[Marco Prozzo]

Hey Rene - Thanks for posting your impressions.   I knew you'd be able to  provide a unique perspective.  I think in this case you describe things with a better grasp exactly what is going on, whereas I'm only able to describe things an a rather, well, comparatively simplistic terms.  Indeed, as you've surmised, the amp has evolved over time.  Alas, Peter bought my SET amps so a direct comparison will take a bit of doing, though not impossible.  I'm glad they are close by - he's actually pairing them off with LaScalas where they really shine.  I may be going over there soon to take a listen.

I should clarify some aspects of your listening session for others, since the circumstances were rather unique and interesting: Rene and I have been infrequent audio pen pals (via Audiogon) for a few years, but had never met until that weekend.  He was completely unfamiliar with my room, my system and in fact it was his first time in Seattle.  He happened to be there a day after the amp had arrived for photography.  It had two days of burn-in at Amboy, and I'd added a few more hours to that in my system.  So it was basically brand new.  I thought Rene would enjoy listening to the two very different amps.  Since he'd never heard the system before and had no idea what it consisted of, since we hadn't corresponded much over recent years and I no longer list my system anywhere, it seemed like a fun opportunity for a blind test of sorts (my system is in a cabinet which would further facilitate that). Not only was the test blind in that he did not know anything at all about the amps I was changing, I also didn't even tell him what components I was having him compare (I could have been changing preamps or front ends).  I think perhaps he could have figured that aspect of it out, but it would be a guess, and certainy he could figure out no more than that.  So though his comments as written here reflect the identity of the two amps, those same comments he spoke to me that day were simply about the changes: A vs B. He's obviously has a very good memory (which makes sense since he's a scientist) as his observations are practically verbatim to what I recall him saying that day (I did ask him to commit them to an email so I could share them with Dan).  The only thing I promised, in doing the test, was that I would never trick him and each time I said I was making a change I would (though I think the differences were pretty clear in this case).  I left both amps, and the rest of the system, on while I picked up Rene and showed him around Seattle (a good 4 hours or so prior to listening), so he was listening to fully warmed-up amps in both cases (I did have to leave the SET's off for the period we listened to the KWA (second round) as I had no shorting jumpers for the tube amps and preferred not to risk the expensive WE 300b's with no load on the terminals.  I played three diverse cuts of music on each, then repeated the same three on both amps again by Rene's request.   I'd guess we listened for a little bit less than an hour, as Rene indicated.  I did not make any comments on what I switched, or what I personally thought of the changes (we discussed both afterwards, of course).  Only one of his comments took me by surprise (I felt the KWA occurred to me as 'faster' than the SET amps myself), but I certainly found his observations to be very astute, detailed and basically paralleling my own in most ways.  We listened to more music afterwards as well.  It was a fun way to end the afternoon!

Glad you enjoyed yourself, Rene.  I had a great time meeting you and sharing my home town.  I hope to come visit Toronto some day too. Thanks again for posting your thoughts here. I'm sure others will appreciate it as well.

Marco

[jazdoc]

I had the opportunity for a brief audition of the kWA 150 when Lou Hinkley delivered my new Daedalus speakers.  I agree with Marco's impressions.  This amp is a giant killer for the money.  My brief impression is that it posesses many of the best features commonly associated with tubed amplification, especially textural timbral details while providing the dynamic range of higher powered solid state amps.  These are only impressions based upon an all too brief audition.  I plan on comparing the ModWright to other tubed and solid state gear in the next few weeks as I search for a new amp.

Marco, I just looked at your website...very beautiful images.  I also live in the Seattle area...are you up for a listening session sometime  ?

[Marco Prozzo]

Marco, I just looked at your website...very beautiful images.  I also live in the Seattle area...are you up for a listening session sometime  ?

Hey, thanks for your appreciation of my work.  Absolutely, I'd definitely be up for some listening.  The only request I'd have is that you bring some music you enjoy.  PM me or use the email link on my website to get in touch.  I may be out of town this weekend, but we can aim for something in the coming weeks.

