I recently bought a used Platinum modded 999 off Audiogon. My keen detective work has revealed that the seller is none other than Jonbee here. Watch out Woodward and Bernstein! Anyway, thought I'd note my initial impressions of how it sounds and see if anyone has suggestions for maximizing its performance or wants to tell me I'm hearing impaired.
First, a few not entirely gushing remarks, to set the stage. The sound is warmer than I expected, based on most of the reviews and comments I've read (e.g. Robert Levi's ravings about its incomparable transparency and neutrality). It is certainly not dark or slow, but there is a bit of sugar in the mix, and I hear a smidge of bass overhang, at least at fast tempos. Also, compared to the Birdland Odeon AG DAC I've been using (and mostly enjoying, as I did the Odeon Lite), I hear a little less resolution in the midrange (e.g. fingers on nylon guitar strings). I make these comments based on A/B comparisons. On its own, the Modwright Sony does not appear to be leaving anything important out. In any event, I do think the tubes impart a strong, though loveable sonic signature.
The tradeoff to these compromises, if they are in fact compromises, is that the Modwright has an incredibly organic, natural presentation. A group of musicians sounds like a group of musicians, not an assemblage of parts mixed together electronically. Gil Scott Heron once complained about CD's, "It sounds like the cats never even met each other" (or something to that effect). Redbook CD's have gotten a lot better in recent years, but generally I find myself feeling that the parts don't add up to a whole, no matter how clear the resolution.
I would say that the Modwright CDP gives up a small percentage of absolute detail in exchange for a convincing musical whole. So even if the bass is not the absolute tightest I have heard, the bass player sounds like part of the band. As for tonal qualities, fuhget about it. I play classical guitar, so I know its sonic elements well, and this CD player conveyed the overall sound and body of the instrument tremendously. Again, there is a small tradeoff, in that I lose a bit of fine detail in terms of attack and tonal shadings compared to the FET output Birdland DAC. Of course, these details are only present to begin with on a small percentage of recordings.
These impressions are all based on Redbook CD's. My SACD's (all five of them) sound great, of course. In my case, the SACD capability is a non-essential bonus.
The ultimate test, I suppose, is how much music I have been listening to through the new toy. The answer is, a lot, including right now, way past my bedtime. These modifications were clearly done by someone with a strong musical sensibility and an ear for detail. Such a combination of engineering brilliance and real musical sensibilty seems to be rare in the world of digital playback.
That should do for my off-the-cuff informal review. I would like to add that Dan has provided great customer support, even though he doesn't have a cent of my money (yet). So add courtesy and professionalism to his list of virtues.
Are there any isolation devices worth trying? My shelves are not up to audiophile code, I'm afraid.
