Any Shindo 604 AlNiCo owners here?

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Bongo said:
While Smile, Jerome, and good ol' Schmitt certainly contributed color to this post, the comments were pretty antagonistic about these speakers. I certainly didn't want to leave Schmitt the last word...

My 604's arrived a few weeks ago. The first thing that struck me was that they were flat gorgeous. Everyone that has seen them loved the woodwork and finish. They've assumed a warm and commanding presence in the room. DIY? Not by a darned sight.

I burned them in for some 150 hours before hopping back on this thread, mainly using an old NAD amp and my DirectStream DAC. They initially sounded like crap. Flat. Just flat. Good lower frequencies, but oh-my-god flat.

Over time, they opened up and sound something like a good speaker, but only for a few hours before returning to crap. Yes, it made me a bit nervous.

The week my speakers arrived, my dealer had visited to help me set up the system and he left a Masseto to demo. It was a nice step up from the Aurieges. This week I took delivery of a near perfect used Vosne Romanee purchased from a fantastic guy on Audiogon. The VR was a another pretty dramatic improvement, just as the speakers finally began to open up. The NAD went in the storage room and the VR and Haut Brion have been playmates ever since.

I'll leave it at this for now. I have no regrets about getting the speakers. It's nirvana so, suck on that! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I'M OUT OF HERE - SO LONG BITCHES!

Just kidding! (please don't ban me, Mike and Joe)

I really do love this system. I want to thank Brian and Bill for steering me (with confidence) in the right direction. I'll probably do a review once the speakers settle in a bit more. For now, the imaging, soundstage, sub woofer like bass, the tone, and holistic sound coming from these speakers is amazing. I'm very happy with them, even though they aren't fully burned in. For me, worth the cost.

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Congrats! I love my 604's with the Vosne Romanee. If you start looking at amps, the Cortese is shockingly good with lots of sweetness and refinement. I upgraded recently to the Lafon's and that's a whole other level of otherworldliness.

Planning to move up to the field coil Latour's next then probably a Giscours. Then I'm done.

I'd just leave the speakers playing something with some bass while you're at work for a few weeks. They'll open up just fine.

I'm not able to see your pics. Which finish dos you go with?

I've got some ideas for the Latour's I'll be getting that are probably unconventional.

How long was the actual wait from the time you placed the order until delivery?
 
The whole system looks awesome. The room looks problematic though. All that glass behind the speakers can't be kind on he sound. Maybe some heavy curtains.

Next replace the demon with a Emt and a A23 sut and you will be in heaven.
 
briguy said:
Congrats! I love my 604's with the Vosne Romanee. If you start looking at amps, the Cortese is shockingly good with lots of sweetness and refinement. I upgraded recently to the Lafon's and that's a whole other level of otherworldliness.

Planning to move up to the field coil Latour's next then probably a Giscours. Then I'm done.

I'd just leave the speakers playing something with some bass while you're at work for a few weeks. They'll open up just fine.

I'm not able to see your pics. Which finish dos you go with?

I've got some ideas for the Latour's I'll be getting that are probably unconventional.

How long was the actual wait from the time you placed the order until delivery?
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I ordered the speakers July 16 and they arrived October 29. Didn't hear much about the order until it had shipped.

I got the Pau Ferro finish. Due to their placement in the room, I asked for them to veneer the back. They did - apparently a first for Shindo. Given how nice they turned out, I'm sure it won't be the last. I'll post a picture below, but the backs are very nice.

We have a southwestern adobe home, but we have modern walnut cabinetry throughout the house (a rustic modern style house), and the speakers blend in perfectly. We have some De La Espada furniture which is known for a high level of woodwork (the sofa is one, although it was recently slipcovered due to cat damage) and the speakers are in the same class of fine furniture finish.

Congratulations on the the plan to get FC Latours! Holy cow! I don't even know all of the finishes available for Shindo speakers, but l'll be interested to see what finish you choose. Like you, I have certainly caught the bug for this stuff, but I'm going to hold for now. Those Latours should be amazing.



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Cucumber_jones said:
The whole system looks awesome. The room looks problematic though. All that glass behind the speakers can't be kind on he sound. Maybe some heavy curtains.

Next replace the demon with a Emt and a A23 sut and you will be in heaven.
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Well, I've got an EMT TSD15, although a friend's son dragged it across my mat one day and bent the cantilever a bit, so it needs a trip to EMT for repair. My dealer suggested the T2 Homage too. At some point, I'll probably go there. The biggest improvement facing my modified Lenco is the need to tame some rumble, despite a new Peter Reinders bearing. Did you modify your Garrard?

Yes, the room is unusual for a listening room, but it has some excellent acoustic qualities to start with - solid mud walls with slightly rough finish plaster (not diamond smooth which would reflect), wood ceiling, and even the concrete floors. The speakers are so commanding or flexible or something, that they sound fantastic without window treatments. The horns are directional so I'm not getting lots of side wall reflections of the HF. Outside of the room, the HF sounds muffled - until I go sit in front of the 604's again.
Still, I ordered curtain rods and today the linen curtains should be ready for the glass door (front wall) and the window behind the rear wall position. I hope to have all curtains up today. That should help tame HF reflections. The sofa and rug help a lot with this. Also, my ceiling is wood "viga" beams and planks, and it does an amazing job of absorbing HF reflections and also LF too.

Between the speakers and the glass door is a passageway and the two openings allow LF sounds to escape. This is important because the rest of the room is mud adobe walls (with concrete floors) and the LF reinforcement is unreal. The glass door helps with LF too, because because it allows LF to pass through without reflecting back into the room - keeps the LF sounds fast and effortless. All the more remarkable that these speakers sound like two subwoofers are in the room too. I'm surprised by the LF response which is much stronger than I'd imagined.
 
