[TONEPUB]

Hello all

Just wanted to let you know that I have been listening to the standalone phono preamp now for a couple of weeks and it is very good.  A definite home run at $3000.  I've been comparing it to the BAT VK-P10SE, the Aesthetix Rhea and a few others with the ModWright definitely holding its own.

One word of advice though. 

Dan has invested a lot of $$ developing his own teflon caps and these babies take a while to break in.  My own reference preamp the CJ ACT2 series 2 uses a lot of teflon and it took 500 hours to reach full song.  I anticipate the same with the Modwright, but by about 250 it's definitely coming out of the fog.

Should you buy one of these great preamps, I highly suggest getting the phono break-in cd from Granite Audio (available at Music Direct) and letting this run on repeat for about a week.

Dont be discouraged by it sounding a little closed in at first, everyone who uses a lot of big teflon caps has the same dilemma.  I guarantee your patience will be worth it!!

I think Dan has hit another home run with this one....

Happy listening!

[modwright]

Thanks for the clarification.  You are very correct that the caps we use, albeit of the highest quality, DO need quite a bit of time to burn in.  In the future, we will do some pre-burn for the customer, but you can expect the unit to need 200-400 hours to fully reach its full potential.

I understand that the Granite audio CD is a great option as it allows you to plug a CD output directly into the phono stage for constant signal and burn-in.  Please note, you CANNOT player a regular CD into the phono inputs for burn in process, as a CDP outputs about 2.5V, compared to .25mV - 2.5mV (about 1/1000th the signal level of a standard CD).  The granite audio CD obviously outputs a specific and VERY low output signal from a CDP for phono burn-in.

Thanks,

Dan W.

[SCompRacer]

Thanks for the feedback on the stand alone phono pre amp and the Granite Audio Burn-In & RIAA Test CD.  I received my burn in CD today.  According to the Granite Audio web site, the Music Direct version (Model CD-101.1) has an additioanl track (#33) which is specifically designed for the lower signal level of moving coil circuits.  Tracks 1-32 are the same as the Granite Audio Model CD-101.

My SWLP is due by the weekend so I am set to go.

[Bill Baker]

I wish I knew about this CD before I received my ModWridgt SWLP but I am running vinyl on a regular basis now so I will do the burn-in the hard way. This will also give me an indication of the changes.

 I have dealt with a LOT of Teflon capacitors and can confidently state that these caps reach about 90% of their potential at about 400 hours. I want to go a bit further in what to expect with Teflon caps.

 Teflon caps go through some very odd stages. In the first 150 hours, they will do a one step forward - two steps back routine. Please do not be alarmed if you find the preamp does not sound as good one day as it did the day before. The next day it might sound even better. After about 150 hours, Teflon starts to become more consistant and improves on a daily basis without the two-step back routine.

 Once you reach the 200 hour mark, things really start to change and get even better on a consistant basis. After you reach the 400 hour mark, you should be in heaven as you are now very close to fullest potential.

 What many do not know about Teflon caps is that they continue to change, ever so slightly, right through 1200 hours. You will most likely not even notice this stage but it is a characteristic of Teflon capacitors.

 So, you think your new ModWright sounds good now....just wait until you start reaching these magical hour cornerstones!!

[TONEPUB]

Well put Bill...

The main reason I started this post in the first place was to let people know how good this preamp is once it has hours on it and not to freak out at first and put the darn thing up on audiogon!

I've seen that happen with other products where someone will listen to something like this for a few weekends and throw their arms up!

Then the second owner ends up getting all the benefits!!

I've really been enjoying this phono stage, but I have to pass it on to Marc Phillips to do the full review!  Definitely worth every penny asked for it!

[JerryS]

I have been running a new SWLP 9.0SE for almost 2 weeks non-stop with a tuner feeding the MC phono inputs through a DIY volume-controllable reverse RIAA box. Just passing 300 hours now and the sound is changing more slowly - getting smoother in the upper mids and the treble is gaining resolution by the hour.

These preamps should not be evaluated critically until at least 200 hours of music. It just keeps getting better. And now, "better" is really excellent. Jeff, you're right. Dan hit the ball out of the park!

Happy listening.

Regards,
JerryS

(This is my first post on Audio Circle. I apologize if it is not correctly constructed/placed.)
 

[Bill Baker]

I've seen that happen with other products where someone will listen to something like this for a few weekends and throw their arms up!

These preamps should not be evaluated critically until at least 200 hours of music. It just keeps getting better. And now, "better" is really excellent. Jeff, you're right. Dan hit the ball out of the park!

 I totally agree with Jeff and Jerry's statements above. While some products out there do not take nearly as long to reach their potential, you have to conside the quantity of OIMP and Teflon found within this product. Too many people out there never give a new product a fair evaluation by giving up prematurely.

This is my first post on Audio Circle. I apologize if it is not correctly constructed/placed

Welcome to Audio Circle Jerry. While this is not my forum, I don't think you are out of place at all with your comments. That's why we're here...... to pass along valuable information based on personal experience.

[JerryS]

Hi Bill,
Well, this is going to sound like ad copy for your Bella Extreme 100, but that is not my intention. I received the "BE 100s" in early November and they also took about 300 hours to settle in. After that period, there was a startling amount of low level detail and resolution. Some call this "tonal saturation". Whatever you call it, the same character is present in the ModWright preamp.

This resolution is not due to a hyped upper midrange, though. On the contrary, the forwardness/grain that is present in almost every new component (that some listeners find appealing on first listen) dissipates and the mids/treble become more relaxed and LESS forward. For me, this means greater long term satisfaction and less auditory fatigue with long (>3 hours) listening sessions.

There seems to be a very positive synergy between the two components since both "energize the air" with often startling degrees of micro-dynamic information.

Regards,
JerryS

[woodsyi]

I have been just spinning records waiting. 

Jerry,  good pre/amp combo.