Marco

[modwright]

Thank you all for the candid impressions, to those who have heard the KWA 150.  The best form of feedback is that from users like yourself that have the opportunity to objectively evaluate our work.

Srajan - 6Moons - has now received a KWA 150 and the pre-review has been added to. The full review is forthcoming.  I always appreciate Srajan's talented writing and thorough reviews.  Here is more information and further pictorials from the 6Moons.com site:

www.6moons.com/audioreviews/modwright5/amp_2.html

Thanks guys!

Dan W.

[restock]

Marco,

thanks for adding a little more of the background story to my review. Marco and I have been writing back and forth over the last 3-4 years but hadn't met until that visit. I had lots of fun and the comparison was a real interesting experiment.

Until posting my review I had avoided reading Marco's KWA review and comments - I now went back and read his comments and I agree with his description and find his assessment and perceptions spot on.

I think the comment that summarizes my impression of the KWA best is this one:

I listened to the KWA for a few hours before pulling it out to photograph and soon after, dropping off my TP.  For me, in my system, the quality that immediately jumped out was best described already by I. Osuagwu who alluded to a sense of "inner detail" and clarity.  This is well-stated and my experience is very similar...there is nuance revealed in both voice and instrument that was not there before. 

That difference in nuance, texture, and "inner detail" is difficult to describe in words, but it's easy to tell when it is there. There are only a handful of amps that really excel at it though, and with the Modwright I immediately noticed that quality (which triggered me more than anything to guess it was a tube amp).

With best wishes,

Rene

[MrBrix]

Marco and Rene, your reviews of Dan's KWA 150 amp are spot on.  I was lucky to be one of the first to order this amp  and as a matter of fact received Dans initial show unit and offered the 1st feedback on this amp on 2.01.09.

Interestingly, I used Diana Kralls Temptation to compare this amp with my McCormack DNA 500.  The KWA 150 delivered in spades.  The steely edge of Diana's vocals was much better rendered than with the DNA 500. 

The KWA 150 was the final piece to complete an all Modwright system with the LS 36.5 DM Linestage, Modwright Transporter, SLWP 9.0 Phono Stage and now the KWA 150 all paired with Vandersteen 5A.

Music effortlessly flows like water from an inky black background.  Vocals are natural.  Highs just shimmer,  Instruments decay naturally with what I refer to as an unbelievable natural HANG TIME!  Inner detail, Nuance and dynamic shadings opens a window deep into the music.  You will hear things, voices, even muffled voices by the musicians, shuffling that you never knew existed.  Kick drums thwack with impact and heft and wind instruments are presented with an unbelievable realism as if the player is right in there with you.  Totally spooky!  I have caught myself suddenly looking around to see if someone else is in the room only to realize its just the music. Most times, I just can't help grinning sheepishly to myself marveling at the realism of this amps presentation. All the while listening at low levels listening mostly to Jazz (Monk, Mingus, Miles, Brubeck etc)

The few times that I have cranked it up a bit listening to hip hop on the Transporter, the energy that this amp delivers is so palpable that you feel it deep inside you.  I have never ever listened to an amp that delivers so much palpable energy to dance music in a home setting that rivals a night club!

Close your eyes and you will be transported to a live performance.  I have received numerous comments comparing the sound to a live performance.

The KWA 150 by Dan Wright is highly resolving, fast, detailed and opens a musical window to the Truth, The whole Truth and nothing but the Truth!


Ije

[vinyl_guy]

I received my KWA 150 from Dan via Lou Hinkley about 10 days ago to audition in my system. I was blown away by its performance right out of the box. Lou must have been pretty confident I would fall in love with this amp because he had Dan send me a new one rather than a demo. I was home when the UPS driver arrived with the amp and he said "this is really heavy, do you want it in your garage?" When I told him it was an amp, he graciously brought it into my living room. Some of you may be strong enough to carry this amp to your listening room, but I needed my trusty two-wheeler--a whopping 83 lbs. That was the first indication of the build quality of the KWA 150. The next indication came when I opened the box. Marco's pictures are absolutely stunning, but you have to see this amp in person to fully realize just how beautiful it is, to see the build quality, the quality of the metal used, the perfect machining of the cabinet, the ModWright logo in the top plate and the cool ModWright logo button on the front which serves as the on/off switch.

