ModWright Modified Transporter - The Wave of the Future!

modwright · « **on:** 4 Jan 2008, 06:56 am »

I am getting prepared for CES and THE show, as I will be boarding a plane in a few days. We have a lot going on and I am pleased to say that many of our products are gaining recognition as more people here them, despite any formal reviews in some cases.

The ModWright modified Transporter is one such product/modification...

We have finally started to get a number of units in the field and at RMAF 2008, were able to show a large audience, what can be done with this technology - computer as music server, streaming to digital devices of this type.

We will be using a ModWright Modified Transporter in our room at CES at the Venetian in Suite 29-231, along with our LS 36.5/PS 36.5 combo, Redpoint Model A TT & SWP 9.0SE for vinyl duty, all feeding bi-amped Emerald Physics speakers. I, Dan Wright, will be hosting this room.

We will also be showing at Alexis Park at T.H.E. Show in 1302, with NSR Sonic Research speakers, Art Audio amplification and our LS 36.5 and modified Sony 9100ES tubed CD/SACD/DVD player.

Please come check us out if you are attending the show!

The practical immunity to jitter and elimination of digital, edge, glare, or 'digititus', coupled WITH extreme resolution, detail, thunderous bass response and overall Class A musicality is catching many by surprise and providing sonic bliss for those who have already climbed on-board.

I am VERY pleased and grateful to have Srajan Ebaen of 6 Moons agree to review our modified Transporter. You can view his Transporter 'Preview' at: http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/modwright3/transporter.html.

I have received calls and emails from three separate customers today, expressing just how excited they are about their modified Transporter, both in terms of its extrem sonic merits as well as its flexibility. Many of our customers who have 'ripped' their CD libraries to computer, are now listening to CD's that they haven't heard in years, because they were stuck on the shelf or in some dusty corner.

Tube rolling is another issue that came up today and for the record, I will reiterate the tubes that may be used with our modified Transporter:

Rectifier Tubes: 5AR4/GZ34, 5U4G, 5U4GB, 5V4G, 5V4GB, GZ37, 5Y3, 5R4.

Driver Tubes: 6N1P, 6CG7/6FQ7, 6H30, 6BQ7, 6BK7 and their variants.

The design was originally designed around the 6CG7, but I personally have come to prefer the detail and dynamics of the 6N1P. Others have also experienced even superior results to this, with the 6BK7 and 6BQ7 tubes. I would strongly urge any of you that are considering tube rolling the MW Transporter, to contact Brenden Biever of Tube World - www.tubeworld.com - as he is a great resource, offers exceptional product and customer service, and is kept aware of our mods and manufactured products and the tubes that are available and suitable for them.

For those who are not really sure how the Transporter works or what is needed in terms of a computer, I will try to describe below, what I am using at least and try to simplify the information.

First of all, the Transporter is actually more DAC than Transport...kind of an ironic naming scheme, but none the less. It will accept regular Digital inputs from a CD or DVD player, XM Radio or any other digital source and serve as a conventional DAC. It has toslink, RCA (SPDIF), XLR (AES/EBU) inputs AND digital outputs. It ALSO will receive digital data via WiFi (wireless) and Ethernet from a computer via router. The AKM DAC chip used in the Transporter is exceptional, as are the dedicated Jung Super Regulator voltage regulators, one for the DAC, master clock and stock analog stages. You will NOT find this is most mid to high-end CD or DVD players. Once the digital signal is received from one of these sources, it outputs analog signal, both RCA and XLR (true balanced) and features a digital volume control that may be used or disabled (removed from signal path). This allows the Transporter to be used with a preamp (disable digital volume control) or directly connected to amp and utilize digital volume control. I designed the mod with our LS 36.5 tube LS in the circuit, and I have also tested the unit via direct-connection to amp, to verify that the noise floor is exceptionally low.

Some of you may be confused by the computer aspect of the system, so here goes:

I have learned a lot here too as I didn't initially know what formats were ideal, software to use, etc., so here goes:

A) Start with computer, desktop or laptop.
B) Router - wireless and/or ethernet based.
C) Connect computer to router and router to Transporter, either wireless or via ethernet cable.
D) Rip CD's to hard drive on computer.
E) Access entire music library on computer via Transporter via remote.

