ModWright Modified Transporter - The Wave of the Future!

Philistine · « **Reply #40 on:** 27 Jan 2008, 05:16 pm »

My TP is setup to work here in the US. At some point in the future I may return to Europe, and Dan has already advised me that his mod with will work also with 220/240 volts. I believe it's just a simple case of selecting the relevant connections on the transformer, I don't need to send it to him to do this.

As far as an order direct to Europe is concerned I believe Dan selects the correct voltage for the country and then ships to you ready to go.

With the weak $ this has to be a great deal over in Europe.

Bequerel · « **Reply #41 on:** 27 Jan 2008, 05:46 pm »

Thanks, Philistine!

Now... where is my VISA card?!

modwright · « **Reply #42 on:** 27 Jan 2008, 05:54 pm »

This is correct. The stock transporter automatically senses 120 or 220V voltages for the main unit. We set the voltage for our unit, based on where it is going. As such, we can mod and ship to any country in the world, setting the voltage for 120/220 as is applicable.

I agree, with the weakness of the $US, this does represent a great value for our int'l customers.

Thanks,

Dan W.

fu_man · « **Reply #43 on:** 31 Jan 2008, 08:50 am »

..speaking of international buyers... are any of your distributors or agents ( specifically, in New Zealand) planning on getting demo units?

modwright · « **Reply #44 on:** 2 Feb 2008, 08:37 am »

At this point, the Modified Transporter is a Mod product and therefore is not available through dealers. I have considered making them available via international dealers however, but not domestic. The mod was really not priced with dealers in mind, to be honest.

Any international dealer may, however, contact us if they have customers interested. I would be happy to make arrangements for our int'l dealers to have at least a demo on hand to show. In other words, I would make the demo unit available for an attractive price to any/all existing MWI international dealers and distributors.

Thanks,

Dan W.

Philistine · « **Reply #45 on:** 3 Feb 2008, 01:37 am »

New Firmware announced:

http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=42960

haven't tried it yet.

flaneb · « **Reply #46 on:** 4 Feb 2008, 10:07 pm »

Just wanted to add my 2 cents, I now have over 100hrs on my modwright transporter and CS2 speakers....
The modwright is giving me the best digital I have ever heard and the CS2's will change everything in
regard to quality. I was out to put together the best system regardless of price (without being stupid).
These two components qualify.........remarkable seeing their low price...
An incredible job by Dan and Clayton
frank

modwright · « **Reply #47 on:** 8 Feb 2008, 07:03 am »

Recent Feedback...Transporter replaces Burmester CDP!

First impression of the Transporter: It's just fantastic. The only digital musicplayer that I have ever heard that comes anywhere close to the Transporters realism and analogue way of communicating is the top-of-the-line CDP from Accuphase I heard at a show last year. However, I do think the Transporter beats it on dynamics. My own Burmester CDP has now been firmly dethroned.
T. Halvorsen - 2.05.08

rydenfan · « **Reply #48 on:** 13 Feb 2008, 08:55 pm »

I just left a message for Dan to place my order!! I will post my impressions and pictures as soon as it is up and running. I am so excited!!

ted_b · « **Reply #49 on:** 13 Feb 2008, 08:56 pm »

David,
Congrats. I will look forward to your impressions. Will you go thru the Cary or direct to the amp?

rydenfan · « **Reply #50 on:** 13 Feb 2008, 09:06 pm »

Thank Ted! I probably would not be ordering this piece with your assistance.

Since Cary cannot seem to get anybody an 11a yet as you are well aware

I will initially run it directly into my amp which is the Cary Cinema 5. Once I receive my 11a I will run it into the Balanced input of the 11a which offers the analog bypass. Since I am able to control the volume even in the bypass mode obviously the Cary is not completely out of the chain, but pretty close.

ted_b · « **Reply #51 on:** 13 Feb 2008, 09:10 pm »

Quote from: rydenfan on 13 Feb 2008, 09:06 pm

Thank Ted! I probably would not be ordering this piece with your assistance.

I'm gonna take that as a compliment.

rydenfan · « **Reply #52 on:** 13 Feb 2008, 09:17 pm »

Quote from: ted_b on 13 Feb 2008, 09:10 pm

I'm gonna take that as a compliment.

Well, I will let you know once I am happy or not

All kidding aside, of course it is a compliment. Your guidance in talking through my laundry list of questions was a tremendous help to me. Moving away from a more conventional setup to this piece can be a daunting transition and I cannot express enough how helpful you have been.

