[modwright]

Here is where I will post feedback from those who own or hear our XA5400ES.  The following is from a local gentleman who stopped by our showroom to listen. 

I will post more feedback as it comes in.

On 27 June 10 I had the great opportunity to visit Dan Wright at his shop in Amboy, WA and spend a couple hours with him.  Of particular interest to me was his amplifier/pre-amplifier design and sound.  When he asked me to actually sit down and listen to his electronics as well as his modification to a Sony XA-5400ES CD player I did not want to pass up the opportunity.  First let me just say that the build quality of Modwright equipment is second to none.  I own Coda equipment which I feel is pretty much bullet proof.  If I actually needed to replace a bullet proof vest, I would not hesitate to use one of Dan's amplifiers.  But, beauty is only skin deep.  It is the heart of his equipment that is what pays the bills.  His set up did not disappoint.  But I digress, it is the Sony player that he wanted to hold me accountable for.  Dan had a player already set up on his listening room for me to hear.  I had brought some of my own music that I had auditioned equipment with for some time so I was very familiar with the depth and width of soundstage as well as the actual musical pace and tone of certain songs on the CDs.  I listened quite intently to song after song of my reference music and was very impressed with what Dan had to offer in his modified CD player.  The soundstage was huge and deep.  Very similar to my experience with the Coda, Dunlavy, Sonic Frontiers set up that I had a few years ago.  It had been a while since I had sat down to listen critically to any one particular piece of audio equipment and I liked what I was hearing.  I then gave Dan the ultimate challenge that any audiophile worth their salt would ask:  I want to hear a player that has not been modified.  I asked, do you have one of these laying around that I could A-B?  Low and behold, one was produced.  A client had sent one to Dan to be modified.  The player was not brand new so I figured it would be a good comparison since I felt it was more than likely quite burned in.  With just a simple swap of the interconnects from one player to the other, I was able to experience the magic that Dan put into his modified player.  If I would have listened to the unmodified player I would have been quite impressed with it and could have been very happy buying one to use in my home system.  However, after listening to a modified Sony, there was no way I could have walked away without wanting my own modified player.  The un-modded Sony lost a lot of stage depth as well as some of the sound stage width.  When I say a lot, I mean "A LOT".  It was as though the soundstage itself was compressed front to back at least 50%.  Sure there was an excellent presentation of where singers were as well as to placement of instruments, but nothing like I had heard through the hot rodded Sony.  The width of the soundstage was compressed a little too.  Familiar riffs from KD Lang's Ingénue CD were contained just outside of the speakers cabinets.  With the modified Sony, these riffs found their presentation well outside of the speakers cabinets and certainly much closer to my listening position than did the stock player.  As well, through the modified Sony the ability to delineate space between singers and instruments and actually place them on a stage in front of me was much more refined.  Much more pinpoint in placement.  The modified Sony seemed to have actually found a lot more information on the disc then did the unmodified player.  And let me tell you the soundstage was deep from front to back.  In some of my other musical choices the keys being played on the Grand Piano were almost within reach and it was very easy to imagine reaching out and banging a key or two myself from my listening position.  I continued swapping back and forth for about 45 minutes allowing the unmodified player to warm up thinking that when it was, I would not notice as much of a difference between the two.  Well, it never happened.  The modified Sony beat it on every level.  Do not get me wrong, the unmodified player is a great player and quite worthy of the following it has as well as the awards garnered from various publications.  However, the Modwright modifications are what Sony should have done if they were interested in building a $5K player.  Did I say $5K?  I should have said $7K.  I have heard some very good CD players in my auditioning time to include top of the line Wadia, Levinson, Krell, BAT and Cary Audio.  None of these could compare to what Dan has done with this little beauty for just a touch over $3K (including the price of the Sony player). -R. Wilson, Vancouver, WA - July 1, 2010

[Dpod4]

Just want to mention that I am currently having a new 5400es sent to Dan for the ultimate truth mod.  I am an executive with a Fortune 100 company and I'm paid to recognize talent.  Dan (and equally important his staff) are talented people.  I tend to spend my money in audio with people who obsess perfection.  It tends to pay off sonically for me.  Dan and his operations manager (incredible customer service/orientation) took the time to talk to me about the merit of the modification, the exact steps and materials...nothing was left ambiguous or in doubt.  I feel like I've received my money's worth even before I've received the modded unit.  Kudos to Dan and his company for being so accessible and dialed in.  A very refreshing experience for me!  Highly recommended.  It is the first (but not the last) time I've interacted with Modwright.  I can tell they spend their time obsessing every last detail so I will end up with the perfect component.
Darrin

[rhyno]

couldn't agree more with this point...when one is spending good money on a luxury item (be it cars, audio, whatever), customer service becomes part of the value proposition. i've unloaded gear simply b/c of how unresponsive a mfg is.

but dan? i've not dealt w/ a better run operation insofar as customer service goes. (props to Kristen on this as well).

