I have to say that I just don't see the Shindo sound as being "coloured" or "old school". I listen to very little jazz or chamber music or anything of the sort - it's mostly indie rock for me.
I find it hard to describe Shindo as lacking in detail. When I compared Shindo preamp with VTL amp to all Nagra, it was the Nagra that seemed to be smoothing things over - whereas the Shindo/VTL combo really allows you to focus in on details deep into the soundstage. Similarly, I found the Shindo/VTL combo to have better inner detail than an Ayre combo I auditioned as well.
I know this is getting off topic a bit, since I have no experience with the EAR unit - but IMHO, the Shindo sound is a very detailed sound. What the Aurieges lacks compared to its higher-end brethren is a few "layers" of tonality and some frequency extension - making it sound a bit "thin" compared to other Shindo pieces. Keep in mind...that's not "thin" compared to other gear - Shindo seems to specialize in layers of supreme tonality, and the Aurieges just does a bit less of that then their other preamps, so it doesn't sound as thick as they do.
I find it hard to describe Shindo as lacking in detail. When I compared Shindo preamp with VTL amp to all Nagra, it was the Nagra that seemed to be smoothing things over - whereas the Shindo/VTL combo really allows you to focus in on details deep into the soundstage. Similarly, I found the Shindo/VTL combo to have better inner detail than an Ayre combo I auditioned as well.
I know this is getting off topic a bit, since I have no experience with the EAR unit - but IMHO, the Shindo sound is a very detailed sound. What the Aurieges lacks compared to its higher-end brethren is a few "layers" of tonality and some frequency extension - making it sound a bit "thin" compared to other Shindo pieces. Keep in mind...that's not "thin" compared to other gear - Shindo seems to specialize in layers of supreme tonality, and the Aurieges just does a bit less of that then their other preamps, so it doesn't sound as thick as they do.