Hi All,
I have auditioned the Massetto in my home, and also scheduled to hear the Zanden 3000. I have spoken with maker of Tron Syren and am waiting until one is available for audition. I have heard ARC Ref 5...may bring it home for a listen. I have not located Rex, Einstein or Gryphon pre's.
Massetto - In a few words, i understand why the unbelievably loyal following. If you are looking for midrange magic...but wish to have a totally transparent pre, with very, very extended highs, and an extremely high level of detailing, Shindo delivers. And that, as many will attest, is difficult to do.
Many times, if you find warm, music, enriching midrange magic, it comes with a number of compromises...mushy bass, or a little fuzz in the detail area. very hard to get superb detailing and warm midrange in the same sound.
i also very quickly did find i was listening to the music...not to the sound of this or that...because i was focusing on evaluating the equipment, i had to listen to music and to sound...but it was easy to start listening to just music. so i totally appreciate the great appeal of this pre.
Compared to my CJ ACT 2?
I would not trade it, and to be very praiseworthy to the dealer here, he agreed with me. He did not push for a sale. I have asked to hear a V-R or Giscours which i have heard are even better.
Why no trade?
- The Massetto has very, very musical bass with good force...but it felt definitely a millisecond slow compared to ACT 2 which felt more "neutral" and more well-paced on Deep House, Rap. Bass on acoustic instruments was fine though still you could feel that milli-beat of slowness.
- The Massetto midrange was definitely more forward compared to the ACT 2...not in a way that initially made you feel like it was an unnatural voicing...rather, it seemed that your ear was drawn to be more focused on the midrange. (This is the way it seemed...until you went back to the CJ ACT 2 and realized the voices, strings were in fact a touch more forward)
- This forwardness was wonderful on Clapton, and all kinds of music, because so much happens in the midrange, letting it come forward a bit made you enjoy the musical message that so often gets delivered within this band.
- Why do i feel it was midrange forward? Because it did not always work on orchestral. Whereas i expected a more balanced delivery of the orchestra (and i have been going for 20 years)...i felt like i was mainly hearing the violins...very surprising balance.
Before anyone gets too uptight...this was what i heard in my system...which i admit is not composed of perfect components (none are)...and there may have been synergy issues...but it is what i heard, and the dealer of Shindo concurred with all of my observations who auditioned alongside me.
In conclusion, no pre is perfect...but i am definitively looking for a pre that introduces a sense of midrange magic that at the moment i have (but wish for more)...yet does not sacrifice detail, extension, dynamics, etc.
i am very impressed by what i heard ...i get that Shindo has a technically very accomplished way of delivering MUSIC...it just that the Massetto did not beat the ACT 2 such that i was ready to trade. what i came away with was...really, really, really wanting to hear the Vosne-Romanee or Giscours!
I have auditioned the Massetto in my home, and also scheduled to hear the Zanden 3000. I have spoken with maker of Tron Syren and am waiting until one is available for audition. I have heard ARC Ref 5...may bring it home for a listen. I have not located Rex, Einstein or Gryphon pre's.
Massetto - In a few words, i understand why the unbelievably loyal following. If you are looking for midrange magic...but wish to have a totally transparent pre, with very, very extended highs, and an extremely high level of detailing, Shindo delivers. And that, as many will attest, is difficult to do.
Many times, if you find warm, music, enriching midrange magic, it comes with a number of compromises...mushy bass, or a little fuzz in the detail area. very hard to get superb detailing and warm midrange in the same sound.
i also very quickly did find i was listening to the music...not to the sound of this or that...because i was focusing on evaluating the equipment, i had to listen to music and to sound...but it was easy to start listening to just music. so i totally appreciate the great appeal of this pre.
Compared to my CJ ACT 2?
I would not trade it, and to be very praiseworthy to the dealer here, he agreed with me. He did not push for a sale. I have asked to hear a V-R or Giscours which i have heard are even better.
Why no trade?
- The Massetto has very, very musical bass with good force...but it felt definitely a millisecond slow compared to ACT 2 which felt more "neutral" and more well-paced on Deep House, Rap. Bass on acoustic instruments was fine though still you could feel that milli-beat of slowness.
- The Massetto midrange was definitely more forward compared to the ACT 2...not in a way that initially made you feel like it was an unnatural voicing...rather, it seemed that your ear was drawn to be more focused on the midrange. (This is the way it seemed...until you went back to the CJ ACT 2 and realized the voices, strings were in fact a touch more forward)
- This forwardness was wonderful on Clapton, and all kinds of music, because so much happens in the midrange, letting it come forward a bit made you enjoy the musical message that so often gets delivered within this band.
- Why do i feel it was midrange forward? Because it did not always work on orchestral. Whereas i expected a more balanced delivery of the orchestra (and i have been going for 20 years)...i felt like i was mainly hearing the violins...very surprising balance.
Before anyone gets too uptight...this was what i heard in my system...which i admit is not composed of perfect components (none are)...and there may have been synergy issues...but it is what i heard, and the dealer of Shindo concurred with all of my observations who auditioned alongside me.
In conclusion, no pre is perfect...but i am definitively looking for a pre that introduces a sense of midrange magic that at the moment i have (but wish for more)...yet does not sacrifice detail, extension, dynamics, etc.
i am very impressed by what i heard ...i get that Shindo has a technically very accomplished way of delivering MUSIC...it just that the Massetto did not beat the ACT 2 such that i was ready to trade. what i came away with was...really, really, really wanting to hear the Vosne-Romanee or Giscours!