Before I share my listening impressions of this incredible amplifier, let me tell you a little bit about my system and listening room. Speakers are Daedalus DA-1.1; vinyl front end is a Pro-ject Perspective, carbon fiber tone arm and a Sumiko Blackbird cartridge; digital is a Denon 3910 as a transport played through a modified Musical Fidelity X-DACv8; pre amp is the Gill Audio Design all vacuum tube Alana with the Art Audio Vinyl Reference phono stage; power conditioning is a PS Audio Power Plant Premier; interconnects are Audio Quest Panthers; speaker cables are Synergistic Research Alpha Quad with Active Shielding and power cables are a mixture of Shunyata, PS Audio and Empirical Design. My listening room is  25' by 18' with cathedral ceilings (peak is 17' high). The room has been acoustically engineered by Rives Audio and treated accordingly.

I proceeded to remove my now former amp, a modified Musical Fidelity A-5 (a very musical and engaging amp in its own right--the modifications made a HUGE difference), clean all connections and hook the KWA 150 into my system. The amp sits on the bottom shelf of a SolidSteel 6.4 stand that is located along one of the side walls of my listening room. I wish I had made a drawing of the connections on the back to help me make the right connections because I couldn't see the markings on the far side of the the amp. Marco's pictures came in very handy and I used them to ensure that all connections were correct. Thanks Marco.

Before I hooked the KWA 150 into my system I listened to a few favorite cuts with the Musical Fidelity amp so I would have a fresh reference. I did not expect the KWA 150 to blow the socks off the MF right out of the box, but that is exactly what it did. The difference was not subtle. The clarity, detail, bass extension, transients are incredible. The amp has a natural sound and realism that is second to none. Throughout the full range I could tell I was listening to a great amp. The bass was tight and quick with full extension, the vocals are very natural and the highs are crisp. You hear every instrument, every note with clarity. After listening to the KWA 150 for several hours what really impresses me is how emotionally engaging the amp is. It really draws you into the music. In my opinion, Dan more than achieved his design goals of combining the power, control and bass extension of SS amps with the warmth and natural "live" sound of tubes.

Some of the music I listened to was "My Father's Eyes " from Eric Clapton's "Pilgrim" (tight bass with full extension-heard every note, really clean 'in the room' percussion and great imaging on the vocal); "Hotel California" (the flamenco guitar style introduction was fabulous and when the bass drum kicks in you feel it) and "The Last Resort" (every piano note was crisp, clean and natural sounding) from the Eagles "Hell Freezes Over"; Francesca Beghe's "Lost in America" (her powerfull vocal range really shines with this amp): Neko Case's "Middle Cyclone" CD really demonstrated the natural sound and accuracy of the midrange; the 3-D soundstaging was really demonstrated by The New Pornographers "Myriad Harbour" from "Challengers."

The next evening I had friends over for dinner and to "listen to records." It was an all vinyl evening. Can you imagine 4 women sitting for 4 hours just listening to music and the only conversation was about the music? That is how emotionally engaging this amp is. They commented how real and natural the music sounded--live and in the room. A couple of highlights were "Crying" from Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab's "The All Time Greatest Hits of Roy Orbison and
Wilco's "Impossible Germany." Roy's vocal was simply breathtaking. I saw Wilco in concert last summer so I know what "Impossible Germany" sounds like live and I could swear Nels Cline was in the room with us as he played his guitar.

As I write this I probably have about 50 hours on the amp and it just keeps getting better. Before I close this post, I want to mention that I believe there is a real synergy between this amp and Lou Hinkley's Daedalus speakers. They make beautiful music together. I really wasn't looking for a new amp when Lou told me about Dan's new amp. As I have gotten to know Lou, I have learned to really trust his ear so I decided to give the KWA 150 a listen. All I can say is I'm really glad I did. I know I am going to get years of enjoyment from this amp. Congratulations to Dan, Alan and the entire ModWright team. You have designed and built a phenomenal amp.