[modwright]

Thank you both very much!

High End Audio is a business about passion, more than profit....at least in our case.

Let's face it, business is business and ours is not a non-profit.  However, if one is strictly bent on making GOOD money, there are better ways and different types of businesses to do so.

I love what I do and am passionate about it.  My team is passionate and proud about the products that we produce.  Customer service and INTEGRITY have always been a cornerstone of ModWright.  These days, it is important to provide a good product, excellent service and support.  Too many businesspeople have lost site of this I feel.

It makes me feel good to have our commitment to this business model appreciated.

Sincerely,

Dan Wright

[Dpod4]

Just took delivery of my XA-5400es with Dan's Modwright mods.  In fact, I ordered the Sony and had it delivered straight to Modwright and they were kind of enough to handle all the details and modifications in a very timely manner.  I have to commend their Ops manager, Kristen for being top notch. 

I have it playing Dave Alvin SACD right now, and listened to CDs as well on it. I don't even think it is burned in yet....but....

Wow!  I recently had a Sony SCD-XA777es player.  It was built like a tank, but the CD and SACD performance of the 5400es with ModWright mods is simply stunning.  I spend most of my time listening to vinyl on a $20k+ rig, and this 5400es has the organic energy of what I love about vinyl (not sure if it is the tubes?).  Fluidity, musicality, transparency, dynamics, black background, large sound stage, layering, are the words that come to mind.   And like vinyl, what I'm hearing is SPACE around, to the side, behind and in front of instruments.  Dimensional and engaging with large sound stage but rock solid imaging, not flat or etched like most CD players sound to my ears.   Now listening to Bill Frisell CD (Good Dog Happy Man) which I'm very familiar with especially the LP version.  What is striking me now about the ModWright player is perfect macro and micro dynamics coupled with inner detail coming thru in layers, as if every last veil between music and me has been stripped away, without bleaching or turning analytical.  Musical plus complete retrieval of detail.  Amazing hat trick!  I was going to use this player only for my SACDs but given how ordinary redbook CDs sound, I will be using both!

I was nervous I wouldn't like it as much as my PS Audio PWD with Bridge playing hi-rez files....but even the CD via modded Sony EASILY keeps pace with PWD, and may have even more energy coming thru (later edit...I prefer the Sony's refinement and layering to even high rez files played on my dac).  Hats off to ModWright and Sony.  Amazing what you get for a $1500 SACD/CD player and a $1995 mod package.  I don't know why anyone would pay more than 5-10K for a digital front-end when you can get this.  I've heard some of the best CD players through top end systems (e.g., top of line Audio Research through top of line Maggies), and I will take this ModWright 5400es over any of them, no hesitation.  I think the line between superb vinyl playback and digital is narrowing. 

Next day listening -- I am amazed at the refinement and sweetness combined with dynamics and clarity.  The instruments and voices hang in space.  The incredible imaging, inner detail, organic energy, etc is present at all volume levels.  The number one testament I have for the ModWright player is I couldn't wait to dig out some CDs to listen to.  Totally enjoyable listening sessions.  For me it is the perfect balance of being pulled into the music emotionally (like they are in the room and notes flowing), and simultaneous appreciation/awareness of what a sonic feat is occurring.  OK I will stop gushing. 

[roadkingraw]

Dan,
Funny to look at this original post as I was flipping through this site.  I sent that review to you almost a year ago.  I am happy to report to the users that I did in fact end up purchasing Modwright equipment and replaced my Coda pieces as well as the heavily modified Sonic Frontiers SFCD-1.  I have never looked back.  Modwright has definately made a believer of me and I have appreciated all of the time that Dan and his staff have given me in Amboy, no matter how much I bothered them.  Dan, your equipment is top notch and I can vouch for it with anyone trying to decide if they wanted to purchase or not.
Randy

[mairzydoats]

I would like to "Truth mod" my year old 5400 if only it came with a digital connection for use with something like a Squeezebox Touch. For $2,000 that would be a deal clincher for me, but ponying up for the Modwright digital mod + the regular $2000 - $2200 package puts spending at the level of a very nice used Esoteric with a digital connection, build quality and SOTA transport which that implies. Putting around $3,000 into a $1000 mass market disc player is a real leap of faith and one better hang on to it for a long while to get their monies worth because you'd take a bath on the reseller market.

