.

Mutine

actinote

Atlantis Acoustique

Audiomat

CEC

Équation

Mimetism

Mosquito

Pluto

FAQ Mutine

We will add to this page the most frequent questions. Thanks to read this FAQ before contacting us!

Mutine

Why did the price of Mutine products raise in the Usa over the years?

- Not for the reason often seen with good products receiving gorgeous reviews ("...if it is that good, we could charge more!"). We have established a solid reputation of being obsessed with "value for money" products, but, as everyone is way too aware of, the US dollar has lost so much of its value that price adaptation was needed.
Also, US customers want speed of delivery, which mean faster, hence costlier, carriers.

Why are some products sold in the Usa only direct from Mutine's headquarters in Canada, since July 2007?

- For a few products (the actinote Module, the actinote Vibrato, the CEC CD-3300R, the CEC AMP-3300R, and the Mosquito D-8), if we had adjusted our prices to reflect the lower US dollar and/or the raising carriers' charges, the products would have been way more expensive in the USA than in Canada. We have always kept our prices similar in both countries, so this new situation would have been unfair for our US customers. By selling those few products ourselves, we have been able to keep their prices low.

For how many years will my Mutine product be repairable?

- As long as we have acces to the original parts, since our products are built to last. Contrary to certain service centers, we refuse to mess up with parts whose equivalence is not certified; in High Fidelity, every detail is critical.
The only brand that we have distributed for which the availability of some parts (mainly the Philips mechanics) is becoming increasingly difficult is Vecteur, since it was sold to another group several years ago... and since large groups like Philips are less concerned with the audiophile community's problems!
Just to take Audiomat as an example, the first products, built more than twenty years ago, are still repairable today... even if they rarely need it!

My Mutine product was delivered with the Mutine MPC Power Cord; is there any point in upgrading the power cord?

- We offer the Mutine MPC Power Cord (selected amongst many candidates during listening sessions) with our mid and high end products, because the chosen cable and Hubbell plug proved way better than the original cords delivered by the manufacturers; it is not a high-end cord, but it surpasses many reputed cords for the musicality, and at least the result is not impairing too much the products' sonic potential.
Of course, the actinote CS, CS Plus and CS Signature power cords are way superior, and bring a big improvement in all areas.

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actinote

How much improvement might I get from an upgrade to the actinote cables?

- Quite an improvement; the key achievement of the actinote is the addition of qualities rarely found together on other brands, like texture, substance, musicality plus the usual audiophile qualities like resolution, imaging, transients, decays, timbre and dynamics.
We are too often sad to hear systems based on our components sounding way below their musicality potential because of "artificial" sounding cables.

Which mode do you prefer: balanced or unbalanced ?

Since twenty years, when testing these two modes, we prefer unbalanced connections for their musicality (fruitfullness, density, timbres, homogeinity), while the balanced connections offer better bass control (sometimes drier), more air and subtler trebbles. To resume things: musicality vs performances. But be warned: this is only valid "all things being identical", from the connectors used (and this never happens, by very definition) to the boards' design and the whole system's behave!

How can I find the direction of my actinote cables?

The answer depends of the line:
- For the 2007 line, the direction is indicated by the arrows on the wood stoppers for the speaker cables, and on the WBT and Eichmann connectors for the other cables. Very simple... at last.
- For the former lines, the direction is indicated by the "v" on top of the "i" in the actinote name on the stickers. Nearly a secret code!

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Audiomat

What are the differences between the first Opéra, the new Prélude Référence 20 and the new Opéra Référence?

- The Opéra has the beauty of timbre associated with the full class A, better pace and a better immersion in the recordings' acoustics; the Prélude Référence 20 has better audiophile performances like resolution, dynamics, airiness, imaging and bass control. Pure music lovers with very musical components will prefer the Opéra, but the qualities of the Prélude Référence 20, added to its lower price and its versatility, appeal to many. The Opéra Référence combines both products' virtues: even more performances than the Prélude Référence 20, and more musicality than the Opéra!

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Atlantis Acoustique

- No FAQ for the moment.

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CEC

Which digital-specific cord do you suggest for my CEC transport?

- The actinote NB (unbalanced) or NXB (balanced).
Please read the actinote section for an explanation of the sonic difference between those two modes.

Do you plan to distribute the CD-5300?

- We are not planning to distribute it, partially because of our prices, which are quite different from the prices seen on some other markets. Since our prices are low, the CD-5300 would sell here at a price closer to the TL-51XR's price than to the CD-3300R' price. The TL-51XR, thanks to its belt-driven transport, is quite better than the CD-5300, so we decided to only offer the TL-51XR with its better price/quality value.

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Équation

- No FAQ for the moment.

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Mimetism

- No FAQ for the moment.

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Mosquito

- No FAQ for the moment.

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Pluto

- No FAQ for the moment.

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Last update:
July 11, 2007