I guess it is time to start ripping my cd's to keep me occupied till Dan's Transporter arrives...

rydenfan · « **Reply #53 on:** 14 Feb 2008, 05:16 pm »

I just realized I am moving into the tube and digital age at the same time, kind of ironic.

rydenfan · « **Reply #54 on:** 15 Feb 2008, 09:49 pm »

I just talked to Dan and my Transporter is complete!! He is going to run it over the weekend and ship it out Monday. Hopefully it will get to Florida by Friday so I can have it for the weekend. More to come..

modwright · « **Reply #55 on:** 16 Feb 2008, 07:33 am »

Well, I finally have had a chance to evaluate 'The Music Vault N.A.S.' from Neal at Sound Science - www.soundsciencecat.com.

The Music Vault is essentially a music server, meant to be used with the Slim Devices Squeeze Box, Duet or Transporter.

The 'Music Vault' consists of a motherboard running Linux OS, 1TB drive, (enough to hold about 1500 CDs ripped via FLAC), CD drive and wireless card.

I used the device connected via ethernet to my router and established the Music Vault as a network point on the workgroup that also includes my laptop and desktop PC. In this configuration, the Music Vault was able to download CD data from the internet when ripping CD's and communicated directly via WiFi with the Transporter. If I had already ripped all of my CD's, there would be no need for an internet connection.

Okay, so what makes The Music Vault a good value? Well, at $1K, you get a music server capable of holding at least 1500 CD's. It does not require a computer, only router to establish a network. CD's are ripped to the hard drive automatically when you insert a CD in the CD drive. The device knows to read the CD, get the CD database information from the web, rip the music to FLAC and archive the data to the internal hard drive. The software on-board is designed to interface seamlessly with Slimserver.

How difficult to setup?

1) Plug included USB thumb drive with OS into any USB port on the device.
2) Plug included ethernet cable from Music Vault into network router.
3) Plug in power cord.
4) Push the power button.
5) You will initially need to establish a work group on the computer network called WORKGROUP. The owners manual gives clear direction for how to do this.
6) Open CD tray, insert CD, close the drive and let the Music Vault rip your first CD...repeat, repeat, repeat.

Once you have your music loaded on The Music Vault, the Slim Devices product then automatically allows access to all music on the Music Vault via Music Folder.

This product is meant to be convenient, efficient and reliable. It is exceptionally well built and the fan is so quiet that I had to put my ear to it to be sure that it was on. The loudest part of the unit is the CD drive while it burns CD's. It is an attractively styled and compact device that simply does what it is supposed to do.

Admittedly, those who want to 'roll their own' music server can do so. You will need a computer, hard drive, network connection and one of a variety of programs such as EAC that you will have to manually configure and monitor during the ripping process. You can also use an existing computer with an established network and internal or external hard drives for archiving.

The fact is, not everyone has the ability, time or desire to go through all of this. For those who don't, The Music Vault represents, in my opinion, a fantastic value, performance, and ease of use. It is LITERALLY plug and play. It also keeps the music server/computer and music device, such as the Transporter, separate. I believe that the analog music signal should NOT reside inside of a computer. As such, I do not believe that complete music servers - i.e. all in one box, are the best way to go. Computers are inherently electrically noisy inside.

Lastly, I would encourage anyone considering putting together a computer-based music server system to consider that for $1K (Music Vault) + $3600 (ModWright modified Transporter) and a $50 router, can put together a $4650 complete computer music server system that will rival CD player and DACs, costing at least 3 x the price. Compare to other 'Music Servers' from other manufacturers at $6K+ - $20K+. And most importantly, you don't have to be a computer whiz to put this together.

If you haven't already done so, I would encourage everyone to check out The Music Vault at www.sound sciencecat.com.

Take care,

Dan Wright
President, ModWright Instruments Inc.

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #56 on:** 16 Feb 2008, 08:00 am »

Dan....You link was not working in your post....

http://soundsciencecat.com/MusicVault.html

kbuzz3 · « **Reply #57 on:** 16 Feb 2008, 03:52 pm »

Quote from: modwright on 16 Feb 2008, 07:33 am

Well, I finally have had a chance to evaluate 'The Music Vault N.A.S.' from Neal at Sound Science - www.sound sciencecat.com.

The Music Vault is essentially a music server, meant to be used with the Slim Devices Squeeze Box, Duet or Transporter.

The 'Music Vault' consists of a motherboard running Linux OS, 1TB drive, (enough to hold about 1500 CDs ripped via FLAC), CD drive and wireless card.

