Shindo Masseto Tubes and Fuses

I hope you are going to get this response a lot: Don't mess with it! Ken Shindo builds his equipment very specifically and I can say from experience you will be able to change the sound but it ultimately won't be for the better. I've tried different footers, different power cords, varying amp stands and various interconnects with my Shindo equipment. Not until I put the preamp and amp on maple stands and used the Shindo power cords did the sound start to sound "right." Further improvements come with Shindo's upgraded power cords and Shindo interconnects. Shindo dealers will tell you the samething and the reviewers (no matter what publication they are from) seem to agree. Its not just marketing hype. The last thing is don't start tube rolling. The whole circuit, and therefore much of what you paid for, was designed by Ken Shindo for the specific tube he decided to use in that piece. If you need backups get the exact same type tube. I have not changed the fuses in my Shindo but I firmly believe Ken Shindo has tried different fuses and decided on the specific fuse that is there. I know that is what he does with EVERYTHING that goes into his equipment - over the years I have finally learned to trust his judgment.

Sbayne - don't think YG Lim means any disrespect - he's just exploring. I have not tried anything on my Masseto, but am curious about the various things you have tried...the footers/pc's/ICs. If you can, what did you try and what was the effect - clearly you went back to the start.

I will give my humble input that changing KT88s on my Corton Charlemagne 80s (by necessity - blown tube during Christmas break) to Gold Lion re-issues worked for me. I also found that the Auditorium speaker cables didn't work for me (though I may try again with a new speaker). Again, just my experience.

YG - sorry, as I said I have not played with anything. I am not interested in changing the tubes (I agree that the entire unit is based on these tubes), but if you find pc's/footers are helpful- it would be good to know.

Cheers

I own a Giscours that I use with Sinhonia F2a amps. I used to own a Masseto.

No disrespect to the OP, but if you just bought a Masseto and immediately feel the need to experiment with different tubes, fuses, and power cords, you have ENTIRELY missed the point of Shindo. You have a world-class piece of electronics designed by someone who understands better about what works best with his equipment than you or I will ever hope to know. Leave your Masseto alone, and just enjoy the music. If you want to fiddle, buy a Cary and have at it.

Hatari, I used the Gold Lion reissues and Hi-Fi Tuning fuses in a pair of Dynaco MKIIIs. I thought they made significant improvements to those amps. On my Shindo gear I've used pretty much every footer/tube dampener offered by Mapleshade and Herbie and various powercords from Nordost, Cardas, PS Audio and a few others. What I think happens is the balance of the Shindo sound starts to change. The bass my sound more solid which then makes the treble sound more recessed. The midrange my be spotlighted which makes the bass sound too soft. Things get out of wack so then you start fiddling more - change the interconnects, move the speakers, go back to that other footer, etc, etc, etc. I finally decided to just get off that merry-go-around and listen to the music...

Thanks to everyone for the feedback.

I truly love what I am hearing and enjoying every minute with this preamplifier. At the same time, like to hear the views of others who may have added some tweaks like cables and footers that will improve its performance but again I am in no rush to start tube rolling or getting new footers etc.

As for the tube, I actually want to get the tubes as a spare set. Would definitely hate to not even have a spare set on standby. From what I can make out, it seems to be Telefunken 12AT7 but really noobie when it comes to these.

Regards
YG Lim