More Shindo on the way

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ShindoSynergy

New member
Joined
Jul 7, 2019
Messages
8
Location
San Francisco
I recognize quite a few of the names here from AA where I’m known as McEnthusiast and thought I’d check in with the old guard. As some here already know, I’ve embarked down the path of upgrading my Shindo system.

I started with a Monbrison preamp pared with vintage McIntosh MC75’s and Altec Valencias. This proved to be a good combination and showcased dynamics that hooked me on Shindo and high efficiency speakers. The exciting news is that I’ll soon double down with an incoming Giscours, a pair of CC34 mono blocks and one of the new Tonaparate stands from Matt.

I have a grease bearing Garrard 301 that was rebuilt by Audio Grail in the UK and paired with a Woodsong plinth, EMT JSD6 cartridge, A23 103 SUT and SME 312S + Reed 3P arms that rotate occasionally.

The table is an amazing performer but I’m curious whether it’s worth considering any of the bearing or platter upgrades that are out there. Some swear by the sonic benefits and others say they throw off the balance of the table. The Artisan Fidelity bearing and platter upgrade looks the most interesting based on my assessment but I’m curious to hear what others have found. For those that performed this or a similar upgrade, what was the impact? Alternatively, I may just add an SPU friendly arm to the mix and leave the table as is. Then again, that may be another rabbit hole :-)

Todd
 
ShindoSynergy said:
I recognize quite a few of the names here from AA where I’m known as McEnthusiast and thought I’d check in with the old guard. As some here already know, I’ve embarked down the path of upgrading my Shindo system.

I started with a Monbrison preamp pared with vintage McIntosh MC75’s and Altec Valencias. This proved to be a good combination and showcased dynamics that hooked me on Shindo and high efficiency speakers. The exciting news is that I’ll soon double down with an incoming Giscours, a pair of CC34 mono blocks and one of the new Tonaparate stands from Matt.

I have a grease bearing Garrard 301 that was rebuilt by Audio Grail in the UK and paired with a Woodsong plinth, EMT JSD6 cartridge, A23 103 SUT and SME 312S + Reed 3P arms that rotate occasionally.

The table is an amazing performer but I’m curious whether it’s worth considering any of the bearing or platter upgrades that are out there. Some swear by the sonic benefits and others say they throw off the balance of the table. The Artisan Fidelity bearing and platter upgrade looks the most interesting based on my assessment but I’m curious to hear what others have found. For those that performed this or a similar upgrade, what was the impact? Alternatively, I may just add an SPU friendly arm to the mix and leave the table as is. Then again, that may be another rabbit hole :-)

Todd
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I’m not here very often. Nothing has changed in my system for many years nor probably ever well. I’ll add an extra pair of amps at some point. 301tt, giscours, we300b amps, latours, and sut.

What’s Matt recommending for you? I’d trust his input. Is he coming to help you install the new gear or just shipping it?
Im also in SF.
 
A grease bearing 301 isn't a bad thing to start. But Ken has hotrodded the 301 on some more stages. I've done the same and have gone several stages from original oil to modded grease and back to modded oil. There are some more points which need attention. PM me, I don't want to discuss all the details here. And yes, its possible to come very close or even outperform a Shindo 301.
 
rower said:
I’m not here very often. Nothing has changed in my system for many years nor probably ever well. I’ll add an extra pair of amps at some point. 301tt, giscours, we300b amps, latours, and sut.

What’s Matt recommending for you? I’d trust his input. Is he coming to help you install the new gear or just shipping it?
Im also in SF.
Click to expand...

Thanks for responding Rower. Matt is planning to be onsite to help me with set-up when everything arrives. His recommendation is to move up to the A23 Homage SUT which is a reasonable suggestion. While the A23 offerings are excellent and the the Homage would be an optimal pairing with my EMT cartridges, I'm also weighing the alternative of an EAR MC4 SUT which offers a greater range of adjustability and compatibility with more cartridges. If I decide to experiment with SPU's, I would have the option of using the internal transformer of the Giscours or buying a second A23 for that configuration. Buying separate SUT's for each family of cartridges is an expensive proposition and I do have a number of other cartridges that I'd like to try from Lyra, Air Tight and Koetsu that I currently use in another system with an SME front end and McIntosh electronics throughout. Once I get everything installed, I'll have an opportunity to assess my baseline and think about what I should prioritize next. I think a replacement or modified bearing assembly would lower the noise floor which may become more of a factor with the transparency and detail improvements of the Shindo amps but we will see.
 
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