Goldmund mimesis 9.5 and Wilson system 8

I didn't have any idea that audio was as difficult to audition in Japan as you recount. I was under the impression that Japan was a "last bastion" of a nation of audiophiles.
To answer your question I don't know the Goldmund Nimesis but agree with your conclusion that 5K is an awful lot to shell out for a used amp that old. The fact that it was "overhauled" speaks to either of two obvious possibilities. It's performance was compromised by old capicitors or worse, and this represents a truly miserable liablity, or a true fanatic was maintaing the amp to the highest standards. The likleyhood of either is difficult to assertain with any degree of certainty at this distance. However, you cannot discount that there is a clear downside risk.
You might want to weigh this risk against the veracity of the percieved culture of great respect for venerable gear in your country. There appears to be a strong demand for golden age hifi in Japan such as the JBL signature series of loudspeakers for instance.

Hi,
If you are in Japan, I'd look for used Goldmund that is local to you and set for 100V. From a Google search it seems there are a number of shops that carry Goldmund. As for models, I would look for a Telos series amp, perhaps with a lower watt rating i.e. Telos 150 or 250. Or at most, get a pair of Mimesis 18.4. These are all much newer than the 9.5 and from my personal experience, quite reliable. I first tried Goldmund gear in the late '90s (Mimesis 29 was just out) and never experienced any issues. However, I take care (with all my gear) to power things down before disconnecting speaker cables, unplug interconnects that go into the amplifier etc.

Goldmund has an excellent sonic presentation- it reproduces attack really well, makes you feel/sense that you are enveloped by the music and offers a nice rhythmic drive. It does not offer bass slam and is not warm but it seems to reveal what is on the recording quite well - if the speakers do not put a harsh demand on the amp.

Hi,

here some info about the Mimesis 9.5:

- 250 W/ch
- Mechanical grounding implemented
- Maximum voltage swing 60V peak
- Maximum 40A peak
- balanced / unbalanced seperate inputs
- Full speaker protection against DC and HF oscillation
- 4 seperate power transfomers
- seperate ground and earth connection
- Size 48.3 cm * 48.3 cm * 25.4 cm
- Weight 68 Kg

When prefered i have a copy of the Goldmund Mimesis 9 manual which works the same as the 9.5 and a scan of the original brochure of the Mimesis 9 and 9.2's.
Just ask when needed

Regards Jan

I have owned Goldmund 8.4 monoblocks for 15 years and have used them alternately with Atma-sphere MA1's on various speakers - currently Wilson Watt/puppy 8's. The Goldmunds work great with the Wilsons as you have already experienced - and I have not had any problems with them during the past 15 years.

One of the best Wilson setup I heard is a WP8 with a GOldmund monoblock amp Telos Series. I can't forget that glorious, out of this world sound!!