Any expereince with Coincident Frankenstein II Amp

Hi people,

Finally I get the Franks from my friend, and don't worry we are still friends :)

Since my last message I reshaped my listening room and it is much much better now. My Rega Maia3 was sounding just nice and I was really enjoying the music. A few weeks ago I gave a call to my friend and we chat for some time, than he told me that he is considering to sell the Franks for some "real life" expenses. Well, they are mine now :)

Nowadays I'm re-exploring the music. Maia3 was a great solid state amplifier but I notice now that some passages were not merely "sounds" but, cellos on the lower notes. "Hey look, double basses accompanying to cellos" or "Oh, that flute on the background... was it there before". You get the point. Listen Decca's, Mercury's, some ECM's with this amplifier and you are in the concert hall.

For the records, mine is the earlier black faceplate version. As all Frankenstein hunter's know, earlier version has a 4 dB gain advantage over the recent shiny version. Since, earlier I felt insecure about my speakers' relatively low sensitivity (92 dB), I asked Blume if the earlier version is better for me. He said, the recent version is superior on every level- build quality, reliability and especially sound and 4 dB advantage is meaningless. So look for the shiny version if you have the option, otherwise grab the first Frankenstein you see, like me. :)

Regards.

Congratulations!
After over 2 years of ownership this superb amp still surprises me with sublime music reproduction(I use the Shuguang Treasure 300b).
You`ll enjoy this amplifier for many happy years.
Best Regards,

Hi Firochromis,
Great amp!~ Congrats. been enjoying the Franks MKII like the ones you just purchased for over 3 years. I have also heard the new ones. If there is a sonic difference I honestly couldn't hear it. Others do, but in any case the difference are very subtle at best.

Regards,

I just picked up a pair of Franks direct from Coincident a few days ago. They're matched up with a pair of Total Victory V (latest version). For now I'm using the Statement Phono Stage as full function pre but will soon be adding the Statement Line Stage.

Although the amps and speakers are still breaking in I can say that without a doubt this is the finest system I've ever had - not even close. The sound is so vivid that at times it's downright startling. The Franks far, far outshine my previous Manley Neoclassic 300b amps - at approx half the retail cost and not even broken in yet! They're also extremely hassle-free - only 3 tubes and auto bias.

The only thing I need is a bit more gain, particularly for my lowish output CD player - hence my plan to add the Statement Line Stage.

Israel Blume is really working magic these days. In today's high end audio world his components are screaming bargains -- particularly his electronics, which all have insane power supplies and are built like veritable tanks. I didn't see anything at RMAF which comes anywhere close to his equipment for anywhere near the price....

I am curious how the Franks compare to Wavelength Cardinals or Napoleons? I have always heard great things about both, am getting more efficient speakers so will be on the set amp hunt. Thanks.