is the Montille a real Shindo?

Dear Shindo fan,

Living in Europe and being a Shindo owner (Monbrison serie 1), I would like to clarify what was mentionned to be an "Electrical Issue" in Europe. There is NO issue (electrically speaking). The problem is that a Lead ban in all electronics was voted a long time ago and is now in place for all electronic stuff imports.
Very unfortunately Shindo Lab's gear still contains this heavy metal (Lead). So, importing a new Shindo amp or preamp is not longer possible as this would 'break the law'.

I hope this helps.
ps: Shindo preamp are really fantastic (so Musical with perfect respect of timing!)

Laurenta: this is the first time I've heard about this lead issue. Where is this lead, in the paint?

The lead is in the solder. It is 37% lead. This is a HUGE issue in electronics and the new no-lead global initiative is called RoHS. You can do a search for it if you want more info. I have to deal with this issue everyday. Europe has become very serious about it.

To be honest, many amps made today still use SnPb solder. I do too in all the electronics I build. The current RoHS solders aren't fully tested yet and in my experience, they don't flow nearly as well and wet with difficulty. But eventually, everyone will have to switch over.

Arthur

So is this solder unsafe to handle with your fingers? Personally I'm not the techie type so I probably won't go near any solder in my gear, so I assume for a plug and play user like me its OK.

I also assume the lead is just an environmental issue and it doesn't affect the quality of the sound, correct?

As much as a single cable can affect the sound, I would say solder matters just as well - but I haven't made any direct comparison studies. However I do know that lead solder makes better joints than the latest no-lead solders I've used.

yes, the environment is driving it - not the health of EEs. I, and tons of other EEs, will probably get nutty with old age but I figure everyone does anyway! oh well.