[b]SWL 9.0 and SWL 9.0SE FeedBack![/b]

John B · « **Reply #20 on:** 26 Feb 2005, 12:08 am »

Bart,

This version is a special request, and we don't know that it's better, it simply something I wanted to try. I'm sure if you want to mod the SE to this version you can have it done, but the gains I'm probably going to get are likely not going to be worth the price for most folks. I'd let me be the guinea pig first before getting all excited or disappointed about Platinum

ted_b · « **Reply #21 on:** 26 Feb 2005, 01:13 am »

John B,
I ordered an SWL SE 9.0 with significant upgrades (BG caps, Bybee AC and slipstream, etc) and have been waiting quite patiently. Why are you goin to the trouble of announcing a Platinum, then turning around and being secretive about it?? If there is a new level, a lot of us want to have the same opportunity, especially early adopters!!

Ted

modwright · « **Reply #22 on:** 26 Feb 2005, 01:16 am »

There is truly no limit to how far things can be taken...

The SE version represents the upgrades that I wanted to do, but couldn't for the price-point set initially, which was < $1500. The SE is the result of this and it represents what I feel to be the best that we can offer without going over the top in terms of cost, etc.

Of course we can do more, including:

AC Bybee purifiers.
Slipstream Analog stage purifiers.
Tantalum Resistors in key location.
Black Gate caps in the power supply.
Etc.

I wanted to offer a unit that offered exceptional value and performance. I didn't want to enter the market with a $3k unit. I am sure that we will design new models in the future that will represent new design ideas and will do so without regard to price.

The SWL 9.0SE does represent a state of the art Class A preamp that represents both excellent performance AND value. Can it be improved upon.

I hope this makes sense. I am grateful to John and others who have purchased our product and made special requests for some or all of these upgrade options.

Take care and enjoy the music!

Dan

John B · « **Reply #23 on:** 26 Feb 2005, 02:36 am »

Quote

Why are you goin to the trouble of announcing a Platinum, then turning around and being secretive about it?? If there is a new level, a lot of us want to have the same opportunity, especially early adopters!!

No secrecy here, I simply wanted Dan to announce what he could offer in additional upgrades; it's his business not mine.

Chris_B · « **Reply #24 on:** 26 Feb 2005, 05:05 am »

Does the Platninum go to eleven??

John B · « **Reply #25 on:** 26 Feb 2005, 04:02 pm »

My other preamp is a Bruce Moore Companion III. This particular unit belonged to a Reviewer, prior to my purchase. This reviewer had certain preferences and goals for his sound. He had the unit modified by Bruce Moore in an attempt to make the unit more in line with those sonic goals. Though the designer did not agree with what the Reviewer was trying to achieve with his unit, he complied. As such more expensive parts were installed, and resistors on the stepped volume control were changed out. This provided the change the Reviewer was looking for and he was happy. He then got a balanced amp and had to move on from the Companion III. He put the unit up for sale. Into the picture I come. At the time I had some ribbon speakers, and the more tilted to the top end of the frequency spectrum sound of the unit was a great match. When I changed out my speakers and amp, the modified preamp did not fare as well, things sounded less musical, less refined in the areas it had been excelling at with the Ribbon monitors. I got a chance to hear a stock Companion III last week with my system, and it had a more balanced tonal character, very musical, just right in fact. So much so I requested to have my modified Companion III put back to stock form. This is an example of why you simply cannot judge that upgraded parts and such will always be a step in the right direction. So much is system dependent.

modwright · « **Reply #26 on:** 26 Feb 2005, 04:35 pm »

I agree with John of course, just putting more expensive parts in a unit does not necessarily mean that it will sound better. All parts have their own tonal character, etc., and can change the voicing of any piece.

In the case of the upgrades that John is having done to his new SWL 9.0SE, I concur with all upgrades and they WILL take the unit further in the direction that I would want the unit to go. In this case, they are also expensive upgrades. But, they are in accordance with my design goals.

I can understand that it would be frustrating to have a customer request custom modifications that went against my design goals and voicing.

Now, about going to 11....

The next run of preamps WILL go to Eleven!

