Shindo preamps

Fjn: yes I agree with Vinyljh, Shindo does NOT sound like Marantz. I believe you may be confusing it with Cayin, as they have some amps that are supposed to sound like the vintage Marantz and some like McIntosh. Cayin makes good value products, but its not in the same league as Shindo.

When you say mid-efficiency speakers, what sensitivity are you talking about?

Hi, the quote on the Shindo was stated to me as follows. "Assuming that it's the Shindo Masseto that you're considering,you should be aware that it's basically a reworking of the Marantz 7 circuit. The Wavestream phono stage is also the same basic circuit. When properly executed, it's a very pleasant sounding design that can make alot of recordings sound better than they really are".
I am presently driving Vandersteen 5A's with a Vac Phi 300.1 stereo amp. I can't say at the moment if I will stay with the 5A's, but I am not planning changing speakers. When I do, all I know is my price range will be around the cost of the 5A's. So, no more than 15-16K new or used. If the Masseto was sweetening things up a bit, I did not notice. I could not detect any loss in detail in the system I was listening to. I think of mid-efficiency speakers as 87-90db. IMO, I would be reluctant to use a 40 wpc amp on a speaker in that efficiency range. I would try a 40WPC amp with a 90db speaker, but would have to hear it before I subscribe that it would work for my tastes.

Fjn- Despite what was erroneously stated to you (obviously to me, not by someone who knows what they are talking about), ALL Shindo preamp and amp circuits are designed from the ground up by Ken Shindo and are entirely of his own design and not meant to sound like Marantz products whatsoever. There is no 're-working' of Marantz circuits..

Sounds like you really liked the Masseto. It's a wonderful preamp.
Sincerely,
-Matt
pitchperfectaudio.com

Indeed. Sounds like you received the info from someone completely misinformed. Technically they're completely unrelated.. From tubes to circuit to power supply- not a similarity to be found.

The Marantz 7C's phono section is based on the 12AX7, while the Shindo's is based on the 12AT7. Although the two tubes share the same pin-outs, their application data differs somewhat, making them cousins, rather than twins.

While the schematics probably differ (I haven't seen the Shindo's), there's a philosophical relationship in that the Shindo is using a classic tube (along with vintage caps and other parts) to create a (presumably) classic type of sound.

Plenty of other phonos use the 12AT7, including conrad-johnson, VTL, and Atma-Sphere. The 12AX7 is pretty ubiquitous, too. There are just so many ways to implement either one in a phono circuit, so you could say there's an abstract relationship between them, even though the construction and sound may not be the same.

Short of having the schematic on hand, who's to say that the Shindo was literally designed from the ground up, rather than being a reinterpretation of a classic concept.