto. I auditioned both the Monbrisson and the Masseto before choosing the Masseto. The Monbrisson was significantly better (to my ears) than the Aurieges, and the Masseto was significantly better (to my ears) than the Monbrisson. Quantifying audible differences in performance between gear is not something I am comfortable with, probably due to the fact that I am a Physicist, and for me, numbers need to be verifiable. That said, I am comfortable in stating my opinion that I perceived an audible difference in linestage performance for the above comparisons of greater than 10 percent. Whether or not such differences in performance are worth the considerable increases in cost is another matter entirely. For me, it was worth it!