Well, my good customer, Cliff in Oregon, received delivery of his LignoLab Pneumatic Suspension Equipment Support. Cliff chose the beautiful, refined, Maple finish to match his SoloVox Loudspeakers (the stand is also available in deep, rich Walnut).
No need for me to describe his impressions, I’ll let Cliff do it for you…
” Here are some pics of the new LL stand.I finally got it installed and the system back up and running.I was trying to think of how I would explain my reaction to hearing it in the system for the first time:Imagine a guy sitting in a room,maybe an office or something,and in walks a very attractive and well put-together young woman who, without any warning or explanation, removes her top(completely)and starts to dance seductively before him.Can you see his face?His expression?
That is what I have looked like for the last couple of hours:Eyes bulging,mouth open,with the occasional scratch…of the head,er,scalp.
Having previously owned some very good specialty audio stands such as the Sistrum,Grand Prix Audio Monaco,Finite Elemente Pagode Master Reference, and heard and investigated some other very good ones(one a good bit more expensive than the Lingo),I have to say that I am once again shocked and utterly amazed by one of your products and the amazing craftsmanship and artistry in the service of music of Keith and Norbert. It is amazing that a wood stand(which does float),no matter how thick and well put together IT is,can increase the resolution and dynamics of an audio system to the degree that this one does.The tone or flavor of the system hasn’t changed,it is just bigger sounding,much more resolved and dynamic,and much more holographic.
The LL should be a mandatory purchase for anyone with the Solovox and a TT.
Please thank the guys at Lingolab for me and thank you and J for bringing this stuff to us.
Thanks,
Cliff “
Thanks for the insight Cliff. It is amazing, isn’t it?
Photo courtesy of Cliff C.
p i t c h p e r f e c t a u d i o 
Well said Cliff, well said. I often urge reference system customers into using a Ligno, some are shy to make the jump. I hope some will read your comments and understand just how important this rack is in bringing out the full potential of a Shindo system.
To me it is not an accessory,but an essential.
Everything for me will now be thought of as pre-Lingolab and post-Lingolab.
Hope Matt doesn’t mind me taking up space,but just want to add that it is really thrilling how musical details are popping out all over the place from records and music with which thought I was thoroughly familiar.Guitar licks,brush work,dynamic,percussive contasts are popping out and emerging from unexpected places and in ways I have never heard.On a lot of my records I am struck by the impression that I have never heard these songs like this before–even though I have heard them countless times before over thirty years or more.
One more cool thing,every drum kit seems to have gone from the one the girl plays for the White stripes to the one Neil Pert plays for Rush.A little hyperbole–but not much. I’m having fun tonight!
Very tantalizing! I love getting the most music out of a system. It takes an excellent rack to do it.
Lingolove update: Wow! It has really expanded the dynamic range.Listening to the Doors
“Blue Bus” (mono,of course) I was doing that thing were you about reach over and turn it up during the quiet passage,even though i already had the volume at almost 12:00.The level went down really low and Jim was only whispering,but I held off, and then a little later Wabang!The explosion came and I was stunned.This record ,and particularly that song, always sounds great,but it didn’t sound THAT great before.
And it didn’t have me feeling the need to go from higher volume to lower in the space of a couple of minutes before.And it didn’t have THIS much punch before.
So I guess there might be a downside:the expansion of dynamic range might necessitate more frequent volume adjustments and might scare the kiddies or neighbors.
I can deal with that.
Now you’re actually hearing what your Vosne-Romanee, Cortese F2a, SoloVox, Shindo 301 Player System and Auditorium 23 Hommage T1 can really do. And it sounds like you like it:-) For me the Lignolab rack is a tool I can not live without. Like a refrigerator, bed or stove- its a just become a necessity.
I think you are exactly right.Since I had gotten the 301 about 6 months ago,I had been really enjoying it and learning about it.But I had continued to feel that something about my system just wasn’t quite as right or good as it ought to have been.So I played with VTA and VTF and continued to futz with speaker placement.I also continued to obsess
about possible amp upgrades or preamp or even speaker.I also thought about the LL.
But it was really Matt who talked me into actually getting the LL now and convinced me that it might be all I need.
Well,he was right as usual(does he ever get tired of being right about this stuff all the time?).
Matt said that with the addition of the LL, I would possibly not feel the need to move to bigger, more expensive speakers and that I would hear what my system was really capable of.
As I said,he was right,and what I now have,for the first time ever I think,is a complete system.There,I said it.I think I am done.I am where I want to be and can really,finally just concentrate on the music.
Cool.
Thanks again,Matt (and Jonathan).
I think I might have a T-shirt made that instead of saying “Clapton is god”,says “Norbert is god”.That would really leave them scratching their heads,I bet.
Cheers,
Cliff
Hey Cliff,
I’ll have to stop over, one of these days to listen to your setup, when I am in the area. Sounds like it is really cooking and sounding great.
Yep, both VTF and VTA are crucial for proper vinyl playback, as you have found out.. and once you lock them in, it’s even *more* magical.
Btw, thanks for the kind words. It is satisfying to know I have help guide you in a direction that makes you happy. More importantly, you have unwaveringly stayed ‘on course’ and have a fully developed setup. This is more than what can be said of folks who constantly shift gears (pun intended) and never hear what the capabilities of their gear is, because they are too busy swapping and selling their stuff.
-Matt
Cllff,Matt,
Wow, that is indeed an enviable system. Being an owner of an Aurieges MM preamp, I too hope to enjoy and experience a full Shindo front end soon. Thanks to Matt for being helpful and patient as I traverse the varied landscapes of the hi end tube audio world. Although I have made changes to amps as my financial situation betters, I have not yet been able to reach the funds necessary to enjoy a Shindo amp. The only advantage is that I will have other amps to gauge the Shindo with once I get there. For those, like me, without deep pockets, but still want to explore amplifier options, lower cost alternatives remain the only choice. This does result in much swapping and selling because in the end, I’m looking for that full Shindo magic that only comes from a full Shindo front end. While I wait, I still enjoy the two constants in my system, and that is the Aurieges MM with Shindo IC’s for amps and digital source. If I have a TT with detachable RCAs, I would use Shindo ICs there too. They have always sounded way better than any other cable I have tried in the sense that music always sound natural and at ease with them installed. I love reading this blog, it is always fun, informative, and the pictures are great. Thanks, Matt for always being there to answer my questions, Shindo related or not and your generosities. And thank you Jonathan for bringing this wonderful art of Shindo to the States, these are pieces of equipment that will be handed down to my child for sure who gets excited every time I ask if he wants to “push the green button” to turn on the preamp.
Best to all,
Bobby in Salem, Oregon
Hi Bobby,
Thanks for the compliments on the system.I do have to say that I am proud of it.
And especially now,at least aesthetically, with the addition of the LL.
I would also just like to recommend that you stick with the goal of getting a Shindo amp at some point to go along with your Shindo preamp and interconnects.
For a long time that was the heart of my system, before I could afford the Shindo 301 I so badly wanted or before even the Solovox.The Shindo amp and preamp are what brought the initial magic for me and a lot of others and allowed a different kind of and level of audio enjoyment with various sources and speakers.
Also would say don’t overlook the A23 speaker cables.They are spectacularly musical and just right with Shindo and many speakers.
I actually live in Albany,OR–so I am not too far from you.I would like to extend an invitation for you to come down sometime and hear some records on the 301.
If interested maybe you could ask Matt for my email and we could work out a date.
In any case,enjoy.
Cheers,
Cliff