Modwright Tube Oppo BDP-83 Getting it dialed in

Ern Dog · « **on:** 29 Sep 2010, 12:31 am »

My Modwright Tube Oppo BDP-83 arrived 2 weeks ago and it is now fully broken in. I wanted to get some advice from those of you with some experience with Modwright gear as I'm having trouble getting my rig dialed in.

For a preamp I'm using the SWL 9.0 Signature edition and a Pass Labs X-150.5 amp. I'm finding that the MW Oppo is deep sounding, warm and has lots of bass. This is good news since I like my music sounding on the warm side of neutral. The problem I'm having is that my Pass Labs amp has similar characteristics in that it is warm, has bloomy mids and extended bass. So both of these components together in my rig are producing too much warmth and too much bass. It no longer sounds balanced. It's too heavy on the bottom end.

At this point, I'm thinking about rolling different tubes in hopes of resolving my problem. I do have on order a NOS Mullard rectifier tube for the Oppo external power supply. Any other suggestions?

If I'm not able to get it dialed in by rolling different tubes, then I'm considering switching to the Pass Labs X-150 amp which I've had before. It is TOTALLY neutral sounding- no warmth, and the bass is lean. I'm thinking that might be a better synergistic match for my new Modwright tube Oppo.

My preference is to keep my current amp, but I also don't want to spend a lot of money trying a bunch of different tubes either. Thanks for your suggestions. Ernie

AB · « **Reply #1 on:** 30 Sep 2010, 03:29 pm »

How many MW caps does the tubed Oppo have? If it has any, I would wait and let it burn in more - those MW caps take a long time to settle down.

Ern Dog · « **Reply #2 on:** 1 Oct 2010, 12:16 am »

I have over 300 hours on the player and it has gotten better as it broken in. There's a couple things that I've done to help, each with a subtle incremental change.

1. I was initially using a Pangea AC-9 power cord on the player and an Iego on the power supply. These added body and warmth, which I have in spades, so I replaced them with the stock power cords.

2. I installed Dynamat Extreme on the inside of the lid of the power supply. Knocking on the lid now gives a solid thud instead of tinny sound. Not sure how much this helped or not.

3. I turned my sub off (JL Audio Fathom F110). With the player having so much bass extension, not sure if I'll need it.

4. Lastly, I got the Vintage Mullard rectifier tube today and it is Awesome. Way better than the stock Russian Sovtek.

5. I've got some NOS Sylvania 6SN7's yellow label's, coming soon. More to come on that...

6. And for the future, since I have hardwood floors and ceilings, I'd like to get a nice 8x10 area rug to go underneath my rig and speakers.

7. I also want to get 2 bass traps to absorb and stabilize the bass. Dang, those ASC Tube traps are like $850 for one! Will research possibly making my own or find a smokin deal somewhere.

poseidonsvoice · « **Reply #3 on:** 1 Oct 2010, 01:55 am »

Quote from: Ern Dog on 1 Oct 2010, 12:16 am

7. I also want to get 2 bass traps to absorb and stabilize the bass. Dang, those ASC Tube traps are like $850 for one! Will research possibly making my own or find a smokin deal somewhere.

I would seriously look into GIK Acoustics or Real Traps. Both great companies, different prices but offer different finishing options, etc...

Anand.

Ern Dog · « **Reply #4 on:** 1 Oct 2010, 05:49 am »

I just checked out some GIK products and they are on my short list of things to buy. Thanks for the heads up about them. Those Monster Bass Traps and corner bass traps look like they would do the job. Reasonable prices too

Ern Dog · « **Reply #5 on:** 2 Oct 2010, 03:49 pm »

I decided to purchase a pair of GIK Tri Traps and put them in the front corners of the room. They are about 4 feet tall and should do well with absorbing excess bass. They will ship next week and they only cost $300 for the pair. Next up, I would try some panels for the first reflection points.

jriggy · « **Reply #6 on:** 2 Oct 2010, 05:16 pm »

Quote from: Ern Dog on 2 Oct 2010, 03:49 pm

I decided to purchase a pair of GIK Tri Traps and put them in the front corners of the room. They are about 4 feet tall and should do well with absorbing excess bass. They will ship next week and they only cost $300 for the pair. Next up, I would try some panels for the first reflection points.

