Anyone have Coincident Frankenstein amps?


I'm looking for a nice 300B based amp, and this is at the top of my wish list. Anyone have any input on the performance of these amps? Any other brands you would suggest? Just want to try a 300B based amp to switch back and forth with the 845 based amp I have now. Thanks!
afc
I think I will...so psyched to try them out, I actually sent the payment today- by overnight express no less. Really want to hear these amps. I see yours have black faceplates- were they the first iteration of the Franks, Montejay? What are the differences between those and the one I will be receiving? Did you get the upgraded tubes? Israel calls them the "black bottle" 300B....are those the KR300B that he used to use as upgrades, or are the the Shuguang Treasure models? Have you tried any other 300B tubes? I have read that the tubes used in these amps can significantly alter the sound. It's easy to roll since they auto-bias.
Hi Afc,
You must be very excited.:)!
My Franks are the last of the original MKII's. Coincident has made several improvements since then. I believe the biggest change besides the cosmetics is that the tranformer is bigger and they now run cooler.
I initially had the KR's but one failed in less then 100 hours.I currently have both TJ carbon mesh plates and black bottles.I have yet to here a 300b that sound poor with these amps, but if you want to flesh out everything the amps can offer the Black Bottles are the best imo.
In my system the Black bottles are clearly superior in the detail and extending out the highs.That is NOT to say they sound more shrill. If anything they sound sweeter and more detailed. In listening to something like Keith Jarrett's trio, Dejohnette's druming clearly shows off what these tubes do over the TJ's mesh plates(also a very nice tube) much better then how I could explain it in this forum.
They also seem to flesh out the holographic placement of the instruments.
Nice to hear. I purchased them with the upgrade Blume offers- the Shuguang Treasure Black Bottle 300B's. Should ship tomorrow- arrival Saturday or Monday. Could be a VERY nice weekend here.
A very nice weekend indeed to break everything in.
If you like what your hearing out of the box, I promise you it will only get better. It takes at least 50 hours before the black bottle start to do their thing so sit back and enjoy the journey.
My amp finally arrived and as promised I've returned to give a brief review of the 534B. As with most everything audio each users experience will vary. This is my first 300B SET experience, but frankly I can't imagine why anyone would spend more. Perhaps it was a plus possessing 96dB efficient speakers, but I spent an entire day listening, which I've not done in recent memory. The presentation was as natural sounding as I've heard. It probably doesn't hurt that the 534B is only having to drive the upper end of an open baffle design, and LF duty is covered by a pair of plate amps assigned to each speaker handling everything below 100Hz. I had all the volume one could ask for and more for a moderately sized room, and frankly didn't turn the control past the 10 o'clock position. It's well built, and much larger than I anticipated. I was thinking it would likely be a bit larger than my Prologue 5, but nooooo it's over twice that size and then some. This thing's a beast, and fills up the majority of a Salamander Designs amp stand. I've owned some pricey gear in the past, yet compared to the presentation and build quality of the product I'd heartily recommend running and not walking to snag one. It's the real deal, and I can't wait for the sun to rise so I can begin another listening day. I'd be the first to admit that I'd never had thought a product made in China would have me anxiously awaiting another listening session, yet that's clearly the case. Between PrimaLuna, Melody, and now GF, one doesn't have to mortgage the house to gain serious performance, nor do any of these products leave this listener feeling as if I'm lacking for more.

Enjoy!