. The design has not changed, as far as the circuit goes, but the volume WILL go to eleven.

This is so that....'when you need that extra bit to push you over the edge...this one goes to 11!' I am expecting an order from 'Nigel' soon

.

Dan

John B · « **Reply #27 on:** 26 Feb 2005, 10:48 pm »

Quote

'when you need that extra bit to push you over the edge...this one goes to 11!'

11! hell, I was having an sonically intense time with with the volume up just ways from zero; 11 would be lethal on my system!

modwright · « **Reply #28 on:** 27 Feb 2005, 04:21 pm »

But, but....it goes to 11!

Dan

modwright · « **Reply #29 on:** 28 Feb 2005, 03:38 am »

More feedback from another happy SWL 9.0SE owner who was also a Beta unit owner.

"Dan. Your Modwright SWL 9.0 is absolutely a knockout! Best I've heard to date, and i've heard many in the 5-10k range. Great cosmetics, great finish and build, and the sound is explosive, dynamic, and the bass extension is more than I've had with any preamp. Plucked strings are fast and glow as they decay, the shimmer of gongs and cymbals as they are struck and fade away is stunning. Wonderful amount of detail without sounding hard and clinical. Thanks so much." - M. Burhenne (2.27.05)

Thanks,

Dan W.

alotaklipsch · « **Reply #30 on:** 28 Feb 2005, 02:38 pm »

Quote from: modwright

But, but....it goes to 11!

Dan

Dan, you know I am nutz, please, please, please make mine to go at least 12, I always need that extra volume so my ears can

120 db, just fien with me

modwright · « **Reply #31 on:** 28 Feb 2005, 03:49 pm »

Okay...YOURS will go to twelve...

Dan

jcoat007 · « **Reply #32 on:** 28 Feb 2005, 04:50 pm »

If his goes to 12 I want mine to go to 12 too!!!!

In fact, I want mine to go to at least 12 1/64.

ted_b · « **Reply #33 on:** 12 Mar 2005, 03:50 am »

Well, my hot-rodded SE arrived via UPS on Wednesday. It has the Bybee AC filters and the Bybee analog stage Slipstreams, along with huge Black Gate caps in the power supply.

I initially set it up in break-in mode by running a tuner to it and plugging it into an old amp that was left plugged in but off. That way I could listen to my current pre and let the SE break-in for its 100 hr prologue. Well, after 24 hrs I couldn't wait anymore. Yesterday I moved it to it's righful place in the heart of my system. I have the Modwright 999ES Platinum hooked to it, as well as a Technics A10 DVD-Audio player and the front l&r from my 7.1 HT system (into the HT bypass). One set of pre outs go to my Krell KSA-100, the other set go to my NHT X2 sub crossover. The Krell and the Modwright SACD player use VHAudio's Pulsar ic's with Eichmann silver bullets, the rest use Signal cable, some with Eichmann, some not.

The SE is replacing a very well mannered tubed preamp in its own right, a Ray Samuels Emmeline Stealth II. The Stealth was originally bought for its incredible headphone amp capabilities and slowly became my main pre. It may stay in my ownership as a head amp, dunno yet, but it excels like no other in headphone duty....a bit pricey for that solely, though. The fact that it's a great preamp is icing.

I waited until tonight to give the SE its first serious listen, although at only 40 hrs or so, it is hardly broken in. For those that haven't been reading about these teflon caps, the word is that 100 hrs is a magical time....literally 100 hrs. Even the folks at Conrad-Johnson can't explain it, but they agree. I digress.

Well, I put on some very familair material and found an immediate issue. My NHT X2 crossover was set incorrectly for the SE cuz now bass information (all information for that matter, but I'm getting ahead of myself) was cascading into the room without mercy. Tight, low, articulate bone-crushing bass. It was ridiculous. I dialed back the subs on the X2 by about 30%, and tweaked the crossover down a couple hz, and all was incredibly well. What flowed from the speakers was both full-range (felt like dc-100k) and yet very controlled and warm. The mids had much more body than I'm used to, and the treble became integrated into the music, not just a great sounding tweeter. Everything has much much much more definition and detail.....wait....this feels like the first time I heard the 999ES Platinum after it had fully broken in!? Somehow the SE has doubled that capability, and I frankly don't understand it. I mean, if you clean a window of its grime and streaks, you see much better. How is it then if you clean a clean window you can see TWICE that much better? That's what it feels like.