I use EAC to 'rip' CD's to the computer's hard drive. FLAC is one format and I choose to use it as it offers TRUE lossless compression. One CD takes up about .5GB this way on the hard drive. For instance, a 500GB hard drive will store 1000+ CD's. You can also convert from FLAC to other formats that some people prefer, but FLAC is the ideal format to archive your music in IMHO no matter what. It is also probably smart to buy another identical sized hard drive and schedule regular backups, in case one hard drive crashes. Right now hard drive storage space is ~ $0.33/GB...i.e. storage is CHEAP.

****ALTERNATIVELY**** There is another phenomenal product option for those who don't want to go to the hassle of setting up the computer this way, learning to use EAC or other software, etc. Neal at www.soundsciencecat.com Neal has just released a new product that he calls The Music VaultN.A.S. This stands for Network Addressable Storage device. This device serves as the computer/hard drive/server, all in one. If you don't have a network, it will connect wireless to the Transporter and the NAS is pre-loaded with the Slimserver software. It has a CD drive for ripping music to its internal (500GB or 1TB drives), via WAV, FLAC or MP3 and is intro-priced at an EXTREMELY reasonable price of $749.95 for the 500GB version and $949.95 for the 1TB version. Guys it doesn't get much easier or cost-effective than this. It is physically compact, at 12.7"x5.5"x10.8" and eliminates the need for computer.

I will end the start of this thread here. I hope that it gives an overall explanation of how this type of digital source operates, for those to whom this is totally foreign right now. I know that there are PLENTY of people who have much more to add to the subject of 'ripping' CD's, formats, methods, etc. and I welcome them to share here.

I would also welcome any and ALL ModWright Modified Transport owners to also use this thread to share their experiences with the products as well as their experiences with tube rolling.

This is a fantastic, fun, convenient and most importantly INCREDIBLY musical piece of digital audio equipment. I feel that it represents exceptional VALUE and PERFORMANCE and these are two things that ModWright Instruments always strives for in all of our modifications and manufactured products.

zybar · « **Reply #1 on:** 4 Jan 2008, 12:04 pm »

Dan,

Sounds like you are going to have a killer room!

Have a great time at CES/The SHOW.

George

Philistine · « **Reply #2 on:** 4 Jan 2008, 03:42 pm »

Thanks Dan for kicking this off.

I received my TP just before Christmas, and have had so much listening fun since then - my main system is off line at the moment and I have to rely on an old pair of B&W CDM1's, even with these the TP sounds phenomenal. Having ripped all my CD's over a year ago I did not need convincing of the benefits (practical and musical) of storing and playing music via a computer based system. Coupled with having enjoyed one of Dan's modded CD players, and preferring a single source unit, then the modded TP was the way to go for me. I can't wait for my main system to be up and running again.

With the TP design Dan has given us a wealth of tube choices, I'm not sure having Fedex/UPS keep arriving with new tubes on a regular basis helps with the overall WAF - so having a venue to share tube rolling feedback experiences will help in narrowing down the tube combinations that work best in individual TP owners systems.

I'll post back later when my system is up and running, but so far I'm impressed with the Sovtek 6N1P's - I researched these (bored over the holidays) and discovered that Dan is supplying the EB version, which is claimed to be the superior version, which helps by not having to explore the 6N1P options any further. I just have to hit myself over the head to remember that just because these are so inexpensive doesn't mean they're not good

Have a great show Dan.

ted_b · « **Reply #3 on:** 4 Jan 2008, 06:26 pm »

Dan,
Sounds like you are all ready for that Show. great stuff. The 36.5PS is my next Modwright purchase (I own most others).

As most of you know I own one of the first Modwright Transporters sold, and posted pics and my first comments in another thread here back in the late Fall. Well, the Transporter has done nothing but get better and better with break-in and use.

I tube rolled a bit with this Flash Gordon-looking (aka KEWL-looking) machine and found that the original 6N1P's are my favorite so far. They blend a nice combination of detail and organics (I can;t call it warmth cuz it isn't...it's more a feeling of wetness and organic texture. Warmth to me is a euphemism for rolled-off, so I it clearly isn't that.

) The Sovtek 6H30's are pretty good but tend to reduce the air around instruments, and the 6CG7's I bought (both Electro-Harmonix and some of Dan's estate sale stuff he got) were only ok, with slightly different gain and slightly less resolution. They sound good with older recordings but not worth the hassle at all, because the 6N1P's sound good with everything. My rectifier is Dan's coke bottle 5U4..