Once you receive them and you find you like their effect, you should seriously consider another set - taking them to the ceiling. Worked great IME. Improved clarity and detail quite a bit.

modwright · « **Reply #7 on:** 3 Oct 2010, 02:49 am »

Thanks for sharing. The 9.0SE is not overly warm, but the Oppo BDP-83 (non-SE) can be a bit on the warm side, while still providing phenomenal bass as you can hear.

I agree that addressing room acoustics can help a great deal also. The pass amps are great and while their tonality may seem a bit warm, I do NOT expect this to be any reflection on bandwidth or frequency - ditto the Oppo. What you are hearing is likely LESS grunge and digititus and more music.

If the room is boomy, then certainly room treatments are in order!

Agreed about the Mullard rectifiers, they ARE more musical! I also look forward to your feedback RE 6SN7 tube rolling.

I am listening to our LS 100 right now with Sovtek rectifier, new production 6SN7 Tung-Sols (by Sovtek), but I DO have a pair of special tubes in the LS 100 Phono upgrade module that I am voicing. I found a Tung-Sol 12AU7 and Brimar 12AX7 in my stash and vinyl is sounding AMAZING!

Just listened to a Japanese pressed direct-to-disc LP that was out of this world!

Thanks,

Dan

AB · « **Reply #8 on:** 3 Oct 2010, 04:40 pm »

So how close is this Oppo's tube output stage and PSU to the MW Transporter's?

I can't find its info on the MW web page. Ooops. It's on there now. Seems it wasn't yesterday.

Ern Dog · « **Reply #9 on:** 5 Oct 2010, 04:07 am »

Well, the sylvania 6SN7 GTB yellow label tubes arrived today and they sound wonderful. They are neutral, detailed and have tight bass. It's exactly what my system needed. They are a better match for me versus the stock Tung sol 6SN7's (current production) that came with the Oppo.

I also applied Dynamat on the inside of the lid of the Oppo. The improvement was very subtle, but it seemed like there was less noise, but not sure.

So far, I'm finding that the biggest improvements came from rolling vintage tubes and second was changing power cords.

Overall, after doing all these tweaks, I have to say that my Oppo sounds nothing like it did when I first started this thread. Now it sounds balanced and is more realistic sounding and involving. I'm curious to hear how the GIK bass corner traps will effect things.

Ern Dog · « **Reply #10 on:** 16 Oct 2010, 04:36 am »

These GIK Tri traps are rockin' my world.

They created a significant change in the way the music sounds. It's such a big difference that my brain and ears are still adjusting to the new sound... some I like and some I don't like. The bass is tighter and stops when it is supposed to. No more excess. This has allowed me to hear more of what is going on in the mids and highs. Kick drums sound more articulate and clean. Synth bass has lost some of its umph and the music sounds kinda muted. Bryan at GIK says that this is because of a reduction in distorted mids and highs coming from the corners. I'm so conditioned to hearing the distortion that now my brain thinks 'it doesn't sound right.'

As I'm adjusting to this more, I'm able to hear how much distortion my listening room creates- which I wasn't aware of before. This is really noticeable when I temporarily remove the tri traps.

So at this point, it feels important to relax and listen to lots of music to let the new sound jell into my brain, maybe some cabernet might help too.

Now remember all this room treatment business started for me because the hot rod Oppo has revealed short comings in my audio chain that I wasn't aware of before, particularly my untreated listening room.

bpape · « **Reply #11 on:** 16 Oct 2010, 01:12 pm »

Glad they're working well for you. The way you're approaching adjusting to the changes is a great thing to do. Get used to the treatment and then remove it to see what problems come back.

