AudioCircle

Industry Circles => ModWright Instruments (MWI) => Topic started by: Whitese on 29 Feb 2012, 07:19 pm

Title: I joined the Modwright community
Post by: Whitese on 29 Feb 2012, 07:19 pm
I purchased a used Modwright Sony DVP-NS999ES Signature modification with eveything that was offered by Modwright including the tube rectified power supply and Revelation Audio Labs Cryo-silver umbilical.

I am looking fwd to getting it next week and after I figure out some stuff, pick some brains in here...It will be mated to a Berning TF-10 preamp and EA230 amp..to JBL 4430's or L96.

Pics are from previous owner:
(http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=215669&stc=1&d=1330490331)

(http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=215670&stc=1&d=1330490344)

(http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=215671&stc=1&d=1330490358)
Title: Re: I joined the Modwright community
Post by: Philistine on 29 Feb 2012, 07:24 pm
Welcome to the MW community.

The 999ES was my first encounter with Dan many years ago, I remember it keeping me up all night listening to how good my CDs really were.
I hope you get as much enjoyment out of it as I did.
Title: Re: I joined the Modwright community
Post by: Whitese on 29 Feb 2012, 07:27 pm
I think I will...I am listening to a lot of old time classical with Lute and small ensemble music, were a good CDP will shine, with all the ambiance, old wood resonance, ect..
Title: Re: I joined the Modwright community
Post by: modwright on 11 Mar 2012, 07:24 pm
Welcome to the communit, from the Owner and CEO of ModWright Instruments!

I hope that you thoroughly enjoy the 999ES and that you will consider us for future upgrades.  I believe in quality, service, value and good customer service.

Take care and enjoy the music!

Dan
Title: Re: I joined the Modwright community
Post by: Whitese on 29 Apr 2012, 02:21 pm
I need help my friends...out of the blue, the PS 9.0 is blowing fuses. If I replace a fuse it blows instantly as I turn it on.   Any suggestions, or just send it straight to you guys?
Title: Re: I joined the Modwright community
Post by: AB on 29 Apr 2012, 10:11 pm
Tube rectified, right? Have you tried a different rectifier tube?
Title: Re: I joined the Modwright community
Post by: modwright on 4 May 2012, 03:40 am
Agreed.  Likely a bad rectifier tube.

Thanks,

Dan
Title: Re: I joined the Modwright community
Post by: Whitese on 27 May 2012, 09:47 pm
This issue is resolved...New tubes and new fuses...previous owner had the wrong value fuse in there.
Title: Re: I joined the Modwright community
Post by: iamjaymo on 20 May 2013, 08:07 pm
I realize this thread is a bit dated but containing my excitement is no longer possible. Worked out a deal with the original owner of a KWI 200 and to say I am excited would be an understatement. I have longed, looked and lusted at Modwright's for quite some time...and now soon, one will be in my listening room. I will report back soon when I receive it.

I may want to install the phono board eventually, anyone know the turn around time? Cost? And general process? Thanks in advance.

J
Title: Re: I joined the Modwright community
Post by: talk2me on 21 May 2013, 04:27 am
There is no better customer service than ModWright.
Title: Re: I joined the Modwright community
Post by: modwright on 21 May 2013, 08:27 pm
Thank you!  We strive to ALWAYS put our customers FIRST!

