Indeed. Sounds like you received the info from someone completely misinformed. Technically they're completely unrelated.. From tubes to circuit to power supply- not a similarity to be found.
Shindo preamps
I heard the Masseto last week at a dealers, and was very impressed. I will be taking the next step soon, to hear it with my amp at that point. I have heard from another source that the Shindo's are designed to sound close to an older Marantz preamp design, can't remember the model though. I am trying to get opinions on the following. Does this mean that the Shindo has a somewhat forgiving character to it, as compared to the more modern designs such as Cat or ARC. I know this may be a generalization, but am curious as to what the thoughts may be on this. FWIW, I have no plans to do Shindo amps, because I will be sticking with mid-efficiency speakers. I did not feel when hearing the Masseto, that it was not detailed enough. In fact, it was a strong point. I heard a very low noise floor, allowing the detail to come through. It just sounded right to me, simply got right out of the way.