Power Amplification Archive

I’m very lucky to have two Shindo power amplifiers.

I have the latest tube rectified version of the Cortese F2a providing 10 watts of single ended goodness. This is a superb amp that is perfect for my speakers. Ever since I heard my first F2a powered Cortese I knew I had to have one! It does sound a lot more powerful than its 10 watts would suggest. The late great Art Dudley reviewed it in Stereophile a while back too.  There really is a sense of immediacy and presence with this amp. Whether that’s down to the single ended topology or the tube type, I don’t know, but it is excellent. This is the tube rectified version using a Philips/JAN 5U4GB tube. It also has of course the Siemens F2a output tubes, and a pair of Mullard ECL82s. I believe the original F2a version of the Cortese was suggested to Ken Shindo by German audio maestro Keith Aschenbrenner as an alternative to the 300B version using rare Cetron tubes Shindo-san had been producing. Keith had a supply of F2a tubes, which have now run out, hence the extremely limited nature of the current F2a Cortese. I would say the F2a presents things in a more subtle way, with great spectral coherence and holism. The bass region in particular compared with the 300B is probably more defined and resolved. Having compared with an Airtight 300B SET amp, I am assured of my choice of power amplifier. The Cortese F2a sounds ‘alive’, no aspect of the sound is slowed down. Everything sounds right.

The F2a is such a great tube. I think it is vaguely interesting that as time has progressed I have been drawn to amps with fewer and fewer watts. 

Specs as per Shindo’s site:
Effective output power: 10W in class A .
Input: RCA Pin Jack
Input sensitivity/Impedance: 0.5V/250KΩ.
Signal to Noise Ratio: 90dB.
Frequency Response: 20 – 20000Hz.
Power Consumption: 80W.
Power Requirements: AC 220V-230V, 50/60Hz.
Dimensions: W 350 × H 170 × D 260mm.
Tube complement: 2×Siemens F2a, 2×ECL82/6BM8, 1×5U4GB
Weight: 12.5Kg.

I also have a Montille CV391, just for a different flavour. Double the power with push/pull topology, its extremely vivid and full of contrast. This amp is great for heavier stuff with its 20 watts on tap. Art Dudley of course reviewed it a few years back in Stereophile. I have previously owned the 6V6 version of the Montille, in fact it was my first Shindo power amp. Aural memory is fickle and I can’t remember too much about the specificities of the sound, but it didn’t sound like this version. With the truly efficient speakers I have it allows the character of the CV391s shine through.

Effective output power：20W in class A
Input: RCA Pin Jack 　
Input sensitivity/Impedance：1V/100kΩ. 　
Signal to Noise Ratio：-60dB. 　
Frequency Response：20-30.000Hz. 　
Power Consumption：130W. 　
Power Requirement： 230V, 50/60Hz. 　
Dimensions：W 250×H 170×D 340 mm. 　
Tube complement：4×CV391, 2×12AT7, 2×6AW8A　
Weight：13.5kg.

Previously I had Corton Charlemagne EL34 monos, a Haut Brion with 6L6 tubes, a Montrachet with EL34s, a Montille 6V6, Leben CS600, Pass XA30.5 and a Radford STA15, among others. I wish I could have kept them all… but alas.

I recently sold my Leben CS300F to help fund the purchase of the Montille. It was a beautiful amp, but probably overkill for the amount of time it was being used. I have replaced it with a Leak Stereo130, which mainly handles sound from the tv, although I do listen to vinyl from the Technics through it. Its a fully featured amp with dac and phono stage and even bluetooth and suits its purpose well. It looks pretty cool as well with nice retro styling. Sounds remarkable given its price. This is used exclusively with the Falcons or the Omegas.