Good listening to all,

Laura

[zybar]

Great post and write-up! 

Any pictures you can share?

George

[Marco Prozzo]

<big ol' snip>
The next evening I had friends over for dinner and to "listen to records." It was an all vinyl evening. Can you imagine 4 women sitting for 4 hours just listening to music and the only conversation was about the music?
<sniperoo>

Now that's the listening session some audiophiles only fantasize about!  Right on, Laura! Seriously, I know where you're coming from - when the presentation of the music you've come to love over many years is so drastically transformed / improved, you want to listen to it all over again to see what you've been missing.  To this day I keep hearing things in various cuts I'd never known were there.  I'm frequently startled by the sound of a certain instrument or passage at it being so much more truthful.  Congrats on the new amp. Thank you for your kind words on my photo's, and I completely agree: as good as they can be they will never do justice to the KWA's "presence" in real life.  Dan's done a really beautiful job on the design and details.  Great review too...I enjoyed reading it but got stuck on the sentence above and had to read it over and over.  It got me excited all over again....about the amp, that is.  If my wife weren't working on office work I'd be listening right now. 

[Philistine]

Thanks for the great right up Laura.  I have a Musical Fidelity KW500 that was modified by John Sampson, ex MF Service Manager, and recently compared by Dan and the Modwright gang with the KWA 150.  MF take a lot of knocks based on their popularity, but they have provided musical enjoyment to many for a reasonable price and I've had MF in and out of my systems for the last 20 years.  However, all the reviews of the KWA indicate that it's something special and I'm looking forward to getting it in my system next week.  At the moment it's spending Easter all alone in the back of a Fedex truck!  When it does arrive it will be interesting to compare notes on my experience in replacing MF equipment.  My speakers, Salk HT3's, are ubiquitous on AC (Zybar being instrumental in getting the word out on them) and are relatively inefficient - it will be interesting to see how the KWA drives them.

In the meantime enjoy your music.


 

[vinyl_guy]

I know where you're coming from - when the presentation of the music you've come to love over many years is so drastically transformed / improved, you want to listen to it all over again to see what you've been missing.  To this day I keep hearing things in various cuts I'd never known were there.  I'm frequently startled by the sound of a certain instrument or passage at it being so much more truthful.

Marco,

That's it! You have described what I have been experiencing as I listen to familiar songs through Dan's amp. I've been listening to "Hotel California" and "The Last Resort" for almost 30 years and my friends and I talked about hearing instruments and notes we never knew were part of the recording. The inner detail and ability to hear each instrument really comes through. Familiar tunes sounding new and fresh--it is part of the reason this hobby is so much fun. Truthful is a good way to describe it--that "in the recording studio" experience. After all, it is about the music! A couple of days ago I listened to side 1 of Chicago Transit Authority's first album. I am at a loss for the right words to accurately describe the horn section on Introduction, Does Anybody Really Know What time It Is and Beginnings. I kept looking for slide on James Pankow's trombone to come right at me--it sounded that real. Very powerful. And I heard percussion instruments I had not heard before on the ending to Beginnings.

Thanks for your positive response to my review of the amp. If you and your wife ever get to Spokane, let me know and I'll invite my friends over for dinner and a listening session with you and your wife.

[vinyl_guy]

Phillistine,

I'm glad you enjoyed my write-up of Dan's amp. My MF A-5 was modified by Rick Walker, also a former MF Service Manager/ U.S. warranty repairs. Rick also did the mods on my MF X-DACv8, which I believe is a great DAC. I agree with you about MF products. They are very good, especially for the money. I had a Bryston 4B ST before the MF and the MF was more musical and engaging than the Bryston and didn't cost as much, even with the mods. As I said, I was not expecting the KWA 150 to be better out of the box than the MF, but it was. I think it is a very special amp. I look forward to reading about your listening impressions and how the KWA 150 compares to the KW 500.