Bryan

Ern Dog · « **Reply #12 on:** 19 Oct 2010, 02:53 am »

Can anyone recommend an umbilical cord to upgrade the stock one that it came with? It came with a Neutrik umbilical.

modwright · « **Reply #13 on:** 20 Oct 2010, 04:03 am »

I am working on a solid-core hybrid silver/copper design, using custom drawn, ultra-pure Cardas wire and Cardas litz wire for common ground. The design will include cryo-treatment and our own proprietary geometric shielding method, rather than an overall shield.

I am finalizing the design now and will let everyone know when it is available.

Thanks,

Dan W.

Artp · « **Reply #14 on:** 20 Oct 2010, 03:53 pm »

Looking forward to the new umbilical. Have you had a chance to evaluate one yet?
I've been playing around with some tweaks on my tube Oppo and I'd figure I'd share my experience. Once my unit was fully burned in I noticed that there was some uneven bass and some glare at higher volumes with rock based material. So I began experimenting with footers. I tried Herbies Tenderfeet and Vibrapods with cones. They both improved the sound with the slight edge going to the Vibrapod/cone combo. I would describe the change as a general reduction of noise and a little bit better bass. Next I put Herbies Ultrasonic tube dampers on all three tubes. This was a substantial improvement in all areas. The glare was completely gone and the slight boomy bass was tight and clean. These should be a must have addition! The other day I swapped out the Vibrapods for some Finite Element Ceraballs. The Ceraballs really brought the soundstage into focus and gave a substantial improvement in micro detail in all areas. Much more air and sparkle in the top end with no harshness at all. The bass is now very tight, well defined and powerful. Going back to the Vibrapods I would describe as a more confused soundstage, a bit of a loss of treble detail, and less defined bass. I'll be sticking with the Ceraballs for sure. Just a note, all footers sounded better in a set of three with one centered under the drive and one in each back corner. Now bring on the umbilical!

Ern Dog · « **Reply #15 on:** 29 Oct 2010, 02:54 pm »

I tried the Vibrapod cones on the Oppo and found that it made a significant difference in the way the music sounded. I was actually surprised about this. The next step for me was seeing if the was a positive difference or one I didn't care for. It increased the detail in the highs and did something weird to the sound stage. It was too much for me. So I turned them upside down, point side down, and still didn't like it, so I removed them. I'm thinking the Vibrapod isolators might be a better match for me instead of the cones.

Naturally, I tried the cones on my 9.0 preamp and WOW! The music had more clarity and definition. I haven't had a desire to try them upside down because it sound soooo good right now. But I will. I also will try the cones on the Oppo's external power supply.

I'm looking to try the Ceraballs and on the hunt for (3) used ones. I'm also planning on talking with Bryan at GIK to discuss a room treatment plan for my whole listening area.

That umbilical cord sounds like it could be good.

Eric · « **Reply #16 on:** 3 Nov 2010, 06:40 pm »

Would the umbilical work for the Sony 5400 as well?

JG2 · « **Reply #17 on:** 4 Nov 2010, 05:12 am »

Yes, it would work with the Sony XA5400ES, 9100ES, 999ES, 9000ES, Denon 3910, 2900 and the Oppo's.

modwright · « **Reply #18 on:** 5 Nov 2010, 03:13 am »

The prototype new umbilical is off to cryo tomorrow and once out of cryo, final listening will be done and unit will be made available.

It will fit ALL of our modified players that use a 4-pin XLR connector - which is, well, ALL of them

.

The outboard supply use with the Sony XA-5400ES and Oppo BDP-83SE tube mod IS more sophisticated than the supply used in the Transporter. We are able to use a choke input and slightly more advanced voltage regulation, due to more room inside the PS 9.0 enclosure.

Thanks,

Dan W.

Ern Dog · « **Reply #19 on:** 6 Nov 2010, 03:58 am »

I tried the Vibrapod Cone upside down (points down) on my preamp and it sounded worse. It's best w/points up in my rig.

I tried the cones on the Oppo external power supply. The power supply has been sitting on my hardwood floor and absorbing all the vibrations that come up from the floor- not a good thing. With the cones, there was a noticeable improvement with the clarity & focus. They are staying

. I'd like one set under the power supply and one set under the preamp.