I had the KWA-100 for an audition of only a few days in early August. Although my comments could have been more complete with a longer audition, I feel like I listened long enough to share a few valid, subjective observations with you.
First of all, it is a gorgeous amplifier with excellent millwork and it seems to be built like a proverbial tank. I didn’t care much for the 2-piece spiked feet and think Modwright should come up with something more substantial. The next pleasant moment came when I turned it on. The blue backlight shining through the openings in the cabinet make it nice to look at, especially in a dimly lit room. I didn’t much care for the on-off switch being placed on the bottom of the chassis.
The system I used for this review consists of: Modwright/Sony 9100 universal disk player, Modwright SWL 9.0SE preamp, and VMPS RM-30M speakers. I compared the KWA-100 to my Music Reference RM-200 tube amp. I usually bi-amp, but for the purposes of this review I used both amps full-range, leaving everything else the same. I did not use vinyl because of time limitations, but used the same sacd’s and cd’s with both amps. Full disclosure, as you can tell from my other components, I am a fan of Modwright and was predisposed to like this amp.
First the good news. The KWA-100 had no audible distortion that I could discern. It was amazingly quiet with a dead silent background. The bass reproduction was superb on every selection, with strong dynamic punch, superb definition, and great control over the VMPS woofers (not that speaker’s strongest point). The amp reproduced the full dynamic range from very quiet to very loud with no sense of strain or compression. I also give it top marks for tonality and definition.
In direct (back and forth) comparisons with the Music Reference (MR) amp I heard these differences (ymmv). On symphony recordings, the MR reproduced a greater depth of field. That is, the percussion instruments in the back of the orchestra sounded farther away than they did with the KWA-100. Advantage MR.
On Gary Burton’s “Country Roads” from the Like Minds sacd (Concord), the inner definition, imaging, and bass reproduction were superb, but the cymbals seemed to float on a cushion of air better with the MR. A tie.
John Hiatt’s “What Do We Do Now” (Vanguard) was a bit of a disappointment with the KWA-100. The guitars were hard and steely (even more so than they usually are on this recording) and Hiatt’s voice seemed to lack that last scintilla of humanity. Advantage MR.
On the Harry Smith’s “Someone Buy Me A Drink” (Chesky), the KWA-100 made it sound like the musicians were lined up in a row, left to right, across the stage. The MR clearly reproduced the depth of the soundstage better. Advantage MR.
On Andy McKee’s “Top Hat” (Mapleshade), there is a moment when the sax player turns away from the microphone while soloing. With the MR amp, it is easy to imagine him turning a bit to his right while soloing. With KWA-100 it sounded more like he was just playing a few notes quieter. On this cut, the KWA-100 did not give that Mapleshade “the musicians are right there in the room with you” feeling that the MR does. Advantage MR.
On rock songs in general, the KWA-100 was about perfect to my ears. By comparison, the MR slightly compresses the dynamic range, especially in the bass. Advantage Modwright. The exception to this general opinion is that a few songs that usually give me goose bumps like Richard Thompson’s “I Misunderstood” did not do so with the KWA-100. I won’t venture to guess what that means in technical terms, but I think it must be tube magic.
Back to vocals. The same quality that I noticed on the John Hiatt cut was also present on Karyn Allyson’s “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye”. The KWA-100 reproduced all the notes perfectly, there was no noticeable distortion, but there was a bit of hardness that I didn’t like. Advantage MR.
On John Williams’ wonderful “The Magic Box” sacd, I could tell no difference between the amps. The same thing with Charlie Haden & Pat Metheny on “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress”. A tie.
My conclusion from comparing these amps is that the Modwright is a very good solid state amp. But it is still a solid state amp. You can decide what that means to you. I love tubes and there was no mistaking the KWA-100 for a tube amp. I can strongly recommend the KWA-100 to listeners who listen mostly to Led Zep, Rush, Pink Floyd, and other electric bands. My preference is for the sound of acoustic instruments and human voices in club, concert hall, and live in the studio settings. The Modwright KWA-100 came up a little short for me on the types of music I like best.
The Modwright KWA-100 is the best solid state amp I have had in my system. The others were the Adcom GFA-5800, Rotel RB-1080, and the Odyssey Stratos (with the upgraded caps and green board). If I had not gotten hooked on the sound of good tube amps, this KWA-100 would have been a keeper.
Dan Wright deserves kudos, not just for building this fine amp, but also for risking it to amateur critics who could say just about anything in print. If high end has a future, it belongs to designers and entrepreneurs like Dan Wright. I want to publicly thank Dan for including me in this tour.
