Shindo Auriges vs. Cary SLP98

"My present preamp is the Audio Valve Eklispe which is a great tube based linestage for a lot less money then the Shindo. "

The Shindo Monbrison is a full function preamp with an amazing phono stage. There is no comparison in that area to your Chinese line stage. The Shindo should cost more than your line stage because it has one of the world's best and most quiet phono stages not to mention that one is made in Japan and one is made in China!

Thanks all for the great feedback!
Teajay & Tholt, thanks for the advice. Macdadtexas, you've echo'd my thoughts - you know, I really do love the Cary too.
Aronsss, you've brought up an interesting point - in my dedicated room, the ICs are right at 3m, so I would have to be careful with this aspect.
Lars, I have upgraded the tubes, which made a nice improvement - but what do you mean by "direct coupled"??
Vinyljh, I didn't realize the Shindo wouldn't work with the Blackbird, that seals the deal for me - as intrigued as I am with the Shindo, I think for now I'll stay with my Cary.

Vinyljh, IIRC you're somebody who quite knows what he's talking about ;), but I used a Blackbird into the Monbrison's MM input and it was *great*.

The need for gain is obviously system-dependent - if you don't need a ton, and most don't, a 2.5 mV cart into 41 dB of phono gain followed by (IIRC) 16 dB of line gain is *plenty*.

Paul- Imagine if you had at least 3mv:-) Or better yet, a step up transformer with a MC cart for which the MM input is actually intended. The Blackbird, even if you liked it, was definitely not an ideal match even if it played loudly enough. Gain is just a part of the equation.

Slaw3- if you want more info, email me directly at toneimports(at)mac.com I'd be more than happy to advise you further. I can also put you in touch with someone that may be able to give you a more direct opinion to your querry.

Plinko,

I just wanted to make a correction for you before Teajay blows a gasket. Audio Valve is a German company that has been around for a long time. They never have gotten much press or attention in the US.

With that said, I must admit that the Auriges holds a special place in my heart. It was the first piece of Shindo gear I went to listen to a few years ago. At the time I needed a new preamp, so I made a list. I had been aware of Shindo for many years because of Shindo's reputation among the DIY crowd. I went to listen to the Shindo first because it was the only preamp I could audition on the day after I made the list (a Sunday). After 15 minutes of listening, I pulled out the checkbook and bought the Auriges on the spot. The sound was quite a revelation and I knew it was for me the 'right' sound. Very natural, effortless, dynamic, and dead quiet. It sounded great in my system but it was not a perfect match with my existing equipment. A week after I received the Auriges, I systematically sold off all of my other equipment and replaced everything with Shindo gear. Three years later, I now have an all Shindo system from top to bottom. I have never looked back nor have had a moment of regret. Although, I do miss that first Auriges. I traded it back in for a Shindo Vosne Romanee. In fact, I rarely go on any audio sites these days. I came onto Audiogon today because I need to sell some GPA 604 drivers. I'm moving up from my Shindo 604 speakers to Shindo Latours this weekend and I need to get rid of the excess 604 drivers. (The 604Es worked better in the Shindo speakers than the GPA 604Hii). For me, Shindo was special enough to dump all of my other gear.

Anyways I'm going to go back to my new hobby, fountain pens, and the Fountain Pen Network.