I have begun using the TP for external DAC work, too, and it shines. When fed external 24/96 via bnc coax it is a glorious sound, with just the right amount of bloom to make everything sound like a $10K vinyl setup. The resolution, however, is way beyond what any Dynavector or Shelter I've ever heard can do. Those AKM dacs, in the wrong hands, can be brutally honest, but with Dan's care have become the cornerstone of my listening. Cable swaps and power cord changes are immediately evident.

The Modwright Transporter is now my primary 2 channel source for at least 80% of my listening, and that includes the Modwright Denon 3910 (2 channel SACd primarily) and the new Rega P5 combo. The combination of SOTA sonics and couch-potato convenience is too much to overcome...

IronLion · « **Reply #4 on:** 4 Jan 2008, 06:41 pm »

Hey Ted, are you using the transporter direct to your amps or with a preamp in between? I'm curious to know a) how well the digital volume control works (any loss in quality?) and also b) what the output voltage of the modified transporter is. Sounds like a very interesting unit.

ted_b · « **Reply #5 on:** 4 Jan 2008, 06:55 pm »

I use the Modwright LS 36.5 (stock, not with the new PS, which is why i said it was my next purchase) preamp in between the TP and the McCormack DNA-500. Dunno the output voltage is, sorry. I was using the digital volume control earlier on in my eval and it works ok while above 85%. Anything below that lops off too many bits for me.

Jon L · « **Reply #6 on:** 4 Jan 2008, 07:51 pm »

Quote from: ted_b on 4 Jan 2008, 06:55 pm

I was using the digital volume control earlier on in my eval and it works ok while above 85%. Anything below that lops off too many bits for me.

You mean you can tell by the SQ deteriorating below "85%" or the dogma it *should* bothers you? I'm rather of the latter myself, so I use EVS nude attenuators to set things up that I'm always only a few dB away from 100% while still enjoying remote volume control via PC.

BTW, the question of redbook on Wright 3910 vs. Wright TP looms large overhead

ted_b · « **Reply #7 on:** 4 Jan 2008, 08:05 pm »

It "should" in most cases, but it "definitely does" in extreme (under 70%).

Dan's tubed analog stage is more advanced/mature in the TP, as is the DAC chip, and redbook is better in the TP than in the 3910 (my 3910 is not tube recitfied yet). Also, I think the hard disc advantages help the win here (less jitter, etc.). I own the 3910 for two reasons, multichannel hirez and stereo SACD.

cwt108 · « **Reply #8 on:** 4 Jan 2008, 10:08 pm »

I currently own a sony 9100es fully modified by Dan. What is the comparison between 9100ES and Modwright Transporter? Despite the convenience of digital storage and exteran DAC, what is the sound qualifity betwen two of them? Anyone?

modwright · « **Reply #9 on:** 4 Jan 2008, 10:28 pm »

I will reply here in part, only to ask those who have both ModWright Sony 9100ES units and modified Transporters to comment further. In my opinion, they are EASILY on the same level - i.e. the Transporter gives up NOTHING to the Sony. The Sony is still an awesome machine and allows for SACD playback, multi-channel use and video. It is a CD/DVD/SACD player after all.

A customer recently told me that he feels the transporter to be every bit as good or better than the Sony 9100ES with all of our current mods, but he still has both because they serve different purposes for him. For Redbook music listening, I believe the Transporter has become his digital source of choice and he just loves the convenience of being able to access over 2000 albums (in his case) at the touch of a button AND be able to listen to them with the level of performance that this unit offers.

Again, both are Reference digital sources and with different functions and uses.

I will let our customers share their replies and try to contribute here only to clarify and answer questions. My opinions are necessarily biased of course. The purpose of this thread was to open up channels of communication and sharing about the modified Transporter, tubes for it, software conversion CODECS, etc. This is a fantastic, fun, versatile and VERY musical piece of gear.

Thanks to all who have contributed thus far.

Dan Wright
President, ModWright Instruments Inc.

AB · « **Reply #10 on:** 4 Jan 2008, 11:31 pm »

Has anyone heard or tried the MusicVault thing that Srajan writes about in the MW Transporter preview?

It looks to be the perfect compliment to the Transporter.

Scroll down this page...

