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Now that Ken Shindo has passed away, I was wondering if the smoke has cleared enough for us to know whether Shindo will continue on as a manufacturer in the future, with the same amazing quality they provided.
I admittedly have been out of the loop, and I'm posting as an admirer of Shindo. I've been very impressed auditioning their gear, and a Shindo/Devore system is a future approach that I've considered.
My question boils down to whether the current designs will continue to be produced, and what quality we may expect.
Thanks,
Robert
fight the good fight
Follow Ups:
I ordered an Aurieges MM just before Ken passed away. Although it took a bit longer than normal, it still arrived within 6 weeks of being ordered. I was assured by Arizona Hi-Fi that despite Ken's passing, it will be business as usual at Shindo Labs. Ken's wife and sons were heavily involved in the business all along. I have complete confidence that Shindo will continue to roll. If you have any doubts whatsoever, call Jonathan at Tone Imports as Alan has already suggested.
Hey Mick how are you enjoying your Auriges. I think it is a real special preamp and just love mine
Alan
Alan,
Fabulous pre-amp. But best to have all your ducks aligned properly or it will let you know. I recently retubed virtually everything except the Aurieges.( that goes without saying) Also in the mix were a couple of new power cords. It certainly let me thoroughly "enjoy' the pains of the break-in process on all fronts. Things are now finally settling in and returning to normal. I think it's safe to say I'm done buying pre-amps....unless I have an unexpected windfall and move up the Shindo line-up.
Mr. Shindo said all his preamps sound different but not necessarily better.
It is just what flavor you prefer
Alan
I can't comment about what Ken Shindo might have said, since I never spoke to him - however, I have frequently seen the comment you mention applied to his amps (NOT preamps) - that it's not really a linear "lineup" where one amp is better than another based on price - he has multiple amps at similar price points based on different power tubes. With the amps, the priority is speaker matching.
I am hard-pressed to really comment on the differences between the amps given how few Shindo amps play right with my speakers, so I'll leave that to others for now.
As for the preamps though, it's a different story.
I have heard 3 different Shindo preamps in my system (Aurieges, Monbrison, Giscours), and there is a distinct and VERY clear improvement as you move up the line. It all gets better in even proportion though, so no single part of the sound sticks out at any point in the line. What I can say is that resolving ability of tonality is one thing that gets better as you move up, and another thing that gets consistently better as you move up the ladder is scale/dynamics.
These are not modest improvements…I can't imagine anybody not clearly hearing the improvement as you move up the line. They're dangerous to experience: when I heard a Monbrison, it made the Aurieges sound wrong…when I heard the Giscours, it made the Monbrison sound wrong. My advice: don't listen to a higher-line Shindo preamp in your system unless you're prepared to either get less enjoyment out of your existing pre, or are prepared to pay the bucks to keep the better pre in your system!
Hi Alan,
Thats actually not correct. Each preamp up the line is certainly "better" in the sense they are capable of more resolution, more realism, larger scale, more dynamics- the rest of the system and the room must be able to "hear" these differences. Some are better off with smaller preamps as the bigger preamps can overload the speakers and room causing inferior sound.
Jonathan
Was just repeating what Ken Shindo said. I guess he just wasn't correct. What did he know
Alan
Hi Alan,
As the only one that ever communicated with Shindo in English, I can say for 100% certain, he never said this. I'm certainly not trying to argue with you, just setting the facts straight.
Jonathan
From what I have heard his two children and wife who have for a long time been actively involved in designing products and running the company will continue to do so. I have a Shindo Auriges preamp and it is a stunningly realistic producer of music
Alan
That's the kind of feedback I was hoping for.
Behind my post is the following question: if I wanted to do the Shindo thing, am I at the mercy of the used/nos market, since the show is over, or is the show going to continue, more or less the same, with Ken Shindo out of the picture.
fight the good fight
I really don't see anything changing. They will still have there dealers who willcontinue to sell and warrenty the product. Of course I can't predict the long range future but you could call Tone Imports and ask them what is going to happen
Alan
You could give Jeffrey a call and see what his backlog looks like.
I think better and worse is always subjective, and more correctly is "better suited" or "worse suited" in high end audio. I have a hard time taking a blanet comment like "brand x is better" very seriously.
I was taken with the shindo. Others may not be, but it's at the top of my list.
fight the good fight
Granted. However if you want hand built audio with a design suited to your tastes, actually being built by someone who knows what they are doing, someone like Jeffrey is where you go. If "Shindo" is still selling amps, it could be anyone actually producing them now.
I have no interest at this time in seeking out an alternative to Shindo.
What fun is there in doing that, when I already know what I want if I were to go down this road?
fight the good fight
Again it is the son and daughter designing the products
Alan
I would not be impressed if they were designing without establishing their ability to do so. Building, the same caution.
Both
Alan
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