Dan Wright
President, ModWright Instruments Inc.
Title: Re: I joined the Modwright community
Post by: Jeffy on 22 May 2013, 04:30 pm
Dan is the best and very friendly in person. Jeff
Title: Re: I joined the Modwright community
Post by: iamjaymo on 24 May 2013, 11:37 pm
So I just got my new to me KWI-200 in house...OMG it is incredible!  It is a rock crusher with eloquent edges.  It is fantastic! To say this is a musical amp would be a VAST understatement.  Nice work Mr. Wright, nice work indeed.
Title: Re: I joined the Modwright community
Post by: shahed on 24 May 2013, 11:55 pm
I'm a new ModWright user. I've a LS 100 and KWA100 SE to drive my Daedalus Ulysses. I'm enjoying the best sound I've ever heard in my setup. Dan has been super helpful from the beginning. I recently had some mild bad experiences from one particular manufacturer/owner; which kinda amplified in my mind how helpful, prompt  and patient Dan has been!
Title: Re: I joined the Modwright community
Post by: thunderbrick on 25 May 2013, 12:01 am
I have a MW SWL 9.0 SE Sig en route to me from another AC member.  Dan and his team answered my many questions quickly and in a very positive manner.   :thumb:

Looking forward to hooking up the SWL 9.0!
Title: Re: I joined the Modwright community
Post by: modwright on 30 May 2013, 08:42 pm
Thank you all very much!  I appreciate the feedback!  This business was born out of passion for audio and music.  It remains to be this way, despite the company being larger and my being BUSIER ;).  I strive to maintain the SAME level of product and service that we started with.

Take care,

Dan W.
Title: Re: I joined the Modwright community
Post by: jackox on 4 Jun 2013, 06:45 pm
Becoming a Modwrighter is the best and worst thing that happened in my music lover life.

Best : it all started with that may be the first Oppo BDP-83SE Dan worked on with full channel solid state mod.
Since the unit went back to Dan and got few more tweaks, then I did some of my own stuff.
It is by far the best CD/SACD/DVD-A unit I got my hands on, it still run and give me an amazing sound stage.
Even though we live very far I had the chance to get Dan on the phone, he may be the more interesting, talented and kind person in the business.
Then I ended up with two KWA150SE ... many thanks to Dan again, I never had dreamed to end up with such amazing amps ! I tried few other and I always get back to my KWAs, not because I paid for them, because they do sound like I was always expecting an amp to sound like.

Worst : because Dan is making such good product I became very demanding and any piece of equipement I own must be at the top. So I get all my stuff moded and upgraded.

I am really thankull to Dan's work and to his coworkers.
I do hope to be able to have enough free time to get to Munich highend once and grab a beer !
Title: Re: I joined the Modwright community
Post by: maxboy00 on 4 Jun 2013, 08:26 pm
So I just got my new to me KWI-200 in house...OMG it is incredible!  It is a rock crusher with eloquent edges.  It is fantastic! To say this is a musical amp would be a VAST understatement.  Nice work Mr. Wright, nice work indeed.

Yes that has been my experience with the KWI-200, an outstanding IA, The amp is also great at low listening levels as well as rocking out.  The IA has great power reserves and only gets better the longer you listen to it.
Title: Re: I joined the Modwright community
Post by: iamjaymo on 6 Jun 2013, 02:46 am
So, just for fun, I added an LS-100 to the mix! Haven't received it yet, but wondering what a little tube magic will do for the KWI-200. Saw that the combo in pictures at one of the shows Modwright did (Chicago) and have been curious ever since. Guess I'll find out...

I love this gear...I'm hooked! After more than 30 amps passing thru my listening room, finally!
Title: Re: I joined the Modwright community
Post by: maxboy00 on 6 Jun 2013, 12:31 pm
Please post your impressions of the LS-100 when used with the KWI-200, I have also thought of adding it with my system. According to Dan, it puts the KWI-200 in an another league?  Since I never had used tubes before, I been hesitant to get one.  What speakers are you using w/the KWI?
Title: Re: I joined the Modwright community
Post by: iamjaymo on 6 Jun 2013, 02:56 pm
Please post your impressions of the LS-100 when used with the KWI-200, I have also thought of adding it with my system. According to Dan, it puts the KWI-200 in an another league?  Since I never had used tubes before, I been hesitant to get one.  What speakers are you using w/the KWI?

I will certainly post my impressions.  I am using Ascend Acoustics Sierra Towers, non ribbon tweeter model. I too am a tube newbie however I have been so impressed with my Van Alstine Fet Valve DAC that a tube preamp was the next logical step for additional tubeiness. Will let you know...