I used the device connected via ethernet to my router and established the Music Vault as a network point on the workgroup that also includes my laptop and desktop PC. In this configuration, the Music Vault was able to download CD data from the internet when ripping CD's and communicated directly via WiFi with the Transporter. If I had already ripped all of my CD's, there would be no need for an internet connection.

Okay, so what makes The Music Vault a good value? Well, at $1K, you get a music server capable of holding at least 1500 CD's. It does not require a computer, only router to establish a network. CD's are ripped to the hard drive automatically when you insert a CD in the CD drive. The device knows to read the CD, get the CD database information from the web, rip the music to FLAC and archive the data to the internal hard drive. The software on-board is designed to interface seamlessly with Slimserver.

How difficult to setup?

1) Plug included USB thumb drive with OS into any USB port on the device.
2) Plug included ethernet cable from Music Vault into network router.
3) Plug in power cord.
4) Push the power button.
5) You will initially need to establish a work group on the computer network called WORKGROUP. The owners manual gives clear direction for how to do this.
6) Open CD tray, insert CD, close the drive and let the Music Vault rip your first CD...repeat, repeat, repeat.

Once you have your music loaded on The Music Vault, the Slim Devices product then automatically allows access to all music on the Music Vault via Music Folder.

This product is meant to be convenient, efficient and reliable. It is exceptionally well built and the fan is so quiet that I had to put my ear to it to be sure that it was on. The loudest part of the unit is the CD drive while it burns CD's. It is an attractively styled and compact device that simply does what it is supposed to do.

Admittedly, those who want to 'roll their own' music server can do so. You will need a computer, hard drive, network connection and one of a variety of programs such as EAC that you will have to manually configure and monitor during the ripping process. You can also use an existing computer with an established network and internal or external hard drives for archiving.

The fact is, not everyone has the ability, time or desire to go through all of this. For those who don't, The Music Vault represents, in my opinion, a fantastic value, performance, and ease of use. It is LITERALLY plug and play. It also keeps the music server/computer and music device, such as the Transporter, separate. I believe that the analog music signal should NOT reside inside of a computer. As such, I do not believe that complete music servers - i.e. all in one box, are the best way to go. Computers are inherently electrically noisy inside.

Lastly, I would encourage anyone considering putting together a computer-based music server system to consider that for $1K (Music Vault) + $3600 (ModWright modified Transporter) and a $50 router, can put together a $4650 complete computer music server system that will rival CD player and DACs, costing at least 3 x the price. Compare to other 'Music Servers' from other manufacturers at $6K+ - $20K+. And most importantly, you don't have to be a computer whiz to put this together.

If you haven't already done so, I would encourage everyone to check out The Music Vault at www.sound sciencecat.com.

Take care,

Dan Wright
President, ModWright Instruments Inc.

Great write up DW. ive been on the fence for a while now..this helps a lot!!!!!

modwright · « **Reply #58 on:** 16 Feb 2008, 08:06 pm »

Thanks for pointing out the bad link, it should be fixed now.

The Music Vault really is a very cool music server for the Slim Devices products. Before I received it, I was questioning the value, vs. rolling your own. The answer is that it is COMPLETELY convenient, saves time, is dead quiet, and eliminates the need for a dedicated computer for use with the Transporter or other S.D. product.

If you use a laptop or other computer that is the home or office computer already, then you have to be sure that Slimserver is always running and that there are no energy saver functions working, that will shut down the drives, etc., interrupting play.

Of course you can buy a separate computer and HD and network card, etc., and build a similar product, but it will still require the active use of EAC or similar software to burn CD's and you will have to monitor each CD 'rip'. The Music Vault simply takes the CD in, burns, archives and ready's the music for use with a S.D. device immediately. It really depends on how computer savvy you are and how much you value your time.

Quite frankly, for $1K, given the amount of storage, convenience, and seemless integration with S.D. products, I give the Music Vault too HUGE thumbs up. I also applaude the use of a Linux OS in the unit, which I feel is a MUCH more stable OS than Windows. I am not a MAC user, so I can't comment there, but with MAC gear, you will also pay a price.

Thanks,

Dan W.

rydenfan · « **Reply #59 on:** 17 Feb 2008, 12:03 am »

Dan as you know I have just begun ripping my cd's in anticipation of my Transporter, which will ship from you on Monday

However, I have already encountered a few discs where the info does not come up and I have to type it in manually. How would a system like the music vault accomidate that?