Paul said:
Craig, Love your system. I'm so glad it met your expectation. Enjoy it in good health.

I also loved my Shindo gear (VR,CC80,Montille CV391,Aurigies and Mr.T ) when I had them. I would still have them if I didn't have any issue with the dealer and distributor.

Keep us posted. :thumbsup:
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Thanks Paul - I may open another thread to describe them from unboxing through the break-in.
 
Bongo said:
I ordered the speakers July 16 and they arrived October 29. Didn't hear much about the order until it had shipped.

I got the Pau Ferro finish. Due to their placement in the room, I asked for them to veneer the back. They did - apparently a first for Shindo. Given how nice they turned out, I'm sure it won't be the last. I'll post a picture below, but the backs are very nice.

We have a southwestern adobe home, but we have modern walnut cabinetry throughout the house (a rustic modern style house), and the speakers blend in perfectly. We have some De La Espada furniture which is known for a high level of woodwork (the sofa is one, although it was recently slipcovered due to cat damage) and the speakers are in the same class of fine furniture finish.

Congratulations on the the plan to get FC Latours! Holy cow! I don't even know all of the finishes available for Shindo speakers, but l'll be interested to see what finish you choose. Like you, I have certainly caught the bug for this stuff, but I'm going to hold for now. Those Latours should be amazing.



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I see the pics now. Looks fantastic.

Funnily, I was just writing Matt to see if the rear of the Latour's can be veneered. Looks like the answer is yes, which is fantastic. How much extra did it cost to do the rears?

As much as I love the Pau Ferra finish, I might go in a slightly different direction to fit the aesthetics in my room. I also have this idea for getting the speakers finished to kinda match a the tobacco sunburst finish you'd find on a Les Paul, but still toying with the eye.
 
Bongo said:
I ordered the speakers July 16 and they arrived October 29. Didn't hear much about the order until it had shipped.

I got the Pau Ferro finish. Due to their placement in the room, I asked for them to veneer the back. They did - apparently a first for Shindo. Given how nice they turned out, I'm sure it won't be the last. I'll post a picture below, but the backs are very nice.





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I wish I had thought of that! The back of my PL is black.
 
Congrats on your 604's Craig. They look gorgeous, and I'm sure they sound wonderful. We have to get you a rack ? (-:
 
fjn04 said:
Congrats on your 604's Craig. They look gorgeous, and I'm sure they sound wonderful. We have to get you a rack ? (-:
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Eventually, that might be a good idea. The table is old pine - a WPA table from the 30's. It is nice and stout. I had a cabinet company that does work for me create a bottom shelf out of dense hard plywood - maple, I think. I don't have any way of knowing the difference between this setup and a rack, but it sounds good to me.
 
Loop4fun said:
I wish I had thought of that! The back of my PL is black.
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You know, my dealer said that when Ken was alive, he refused to veneer the backs. I didn't know that, and I asked if they could do it having recalled seeing ones that were painted black. I think that this is the first pair with veneered backs. It cost a few grand extra, but they certainly look like fully finished furniture.
 
briguy said:
I see the pics now. Looks fantastic.

Funnily, I was just writing Matt to see if the rear of the Latour's can be veneered. Looks like the answer is yes, which is fantastic. How much extra did it cost to do the rears?

As much as I love the Pau Ferra finish, I might go in a slightly different direction to fit the aesthetics in my room. I also have this idea for getting the speakers finished to kinda match a the tobacco sunburst finish you'd find on a Les Paul, but still toying with the eye.
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Brian - the veneers were $1800 extra ($900 per) with the Pau Ferro. I love the idea of getting innovative with the veneer! Can't wait to see that.
 
Bongo said:
Brian - the veneers were $1800 extra ($900 per) with the Pau Ferro. I love the idea of getting innovative with the veneer! Can't wait to see that.
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That's not too bad. I wonder why Ken refused to veneer the rear of the speakers. Seems pretty logical, especially at this price point.
 
Jerome W said:
Very nice job !
Congrats !


Envoyé de mon iPad en utilisant Tapatalk
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Thanks Jerome! They continue to break in, alternating between being shouty with not much HF response or sparkle to where they open up nicely for a few hours. Then they go back again. Yippie. Jonathan told my dealer that they'd take a while to sound their best. I think they are over 200 or so hours by now - he was right.

In other news, I repositioned the system against the former back wall, which is solid adobe. Chris would be pleased. Curtains are up on the sliding glass wall and the front wall window, so reflections are nicely muted. It's a better listening position - more in the room and not near a rear wall. The whole thing works better and I have more control over LF response, mainly by adjusting the speakers' turn-in. Strange, huh? No nasty LF nodes. Also, with the speakers closer to the amp, I ordered Shindo speaker cables. I attached a picture - the Haut Brion is in for a checkup, so the Sophia Electrics drive the 604's for now.

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Bongo said:
Thanks Jerome! They continue to break in, alternating between being shouty with not much HF response or sparkle to where they open up nicely for a few hours. Then they go back again. Yippie. Jonathan told my dealer that they'd take a while to sound their best. I think they are over 200 or so hours by now - he was right.

In other news, I repositioned the system against the former back wall, which is solid adobe. Chris would be pleased. Curtains are up on the sliding glass wall and the front wall window, so reflections are nicely muted. It's a better listening position - more in the room and not near a rear wall. The whole thing works better and I have more control over LF response, mainly by adjusting the speakers' turn-in. Strange, huh? No nasty LF nodes. Also, with the speakers closer to the amp, I ordered Shindo speaker cables. I attached a picture - the Haut Brion is in for a checkup, so the Sophia Electrics drive the 604's for now.

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Beautiful room. Gorgeous setup. I would love to hear this.
 
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