Jeff thanks, your preamp looks fantastic!! - I'd choose the same finish if I went that route.
What sets it aside from the Modwright? - I know your unit probably isn't broken-in yet, but just wondered if at this early stage you might highlight a few specific differences (tonal character, frequency extension etc).
Thanks a lot
Rooze
Rooze,
Sorry for taking so long to respond to this but things are a bit hectic here right now.
ModWright vs. Dodd - What sets them apart?
The biggest and most obvious difference is that the Dodd runs off batteries rather than a transformer converting AC to DC. Based on what I’ve been told, batteries deliver pure DC power while a transformer passes along any crud that came out of the wall outlet.
So, the Dodd gives you a black noise free background without the use of a power conditioner.
Another difference between the two is that the ModWright has to be on for the Home Theater Bypass to work. The Dodd does not have to be turned on to engage H/T Bypass.
BACKGROUND:Lonewolf sent me his ModWright just prior to RMAF 2005.I knew that my Odyssey Tempest was the weak link in my system and the ModWright proved it. It was substantially better in the base department and IMHumbelO bested the Tempest in all other respects as well. Please note that I had both preamps at the same time so I was able to swap them in out of my system for comparisons.
My assessment at that time was that it sounded great in my system and people I respect had made the ModWright their preamp of choice so I called Dan to order one. The only issue I had with the ModWright was that it introduced a ground loop hum in system. I informed Dan of this issue when we spoke and he said that he would have a look at the circuit diagrams at his earliest opportunity to see if there was something he could do at his end to resolve the issue. I held off on the purchase and waited for him to get back to me.
I visited his room at RMAF 2005 with Lonewolf and Gordy and introduced myself. He’s a nice guy and I enjoyed our chat, but he did change his position on looking for a resolution to my problem due to lack of time.
Lonewolf, Gordy and I were impressed with the GR Research / Dodd room.
We all thought the Dodd Intermediate Pre was worth exploring. Gary Dodd lives about 20 minutes from me and he agreed to lend me the intermediate so I could hear it in my system.
I picked it up shortly after the show and loved it. I have a couple of buddies with excellent ears and Michelangelo at one time made his living helping bands sound better. They both got significantly more excited about the Dodd in my system than they did the ModWright. After our last session with the Dodd, Michelangelo jumped up, threw his hands over his head and screamed, “I’ve been tubed!!! How soon can he get one to you?”
I asked both Gary and Danny if I should pop for the extra coins and order the Dodd Reference Pre instead of the Intermediate. They both said that the difference was so slight vs. the significantly higher cost that they would go with the Intermediate. I ordered one.
A couple of weeks later, Gary told me that he had designed and built a prototype of the new Battery Powered Pre and it bested his Reference Pre significantly. Danny from GR Research confirmed Gary’s assessment so I switched my order to the Battery Powered Pre.
I picked it up just prior to RMAF 2006. So, almost a year has passed since I last heard the ModWright and consequently I am not prepared to draw further comparisons between the two.
After the Holidays, I’m going to host a North Texas Audio Jam at my place. Hopefully someone around here has a Modwright we can use for comparison. I also intend to ship my Dodd to Lonewolf so he can play with yet another new toy. If no one in the NY area has the Dodd he can also take it to one of their Raves. At that point there should be plenty of comparisons made by qualified people to address your question better than I can at this point.
PARTING THOUGHTS:Danny from GR Research is a designer and consultant.
He has heard a plethora of preamps including those with 5 digit sticker prices.
Per Danny the Dodd beats them all. Having heard the ModWright I would narrow my choices down to these two.
I believe that Marbles has also heard both and this isn’t his first rodeo, so you might quiz him as well. I would suggest that at this level soundstage, clarity, etc. are all exceptional and any differences between the ModWright and the Dodd will probably be slight. The acid test is to get your hands on one of each and test them in your system.
Sorry I can't be more specific regarding every musical nauance, but until you hear them both in your room, in your system who knows.
Best of luck with your search,
Jeff
