I'm not an ex-Shindo owner, but I had my Monbrisson in the shop for a while to fix a transformer buzz and a general refurbishment after a little over 8 years. While it was away I used a passive TVC unit (Prometheus) and was very surprised as to how good it sounded, to the point of considering selling my Monbrisson when it came back, especially since my hearing in my left ear has deteriorated to the point that I questioned whether I didn't need all this high-end equipment to enjoy my recordings. But I got the Monbrisson back this week, and upon putting it back in my system I realized, even with my impaired hearing, what I had been missing (micro and macro-dynamics, spaciousness, a sense of "life" in the music, for lack of a better word) and why I (and many of us) find the Shindo sound so intoxicating. So I doubt it will be leaving my system anytime soon.
I'd say if you're thinking of replacing the Shindo, I'd suggest that you consider Jadis (I had a JP200 that I replaced with the Shindo to downsize my system, it was as lifelike but noisier), VAC and Lamm, of the brands I've heard, and Audio Note and maybe Atmasphere, of the brands I haven't heard.
