Price Paid:  $450.00 from nd

Summary:
I bough this Line amplifier-headphone amplifier heavy used. I change the original Alps brand 2-Gang Stereo Attenuator for a DACT CT2 Stereo Attenuator, I try several pairs of Tubes, including two sets of Amperex NOS tubes from 60's, Siemens NOS tubes, Russians Sovtek 6922, Russian NOS 6H23, JAN-Philips, Westinhouse NOS from 70's, among others. The very best results (after my personal sound tastes) were with the Siemens NOS E88CC (99uSD e/a), and second with the Russian 6H23 (19USD), and the great disapointemt where with one paris of the Amperex NOS (89USD ea), the sound have a excesive roll-of in the high frequencies. This headphone-line amp is as good as it gets (and for the price!!!), I try with my Sennheiser HD-600 headphones, my Grado RS-2, and my Ethymotic research ER4s and ER4p earphones, in all cases with very very good results. I love this unit. May be have some problems with bad grounded systems, may hum and buzz. I use the preamp capabilities with My Pass Alep 3 amp, and with a Bryston 3B-ST, and PS HCA-2, untill this moment I never try to use with tube amps, I'm waiting for. In any case the sound was holographic and with a very good soundstage, not as much as my Pass aleph P preamp, which handly surpases the preamp capabilities of the SHA-1. If you can buy a second hand, good state SHA-1 may be a great deal. This headphone amplifiers realy sings with any of the head/ear phones that I tell you before. The sound is very very trasparent, fullbodied, very good bass, very sweet highs, very detailed.
What more I can I say.

Strengths:
As a headphone amplifier all that you may think, of course, after use it with a good pair of tubes. As a preamplifier, lovley sound, holographic, trasparent, etc.

Weaknesses:
May hum and buzz. In this moment I not remember specifically any other, but may by I forget something.

Similar Products Used:
Grado headphone amplifier (very goood bass).

Price Paid:  $0.00 from GIFT

Summary:
EXCELENT SOUND,SETING WITH MCINTOSH 275 ,QUAD ESL 63.

Strengths:
EXCELENT IMAGE,NICE HIGHS

Weaknesses:
NO RC

Similar Products Used:
AR,MF,CJ

Price Paid:  $1200.00

Summary:
This is a follow-up to my review below. I have had absolutely NO problems with my SHA-3 since purchasing it in about 1993 or 1994.

I recently replaced the tubes (for only the second time) with a pair of new Sovteks from Audio Research ($70 a pair). The sound became dark and second-rate. Clearly the ARC tubes were not a good match.

So I ordered a pair of JAN Phillips US-made 6922 from www.thetubestore.com for $19.95 each ($52.85 delivered by Express in 2 days from Canada), and WHAT A DIFFERENCE!

I have never heard this preamp open up and make such beautiful music. Based on the performance with these new tubes, I'm upgrading my rating from 4 to 5 stars!

Don't spend more until you've tried this tube-hybrid preamp / headphone amp in your system!

Strengths:
Superb low-level dynamics, sweet yet crystal-clear highs, luscious mids and powerful lows.

Weaknesses:
No remote! My next preamp will have to have a remote! (But I'll probably keep this Melos unit forever.)

Similar Products Used:
Electronic Visionary Systems stepped attenuators (the ultimate passive reference); Audio Research LS-7 (another great buy).

Price Paid:  $1200.00

Summary:
I'm VERY concerned about the service problems people have cited above. However, I bought my SHA-3 new in the mid-1990s, and it has performed like a champ, without problems. I leave it on all the time, to keep it warmed up.

HOWEVER, I wanted to mention that I neglected to change the tubes for about 4 years or so, and that buying a new set from Audio Advisor for about $50 renewed my enthusiasm for the SHA-1 and for CD playback in general. DON'T FORGET TO CHANGE YOUR TUBES once in awhile, or you'll have no idea how good a preamp it really is.

Best wishes,

Mark H.

Summary:
I owned the original Melos Sha for 3 years. It sounded incredible and was built to a very high quality standard. Because I wanted three inputs I ordered the newer edition two years ago. I noticed right away that this unit had not undergone the same quality control that my original had. It was obvious to me that Melos was resting on their laurels. I wrote them a letter and detailed my concerns on the registration card. I never heard from them. About a year ago my Snell E/III LF drivers blew for no apparent reason. I found out that the Sha was the culprit as it was literally spewing DC offset. This was confirmed by a very reputable local tube equipment repair facility. The tubes were not the culprit. The unit was. I tried to contact Melos by mail, fax, phone, and email. No response. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU LOOK ELSEWHERE, NEW OR USED.

Strengths:
Very good sound for the money.

Weaknesses:
Insidious DC offset problem (confirmed by local tube equipment service facility) destroyed my Snell LF drivers

Similar Products Used:
AR LS-8, Golden Tube SEP-1, Bryston BP-25, Adcom GFP-565, Adcom GFP-750, Threshold T3i