Dan, perhaps you are the best one to comment on the sonic changes when running the KWI as a power amp with the LS 100...
Title: Re: I joined the Modwright community
Post by: modwright on 10 Jun 2013, 06:12 pm
It WILL sound better, using a LS 100 tube preamp and the KWI 200 as a straight amp.  The tubes add a nice improvement to the sound and the amp is a TRUE powerhouse.  The combination is exceptional!

Please do post your results!

Thanks,

Dan W.
Title: Re: I joined the Modwright community
Post by: iamjaymo on 15 Jun 2013, 02:33 am
Well, she's here!! ...and she's a beauty, just gorgeous! By far the best looking piece I have had in my listening room.  Dan, you were right, it "just sounds better".  I will give a more detailed review when I put more hours in but so far it has added a touch of honey to my cereal.  The LS has given just a tad of liquidity to the midrange and, something I didn't expect, the bass is MUCH improved! The same deep bass tightness I love about the KWI but the LS has added a noticeable "weight" to the music.  It sounds absolutely magnificent.
Title: Re: I joined the Modwright community
Post by: maxboy00 on 17 Jun 2013, 11:34 pm
Sweet! The LS-100 is a nice looking piece of equipment. I look forward to your impressions, everyone into tubes always states how sweet the sound is over SS, and I have thought of getting a tube IA just to try out, but I like the KWI so much I have no desire to remove it from my system. The LS-100 may be the right solution.
Title: Re: I joined the Modwright community
Post by: thunderbrick on 25 Jun 2013, 03:36 am
I've had my (used) SWL 9.0 SE Signature for just about a month and thought it's time to report my experiences.   Simply stated, synergy is everything! When first hooked up (Maggie 20.1 biamped with Moscode 300 and Forte Mdl 3) I thought my ears were going to bleed.  Harsh and unlistenable. Soundstage was wide but shallow.  Vocals were weird.

Rather than give up, over several nights I added the tweeter resistor to tame the high end, turned the LF controls up slightly on the LP-1 crossover, tilted the speakers outward just a bit, and left the preamp on for days at a time.  30 days at a time, for that matter.

Within days everything settled in and got better and better.  Solid, thundering bass.  Clarity I'd never dreamed of, details and depth on RB CDs I never knew was there, all on music I knew very well.  Listening to Phantom of the Opera tonight and hearing dozens of instruments and voices that are all new to me.  Vocal nuances I'd never realized could come from digital.  Soundstage has grown wide, deep and layered.   Hall acoustics are tremendous!

As a bonus, while struggling with whether to buy the unit, the folks at Modwright happily answered my questions about compatibility with my other components and the unit itself.  This one's a keeper, and when my vintage amps finally release the magic blue smoke, MW will be where I look first.

THANKS, Dan and crew!    :thumb:
Title: Re: I joined the Modwright community
Post by: modwright on 1 Jul 2013, 03:26 pm
Thank you!

Be well!

Dan W.
Title: Re: I joined the Modwright community
Post by: zadfrak on 20 Dec 2013, 06:53 pm
Another customer to join.

I'm a vinyl guy. Have been for almost 40 years. Advertised for albums and sent away for things since like 1976.

I didn't hear a cd player I ever liked. A friend told me about his modwright music hall 25 he'd sell me for a system I was putting together for my son's high school graduation. Very very impressive.

I was all in when hearing about utilizing tung sols. Wow. Certainly were cheaper and easier paths to take than that.

What a terrific sounding unit & that's comparing it with my turntable setup; VPI scout. JMW memorial arm. Cardas wiring throughout. Top of the line Benz micro cartridge. Playing german pressings of things like Kraftwerk and Alan Parsons 12" singles. Tough competition right there.

Great product and opening the top shows what a fantastic build quality.

