[rydenfan]

Dan,

Is it safe to assume that units already in the field will be upgradeable?

George

Yup 

[modwright]

Hi guys, the 'Turbo' mod will not be terribly expensive and WILL be available to existing units.  It will add to the existing mod price of course and this upcharge will be somewhat less than the cost to upgrade after the fact.  I ALWAYS aim to make all of our products future proof and this is no exception.

A bit of 'Turbo' history:

As some of you know, the analog stage in the Transporter borrows from the LS 36.5 preamp technology but is also different in many ways.  Due to space constraints, we could not include a choke and I also had to simplify the power supply.  I had initially thought about doing an outboard power supply, but since there WAS room inside the unit, I decided to start there.  Add to this, the fact that the whole concept of this unit and computer-server based systems, is convenience, it didn't make sense to add another box, cable, etc., if not necessary.

Well, while it took a while to design the initial mod.  When I reached the sound that I was after, I found that the power supply being internal was NOT a detriment and added no unwanted noise, etc., as expected initially.  The mod has obviously been a good success for us and people have found it to better MANY DAC and CDP solutions in the >$10K range.

I had been asked about upgrading clocks, DACs, etc. in the unit, but I still firmly believe that the digital portions of the Transporter are already well thought out and designed and the AKM DAC chip is exceptional.

I knew that the analog stage was very clean and strong, but the power supply still had room for improvement.

Once again, tech borrowed from the LS 36.5 AND PS 36.5 this time:

I found that a dual-mono outboard power supply for the LS 36.5 with dual discrete voltage regulation made a HUGE improvement over the stock LS 36.5 in terms of weight, body, low level cues, bass response, soundstage, etc.  Well, first of all, relax, the turbo mod does not involve a 48lb. dual-mono external power supply .  In fact, the solution is much more elegant for the Transporter.

Thanks again to Alan Kimmel, a solid-state circuit was suggested, to achieve the same end-goal of the all-tube dual-discrete voltage regulation stages used in the PS 36.5.  FETs are a lot easier to work with than tubes in this case and take up a lot less space.  I did some testing and found that indeed a solid-state version of this same voltage regulation stage gave MUCH of the performance of the PS 36.5 without the extra cost, space and of course tubes.

So, basically, the 'Turbo' upgrade for the Transporter consists of a 'supercharger' for the power supply if you will.  We add a superior dual-discrete solid-state voltage regulation stage to the stock analog supply and the Transporter is raised to another level entirely.

I don't mean to be coy here, but I have several customers who are going to be my beta testers and I will let them give their impressions of the upgrade and THEN I will share my opinions.  I will simply say, listening to an upgraded unit as I write this, that you haven't heard the Transporter's full potential yet!

Thanks,

Dan W.

[Bigfish]

Dan:

Wow!  When do you estimate being able to give us a price for the upgrade and begin scheduling units for the mod?

Ken

[funkmonkey]

Dan:

Wow!  When do you estimate being able to give us a price for the upgrade and begin scheduling units for the mod?

Ken

+1  ...and feel free to say: "because you are such valued customers, I am offering this upgrade to you guys on AC at a highly discounted rate, as in only the cost of parts and shipping!"    aa
 

-Greg

[twodown]

+1  ...and feel free to say: "because you are such valued customers, I am offering this upgrade to you guys on AC at a highly discounted rate, as in only the cost of parts and shipping!"    aa
 

-Greg

Ditto....can't believe this is going to get even better    as he sits listening to the MW TP + 36.5 combo   

Cheers,

[tdangelo]

 

[modwright]

Thanks  guys, I am going to set pricing and availability after I get feedback from my beta guys.  Don't get me wrong, the price is not based on how happy the Beta guys are .  I have to determine time, materials, etc., but it will be reasonable.

Dan

[funkmonkey]

Dan, thanks for keeping us up to date!

[lonewolfny42]

Dan....

Today I am implementing a new upgrade into the Transporter mod....more on this once I fully test and evaluate the 'turbo' upgrade...

"Turbo" upgrade...."Turbo" mod....now....where have I heard that phrase before...

I know....Steve Nugent at Empirical Audio....

[ted_b]

Chris,
I doubt that Steve was the first to think of the oft-used term "turbo-charging" to apply to a modification or upgrade.  But as faux Prez of the Modwright TP Fanclub I hereby state that we ought to come up with a name for this power supply super-enhancement modification/upgrade thingy.  I'll start...

Modwright Transporter PS mod.      
Modwright Transporter Version 1.1   
Modwright Super Transporter   
Modwright Transformed Transporter  ?
Modwright TP TVR (Turbo-charged voltage regulation)   

I'll know better when I hear it, I guess..and when feedback starts rolling in. 

[kenreau]

Chris,
I doubt that Steve was the first to think of the oft-used term "turbo-charging" to apply to a modification or upgrade.  But as faux Prez of the Modwright TP Fanclub I hereby state that we ought to come up with a name for this power supply super-enhancement modification/upgrade thingy.  I'll start...

Modwright Transporter PS mod.      
Modwright Transporter Version 1.1   
Modwright Super Transporter   
Modwright Transformed Transporter  ?
Modwright TP TVR (Turbo-charged voltage regulation)   

I'll know better when I hear it, I guess..and when feedback starts rolling in. 

Yeah, what he said.

I do like the "Amplified" "Pleasure" lingo in the RMAF room billboards in the show coverage below.

Maybe morph into;
MWI TP Turbo Pleasure Power Mod
MWI TP Power Pleasure Mod
MWI TP Power Amplified Pleasure Mod
MWI TP Turbo Power Pleasure Choke Mod (starting to sound kinky )
MWI TP Turbo Power Amplified Pleasure Mod

More to follow

Kenreau

[rydenfan]

I would rather see the name play on the Turbo or Transporter (space) theme.

Charger Mod?
Racing Mod?
Supersonic Mod? (my personal fave because I think it is a nice play on outerspace, speed, and sonics... )
Hyper Mod?
Cosmic Mod?
Comet Mod?

[ted_b]

I would rather see the name play on the Turbo or Transporter (space) theme.

Supersonic Mod? (my personal fave because I think it is a nice play on outerspace, speed, and sonics... )

+1   

(boldly go where no man has gone before)

[Big Red Machine]

Mod Squad?

MOD²

[golfugh]

"Raptor mod" aka F-22 Raptor, ties in with Rydenfan's Supersonic mod.

[modwright]

Well first of all thanks for pointing out my mistake.  I need to do my research before 'naming' something.  I forgot that Steve does use the 'auto' theme to his mods.  I'll do some more thinking about it too.  Anything with the word 'pleasure' in it conjures up images of a non-audio industry....maybe not . 

Maybe something along the lines of Star Trek - i.e. 'beam me up Scotty' - transporter type of name.  Maybe the 'Light-Speed' mod .

Thanks guys, I really do appreciate ALL of your feedback!

Dan

[ted_b]

Ludicrous Speed Mod (from one of my faves, Spaceballs)

[rydenfan]

Ludicrous Speed Mod (from one of my faves, Spaceballs)

Nice reference, Ted

How about Warp Speed Mod? or Light-Speed Mod?

I am still pulling for SuperSonic, but want to throw some others out there.

[rydenfan]

delete

[funkmonkey]

Transporter - with Modwright "truth" and "white lie" mods
 because "a solid-state circuit was suggested, to achieve the same end-goal of the all-tube dual-discrete voltage regulation stages used in the PS 36.5"
 aa


or...   "absolute truth" to encompass both levels of the mod.