I played everything from Cassandra Wilson New Moon Daughter to Cowboy Junkies Trinity Sessions to Radiohead Amnesiac. Songs like Packed Liked Sardines or Like Spinning Plates can be train wrecks waiting to happen, yet with the SE it is a glorious ride, no wreck in sight, just a tight controlled set of sounds and emotions.....I'm buying more tickets!!! I love trains rides.

The presence of the recording is conveyed very well. The recording space, the singers inhales and exhales, the tape loops edited in....all there in all the splendor. What this should mean is that there is nowhere for bad recordings to hide. But what I heard tonight leads to believe that there are fewer bad recordings in my collection than I originally thought. I'll find bad ones, though, and report back.

Net/net, I can't frickin wait to hear this thing when it's supposed to sound good.

And I've yet to play an SACD on it.....

(in Homer voice) "ummmm, RCA Living Stereo SACD's...ummmmm"

Great job, Dan. So, what are a couple of wires between friends (inside joke)....?

Ted

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #34 on:** 12 Mar 2005, 04:54 am »

ted_b :

Quote

I mean, if you clean a window of its grime and streaks, you see much better. How is it then if you clean a clean window you can see TWICE that much better? That's what it feels like.

[/list:u]

Excellent comparison ted.....increased dynamic's, wide soundstage, and you can see deeper into the music. [/list:u]

Benb · « **Reply #35 on:** 12 Mar 2005, 04:36 pm »

the last post got me thinking...

When my SE arrives, I'll want to put some hours on it before serious listening. But aural memory is very tricky. I'd like to be able to break in the preamp outside of my main system, so when I give it a listen I can swap out the beta SWL and compare. I don't need to have them both plugged in to do an a-b, but would like to play a few tracks on the former system, switch them out and have another listen. Waiting a couple of weeks between proper listening just won't do it.

Can I run an old CD player into the new SWL as break-in? do I need to run the pre into an amp to get proper break-in?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Ben

ted_b · « **Reply #36 on:** 12 Mar 2005, 05:52 pm »

I did exactly what your are asking. The SE break-in needs to occur at the audio outs and within the power supply. So the unit needs to be on (duh) and a signal needs to run all the way through it. Sooooo, plug in a cd player (I did a tuner with interstation noise), put it on repeat, and plug in an amp. The audio outs NEED to see a connection; the amp doesn't need to be on, though. Turn up the volume a bit so the audio outs get a decent signal.

Ted

Chris_B · « **Reply #37 on:** 12 Mar 2005, 08:33 pm »

Thanks for the hints on break in. I need to run mine in for the 100 hours. After a few listening sessions of less than 10 total hours, my SE sounds great. Much better than my old pre. For grins, I am going to hook my old pre up to the HT bypass and connect the source (2 identical outputs) to both pre's to compare them.

This is a very special product.

modwright · « **Reply #38 on:** 13 Mar 2005, 02:43 am »

Thanks guys, for the kind words and great feedback. I have worked very hard on this design for over two years and it is great to see and hear that it was worth the work

.

The SWL 9.0 is the first product to be released by ModWright Instruments and we will follow with a phono pre and a USB DAC later this year. We will also offer a balanced preamp at some point in the future, but right now I am just trying to build these fast enough...

Speaking of which, we have only a couple of the first fifty units available for the intro price of $1899. After these are sold, the price will go up to $2199.

We are just about caught up with current orders, but we are still literally shipping them as fast as they are built.

Thanks,

Dan W.

Benb · « **Reply #39 on:** 13 Mar 2005, 02:53 am »

Dan,

I like the idea of a USB DAC.
I'm starting to see the possibilities of HD playback of CDs.
You might want to think about modding the Airport Express as well to allow USB audio output (apparently possible). Wireless from my iBook to the Airport Express into a high quality DAC just may be the wave of the future. The wireless part may be the weak link, but I don't think it has to be.

Ben