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/modwright3/transporter.html

I've been resisting the whole music server gig mostly because I don't have the energy or the time to research it all but if this is as plug and play as I think/hope, it could work.

ted_b · « **Reply #11 on:** 4 Jan 2008, 11:40 pm »

Neal is a smart guy (he sold me my stock Transporter that was drop shipped to Dan for the mod). I met him at RMAF. His Music Vault is a pre-packaged NAS server (harddrive with mini operating system on it) that has Slimserver installed. Dunno about the auto ripping; I like EAC and a little bit of control over ripping quality. Seems like $995 for a terabyte is a decent deal, assuming the ripping to FLAC is truly plug-n-play automatic.

zybar · « **Reply #12 on:** 4 Jan 2008, 11:51 pm »

Quote from: ted_b on 4 Jan 2008, 11:40 pm

Neal is a smart guy (he sold me my stock Transporter that was drop shipped to Dan for the mod). I met him at RMAF. His Music Vault is a pre-packaged NAS server (harddrive with mini operating system on it) that has Slimserver installed. Dunno about the auto ripping; I like EAC and a little bit of control over ripping quality. Seems like $995 for a terabyte is a decent deal, assuming the ripping to FLAC is truly plug-n-play automatic.

I just paid $160 for an external 750GB Seagate drive. You should be able to get a 1TB external drive for around $200-260 if you are a good shopper.

Not sure that $1k for the Music Vault is such a great deal. I would simply use an external drive on your computer.

George

ted_b · « **Reply #13 on:** 4 Jan 2008, 11:57 pm »

Quote from: zybar on 4 Jan 2008, 11:51 pm

Quote from: ted_b on 4 Jan 2008, 11:40 pm
Neal is a smart guy (he sold me my stock Transporter that was drop shipped to Dan for the mod). I met him at RMAF. His Music Vault is a pre-packaged NAS server (harddrive with mini operating system on it) that has Slimserver installed. Dunno about the auto ripping; I like EAC and a little bit of control over ripping quality. Seems like $995 for a terabyte is a decent deal, assuming the ripping to FLAC is truly plug-n-play automatic.

I just paid $160 for an external 750GB Seagate drive. You should be able to get a 1TB external drive for around $200-260 if you are a good shopper.

Not sure that $1k for the Music Vault is such a great deal. I would simply use an external drive on your computer.

George

I didn't mean to compare to DIY or someone who already has a pc capable of being used as a music server. My assumption is no pc...just an NAS. If you already have a pc and a cd drive to act as a ripper you aren't in the Music Vault market, I would assume.

AB · « **Reply #14 on:** 5 Jan 2008, 12:09 am »

No PC based music server for me (maybe I am wrong about what these PC based servers actually ARE but I don't want another PC in my life).
I want something simple, small and non fan cooled - or something that needs no cooling at all.

This music vault sounds ideal - a storage box that uses the TP's interface to access files.

What's the alternative, a Mac mini and DAC?

ted_b · « **Reply #15 on:** 5 Jan 2008, 12:12 am »

And Slim Server (now called Squeeze Center) has a web interface via URL, so even with a NAS like the Vault you can use a Nokia tablet pc/PDA to access if you want (album art, etc...see our posts on that thread or my screen grab pics in my gallery).

The NAS is really a pc without a keyboard, monitor and a Windows front end. George's point is you could put some terabyte -sized pc together for less, but you need to do some work and deal with a pc (no big deal to many of use). I don't know what happens or what your options are when an NAS goes south, though..(doesn't boot up, etc.)

AB · « **Reply #16 on:** 5 Jan 2008, 12:26 am »

Quote from: ted_b on 5 Jan 2008, 12:12 am

The NAS is really a pc without a keyboard, monitor and a Windows front end.

Sounds perfect. I wonder if it has a fan.

Does it use Linux? I suppose if it crashes you would just power cycle it.

ted_b · « **Reply #17 on:** 5 Jan 2008, 12:34 am »

NAS's support Windows/Linus/Unix/Mac. I suppose this is Windows; dunno. Point is....you shouldn't care.

modwright · « **Reply #18 on:** 5 Jan 2008, 12:50 am »

The N.A.S. does use Linux as the operating system.

Dan

Jon L · « **Reply #19 on:** 5 Jan 2008, 12:54 am »

Not being a Slimserver user, I have a couple of questions.

1. If I use Ethernet or Wireless connection from my computer to Transporter, am I limited to using the Slimserver software or can I use another software such as Foobar:

2. I assume I can use any playback software if I'm using Transporter's spdif inputs?