[rhyno]

i'll write my review on PFO once the unit is 'done' (which i consider w/ the digital input board), but i've heard the modwright sony, the emm cdsa-se, and the esoteric xo1-d2 in my rig, and i'd take them in that order....the lesser esoterics have the gold star on build quality, but sonics? puhlease.

i ordered 2 replacement laser assemblies (and service manual)...$40 each (i can do it myself, or a local electronics repairman could do for you cheaply). when you think about repairs, think about who can do it, and what it will cost (once owned a german preamp...repairs on it were north of a kilobuck each time).

the transport IME is not the deal clincher. nor is build quality (else my old wadia 861se wouldve held up to modern competition). the transport does (!) help w/ bass depth and the 'planted in the earth' quality, but what is far more important in digital playback is A) power supplies, B) analog stage, and C) decoding chips / logic. i'd put the transport / build quality issue at 4th (but its a good 'selling point' given the frequency of user interaction...no one touches their tubes everytime they load a disc). ---dan gets this, which is why he's using that monstrous tube power supply for his analog stage (which uses tubes and home made coupling caps). seriously, its not rocket science, but its about the execution, and to his credit, dan nails it. --the sony just happens to have chips / logic well executed (upsampling CDs to SACD for ex).

would encourage you to reconsider your thinking on this one...its not a sony anymore.

[audiodave33]

I am not one to write reviews or espouse why a component is so great, but I feel the Modwright Sony XA5400ES is worthy of some comments.  Before I got the XA5400ES I enjoyed the sound from my system, but never thought it had a rich full-body texture.  It was my plan to start experimenting with better cables and perhaps a better amp to compensate, but I had the opportunity to get the XA5400ES and I did so with the Bybee Rails and the Audio Magic pulse generator.  Based on posts from this forum I immediately upgraded the tubes to the Sophia’s, the rectifier tube to a TungSol 5U4GB (had a hole put in the PS so it would fit), Telwire cords for both the main unit and PS, and of course the Truth Umbilical cord.  Immediately the sound was so much richer, sounds were popping out like never before, however with all the changes I wanted to things to burn in before I gave to much thought to the overall experience of listening to music. 

I did feel with all the richness came some congestion to the midrange and mid-bass.  There are certain tracks that I listen too, and if I can make out the lyrics clearly, then I know my system has the right clarity and spaciousness.  One track in particular is the first one off of George Michaels Older CD.  This track at least for me is always tough to understand the lyrics.  To help with the congestion I used a bunch of dampners (I did need to experiment to find the right product and mix for my system), both on the tubes and under the CDP and PS.  The difference was remarkable.  The clarity and spaciousness was there with the richness that I couldn’t have imagined being in my system before (or at least without a large financial investment). 

After about a month a break-in the sound was rich, clean, warm, detailed and engaging.  And to get these attributes with right balance can be difficult.  I have sat listening to CD after CD in amazement at how wonderfully better they sound.  CDs that didn’t hold my attention now have me listening through the entire thing.  Any glare or harshness that I have perceived in CDs are now gone.

It is also interesting how I can now pick up on miniscule things on recordings now.  I can tell when the singer moves away or closer to the mic.  I was listening to a solo piano recording and I commented to a friend are you sure this is solo as it sounded like 2 pianos.  We read the liner notes, and they had 2 mics on the piano. 

All that I have described is with no power conditioner or cable that I have paid more than $500.00 in my entire system.  Without a doubt the Modwright XA5400ES has truly transformed my system and I would like to thank Dan for making a truly great CDP for reasonable price when compared with the rest of the industry. 

I know everything is relative so it is worth mentioning prior CD players were a Modwright Sony 9100ES and I also had an EAR Acute.  It isn’t even close, the XA5400ES (with additions mentioned above) blows away both of them IMHO.
Happy Holidays to all.

[Timo]

About two months ago I finally took the opportunity to purchase a stock Sony SCD-XA5400ES music player with the intention of having it shipped directly to ModWright Instruments for his best and latest modifications.  I was studying the Web for the best and cheapest place to purchase the stock unit and discovered that TheNerds.net was indeed the place.  I saw that the number of units they had for sale was dwindling at a fairly rapid pace, especially after the very positive review of Dan's modification on Positive Feedback.  Even though I was unemployed since March of 2011, I pulled the trigger on the Sony purchase with only two units left in stock and never looked back!

I am not going to expound or pontificate on this player's virtues as that has already been done with both elequent and consistent prose.  I will simply state that this modified player is as close to conveying the natural pitch, tone, timbre, timing and gestalt of live music as ANY player I have heard at any time, any place and at ANY price.  This, I feel is the ultimate compliment to a designer and company most worthy of this praise.  All other audio, or for that matter, any business should try and model what IS ModWright.

[modwright]

Thank you!  I appreciate your support and feedback very much!

Dan W.

[Wig]

Modwright added the Bybee rails to the dac and Audio Magic Gen ZX within the chassis to combat RFI/EMI to my MW Sony 5400. The unit was already superb but now it's Magical!