[vinyl_guy]

Any pictures you can share?

Yes George, but I need someone to tell me how to upload them to this circle.

thanks

Laura

[lonewolfny42]

vinyl_lady...

...I need someone to tell me how to upload them to this circle.

Here's the how to.......

[vinyl_guy]

Here's the how to.......

lonewolfny42,

thanks!!

[Marco Prozzo]

I know where you're coming from - when the presentation of the music you've come to love over many years is so drastically transformed / improved, you want to listen to it all over again to see what you've been missing.  To this day I keep hearing things in various cuts I'd never known were there.  I'm frequently startled by the sound of a certain instrument or passage at it being so much more truthful.

Marco,

That's it! You have described what I have been experiencing as I listen to familiar songs through Dan's amp. I've been listening to "Hotel California" and "The Last Resort" for almost 30 years and my friends and I talked about hearing instruments and notes we never knew were part of the recording. The inner detail and ability to hear each instrument really comes through. Familiar tunes sounding new and fresh--it is part of the reason this hobby is so much fun. Truthful is a good way to describe it--that "in the recording studio" experience. After all, it is about the music! A couple of days ago I listened to side 1 of Chicago Transit Authority's first album. I am at a loss for the right words to accurately describe the horn section on Introduction, Does Anybody Really Know What time It Is and Beginnings. I kept looking for slide on James Pankow's trombone to come right at me--it sounded that real. Very powerful. And I heard percussion instruments I had not heard before on the ending to Beginnings.

Thanks for your positive response to my review of the amp. If you and your wife ever get to Spokane, let me know and I'll invite my friends over for dinner and a listening session with you and your wife.

Many thanks, Laura.  We'll certainly try to take you up on that if we get out your way.   I'd love to hear your system with Lou's speakers and Dan's amp - it was certainly a great combo in Amboy.  Likewise if you're out this way give us a ring and stop by for a listen.  I'm still working out my room (way too live for me right now), but hopefully will figure out the WAF hurdles sometime soon.  I so yearn to have my old studio back with its big loft space for listening!!

On a completely unrelated note - that t-shirt in your avatar....well, that tonearm appears to be taking a very odd tracking angle!?

[vinyl_guy]

On a completely unrelated note - that t-shirt in your avatar....well, that tonearm appears to be taking a very odd tracking angle!?

I'll have to ask Chad Kassem at Acoustic Sounds about that. Perhaps it has to do with living in Kansas

[Marco Prozzo]

 Perhaps it has to do with living in Kansas

That would explain it, certainly.  I hear the toilet water swirls counterclockwise in Kansas. 

You mentioned you use a PS Audio conditioner.  Are you running your KWA through that conditioner or is it plugged straight into the wall? 

[vinyl_guy]

You mentioned you use a PS Audio conditioner.  Are you running your KWA through that conditioner or is it plugged straight into the wall?

I currently have the Power Plant Premier plugged into a dedicated 20 amp circuit and the KWA plugged into the Premier. The PS Audio Power Plant Premier is a power regenerator as well as a conditioner. I live in an older neighborhood (my house was built in 1911) and the power coming into my house varies from 120 to 124 volts and the TDH runs between 4.2% and 6.0%. The Premier takes the AC coming into the house, converts it to DC and then converts it back to low distortion sine wave power at a constant 120 volts. My Premier takes the high TDH power coming into the house and cleans it to between 0.2%  and 0.6% TDH. The Premier has a power output capacity of 1500 watts and a Multiwave function. It definitely helps produce a blacker background. In case you're interested, here is the link to the Premier- http://www.psaudio.com/ps/products/description/power-plant-premier?cat=power.

[thalvor]

FYI - at the end of Srajan Ebaen's recent review of the latest Pass Labs integrated he does a comparison of this amp with the KWA 150. It does give some indication of his impressions of the Modwright amp. This is the link: http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/passlabs2/int150.html

Cheers
Thomas