Thanks.
Title: Re: I joined the Modwright community
Post by: modwright on 22 Dec 2013, 03:12 am
Thanks for that!

We do some pretty good phono design work too :).

The SWP 9.0SE has been discontinued for a while, but I am working on a standalone Reference phono design - PH 150 - to be released by the end of Q1 2014.

It features an external power supply, 6c45 (2) and 6922 (2) tube complement as well as Lundahl transformer coupling in and out.  The design is non-phase inverting, with front panel controls for resistance, capacitance, gain, power and stereo/mono function.  Outputs are RCA or XLR, fully balanced.  Two separate inputs, MC and MM.  Max MC loading = 68dB, Max MM loading = 53dB.  Gain settings allow for 0, -6 and -12db.

Very excited about this design!

Thanks guys!

Dan
Title: Re: I am also a new member of the Modwright community
Post by: jimbones on 20 Oct 2014, 12:07 am
I just joined the MWI community as well. I just purchased a KWA 100SE. A wonderful amp. Really love it. Thanks Dan for such a great product!
Title: Re: I joined the Modwright community
Post by: modwright on 20 Oct 2014, 12:43 am
Thank you and enjoy!

Dan W.
Title: Re: I joined the Modwright community
Post by: toddc2 on 3 Oct 2015, 01:17 pm
Another Modwright convert here! I picked up a new KWA 150 in the very cool black finish. The MW replaced an all around excellent Sonic Frontiers Power1 SE+ tube amp.

The new amp sounds great right out of the box. The bass has real weight and presence, something my tube amp was light on. The mids are super clean sounding with lots of detail. The vocals have lost that tube magic glow but otherwise sound great. We'll see if the vocals change as the amp breaks in, but my guess is that I'll need to swap out my Ayre preamp for something with tubes. Time will tell...

Dan, I didn't see a warranty registration card, is there anything I need to do to register my new amp with you?

Todd
Title: Re: I joined the Modwright community
Post by: modwright on 4 Oct 2015, 06:07 am
Hi Todd and thanks!  If you bought it from a dealer, then it carries the warranty.  If purchase from Canada, then you will need to contact our Canadian distributor for warranty service.  No need to fill out a warranty card.  Based on the S/N, we know the unit's history.

I appreciate your support and feedback!

We have a number of preamps that work very well with the 150.

Take care,

Dan W.
Title: Re: I joined the Modwright community
Post by: cheech on 4 Oct 2015, 02:03 pm
Todd, I have the KWA100SE and use the Modwright LS100 preamp - if you like 6sn7 sound I would highly recommend the LS100 using Black Treasure CV181s (6sn7 equivalent) and NOS 5AR4 (Mulldard or Phillips. Good luck and enjoy your KWA150
Title: Re: I joined the Modwright community
Post by: toddc2 on 4 Oct 2015, 03:12 pm
Todd, I have the KWA100SE and use the Modwright LS100 preamp - if you like 6sn7 sound I would highly recommend the LS100 using Black Treasure CV181s (6sn7 equivalent) and NOS 5AR4 (Mulldard or Phillips. Good luck and enjoy your KWA150

Thanks Cheech, I appreciate the recommendation!
Title: Re: I joined the Modwright community
Post by: dminches on 4 Oct 2015, 03:18 pm
I owned an LS-100 and preferred old stock 6Sn7s such as sylvania WGTAs or even plain Tung Sols.  I am not a fan of the newer issue 6SN7s (which the CV-181 really is).

Try a bunch and see what you like.
Title: Re: I joined the Modwright community
Post by: modwright on 11 Oct 2015, 06:22 pm
For some reason, the LS 100 paired with the KWI 200 adds A LOT!  To be clear, when this is done, you are using the LS 100 as preamp, bypassing the preamp stage in the KWI 200, which is a SS circuit.  This must be the key!

Perhaps we should just offer a KWA 200 amp?

Input welcome!

Thanks,

Dan