The first thing you will notice is a very transparent sound with deeper and wider soundstage that is organic and natural sounding. I listen to a lot of acoustic guitar, violin, cello and piano music. I can clearly hear the hammer from the piano returning back to the assembly, with notes that are airy and appears to be floating in my room nowhere near the boundaries of the speakers. Fingering of notes are so lifelike you would think you are part of the show.

Guitar, violin and cello are my favorite and the sound is rich and vibrant, hearing the string and body of the instrument is unbelievable. The best way I can describe the difference is you are pulled in on an emotional level. The music is so engaging you can feel the artist emotion and mood.

My boys are classical pianist and love Einaudi Ludovico, played this cd and they came running in and asked what did I do? Needless to say, I spent the next hour standing up listening while they took their turns in the sweetspot. The sound was beautiful standing, and listening from another room which reminded me of the Thiels 2.2 speakers which piano sounded so real from another room.

I really can't think of another mod that will bring you this type of satisfaction without spending $$$'s and only give you a fraction of the performance of Bybee music rails and Audio Magic Gen ZX module. You will get a sharper image, wider/deeper soundstage, much faster transients, longer decay notes and a satisfying musical experience.

It feels like I'm at a live performance every time I sit down to listen and boy, what a joy!

My compliments to Dan and his team for a job well done!

Wig
 

[modwright]

Thanks guys!

A review has just been published in Positive Feedback, for the XA-5400ES 'Truth Mods' also!

Link: http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue60/modwright.htm
Positive Feedback Online, by Marshall Nack.

Thanks Marshall for such a thorough and well written review!

Dan Wright

[audiodave33]

I’ve been experimenting with cords and receptacles with the XA5400ES and thought I’d share some of what I found.  It is interesting as you upgrade one thing you may eventually find there is another weak link (or less synergy) in the chain.  It was evident to me that although I was getting a richer sound, it could have had better definition, in particular the mid-bass. 

So I got some cords and receptacles and started trying different combinations.  This is the final combination I settled on.  A Synergistic Research T3 on the PS.  This gave a nice full sound stage, clarity and overall better definition.  I tried both a Oyaide SWO-XXX receptacle and Teslaplex.  The Teslaplex was cleaner and the sound stage was more forward and richer than the SWO-XXX.  The SWO-XXX was more laid back and not as rich or forward.  For the most part it came down to the recording which I liked better.  Some recordings had the mid-bass to rich and forward with the TeslaPlex and therefore it was not relaxing.  For female vocals and string instruments the TeslaPlex is just wonderful.  It has a large sound stage, extremely clean presentation and precision placement. 

For the CDP, I settled on the Synergistic Research Hologram D into a Oyaide R1.  This was by far the best combination.  Everything sounds more real and live, in particular instruments in the mid-bass frequency.  The R1 is a great receptacle, it is just very natural sounding, add the Hologram D into the mix and you get better spaciousness, clarity and more importantly a cohesiveness to the entire system. 

Finally, for the interconnect I settled on a Silkworm+.  A very musical sounding interconnect.  I found the Audience interconnect to have more sound around instruments, but less musical or warm.  Really it just comes down to preference and synergy with your system.
It was interesting that once I upgraded the power cords and receptacles, the interconnect differences were not as pronounced.  So it seems like you get a bigger bang for your dollar with power cords and receptacles.

Although this thread is for the XA5400ES, I do have a Modwright 36.5 preamp.  I plugged that into the R1 and again instruments just became more natural sounding.  And finally with all the changes I wanted to see the difference my Russian 6H30P-DR tubes now made.  To be honest when I first got them and tried them I thought they were marginally better, but wouldn’t have raved about them.  Well I re-did the A-B comparison with the stock tubes and there is no comparison.  The DR’s have much better dynamics and sound is so much more real and tighter.

As with everything YMMV, but just thought I’d share as I certainly have learned a ton from other people who have posted their experiences so generously.
 

[Timo]

Audiodave33:

I have had superlative results with the cruzeFIRST Audio Maestro 20amp duplex outlets.

Regards,

Timo

[smargo]

 -R. Wilson, Vancouver, WA - July 1, 2010


Be interesting what R. Wilson thinks now........................

[Stefan_DR3]

Greetings 

What are the output voltages of this player with SS mods and with tube mods?
Is it still 2V RMS for CD and SACD as per the Sony spec?

[roadkingraw]

-R. Wilson, Vancouver, WA - July 1, 2010


Be interesting what R. Wilson thinks now........................

Smargo, what are you referring to?  My impressions of the Modwright Player?
Randy

[Wig]

Guys,

If you're looking for a 5AR4 with more dynamics and extension, the Create/Synergy is more liquid and transparent especially if you have midrange richness.

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?ddgtl&1336927704&&&/Crisp-sounding-tubes-for-Modwright-5400E