New Modwright PH 9.0 Phono Preamplifer - $2900

One for $1900 on audiogon today if anyone looking ... ModWright PH 9.0 | Phono | Seattle, Washington 98117 | Audiogon

 

Yeah, right! Two of us! Just ordered mine from Dan. Black with silver knobs. I'm running a Tavish Adagio right now without complaints, but we all know how this game is played.......

 

I don't think you will be sorry, you know Dan's work as well as anyone

 

I got one of these a few months ago. Couldn't be more pleased. Replaced a Chinook.

 

Just took delivery of my PH 9.0 yesterday and working from home today, so hooked it up and been playing around with it. Ran through some nice stereo pressings on the VPI, then hit the mono switch and played the Classic Records Mono Axis Bold As Love LP (which I still need to sit down and compare to the UHQR one day!) and am now playing some records on the Thorens through the MM input. Having a lot of fun but need to spend more time with it and try out some NOS tubes I have lying around. I was surprised by the significant shifts in sound by playing with the gain switch. But right out of the box a great phono pre and looking forward to exploring some more.

I do love the Tavish Adagio that I switched this out for, and haven't done enough yet on the musical comparison side, but with all the recent mono boxes (Stones, Kinks, Dylan, Beatles, etc) the mono switch alone is enough for me to decide that I'm going to be selling my Adagio soon.

Good stuff!

 

I see 3 Modwright black boxes, one I assume is the power supply for the phono stage, what is the third?

 

I have 3 Modwright components. The New PH 9.0 is alongside its power supply. Underneath that shelf is a tube modded Modwright Sony XA5400ES SACD and the power supply for that is on the floor underneath it. Directly to the right of the Sony is a Modwright Pioneer UHD LX-500 but that does not have an external power supply.

 

Congrats on your new ModWright addition. The PH 9.0 will take a good 30-40 hours to come on song. She'll be smooth sailing from then on, N'joy.

 

Thanks! You're prior comments on here about helped me decide. I think its a great pre that will give me years of enjoyment.

 

Got it , hadn’t noticed the tubes peeking out of the rear of the Sony.
How do the Sony and Pioneer compare?

note: I have only one Modwright component (so far) so you’re ahead of me

 

I got the Pioneer to handle DVDA's and BR's since the Sony only does redbook and SACD's. My thought was to move the Sony out since the Pioneer does it all. But I found that the Sony was a much better sounding unit, particularity for my SACD's. It has a lot more heft and weight to the music and sounds a bit more "musical." The Pioneer is a bit more detailed - more of a clinical sound. Works really well for some kinds of music, but if I want to play anything with warmth to it - James Taylor, Ella, etc - I go with the Sony. So, at least for now, keeping both units in the system!

Dan makes great equipment though I never heard one of his amps of preamps (other than this phono pre before)!

 

Agreed. I have the LS-100 Preamp that is quite, has a detailed yet smooth presentation. I almost opted for the optional on-board Tube Phono Stage for the LS-100, but decided to go with the PH 9.0. I'm certainly glad I did, the front mount controls are very convienent. My next piece of Dan's will be a KWA 100SE Amplifier.

 

Are you using the original tubes that Dan supplied with the Pioneer?

 

I switched in some tubes I had lying about - nothing special and I don't even remember what they were. I'm on the road for work and will have to check. But yeah, I need to start doing some digging around and tube rolling. I've also probably only put about 30 hours on it with all the vinyl I play, along with the Sony and my EE tube DAC getting hours.

 

I also have a ModWright Pioneer CD Player.
I've settled on the Amperex 6922, "USN" White label, gold pins from 1965.
Purchased from the Yoda of tubes, Andy Bouwman.
You install these puppies and I suspect you will be listening to considerably more CDs!

 

I don't know if this is the correct thread to bring this up, but. I have an Oppo 95 laying about doing nothing... I have always thought about getting it modded by ModWright. What do people think of this? I know @Sedwards will probably think it is a good idea considering all your gear!

 

Thanks for the advice! I'll have to track down a pair.

 

I haven't experienced a Modwright Oppo but have read good things from others who have tried them out. So my lips are sealed!!! (But I have been very impressed, obviously, with Dan's ability to create great sounding and dependable products for a decent price).

 

I received a demo Modwright PH 9.0 yesterday and hooked it up this morning. So far, so good. Compared to my Graham Slee Era Gold V it *seems* thus far to be darker and quieter. I think I'm hearing rather better bass, both in quantity and in definition. Perhaps a deeper soundstage, too. I'm qualifying all of this, b/c I find it pretty hard to judge a new component in the first several listens.

One possible benefit, thus far, of the PH 9.0 is that I think I'm hearing fewer pops and ticks and less surface noise. Huh! I've heard this is a thing with better phono stages.... But why would this be exactly? Better signal to noise ratio?

Right now I'm running it with my Marantz TT15S1 table and a Clearaudio Virtuoso cart with an ATN95SA stylus.

I'm also going to try it with my 1200GR with both a 2m Bronze and an AT-ART9 (which is the reason I'm in the market for a new phono stage in the first place--need MC capability).

I've also got, coming my way, a K&K Premium SUT and an Elac PPA-2 phono stage. So this should be an interesting couple weeks of comparisons and close listening! All have audition/return windows, so I'll be good whichever way I go!

The PH 9.0 is sounding great so far!

 

I've been auditioning the PH 9.0 in my system for the last week or so and having fun with it. It does, indeed, sound quite a bit better than my Graham Slee Era Gold V, which is a solid stage itself. The Modwright strikes me as having a deeper stage, a richer tone, and more detail. It also passes through a lot less surfaces noise, tics and pops, etc. (I'm told b/c it's a non-negative feedback design?)

I'd hoped to audition it next to an Elac PPA-2 stage--which has a lot of features I'm looking for (variable loading, mono switch, two inputs, etc.), but the Elac arrived from B&H Photo with a dead right channel. I'm trying to decide whether I'm bothered to get another one shipped to me to compare against the ModWright. Anyone heard the Elac? I certainly prefer the *look* of the PH 9.0. The Elac is a plain black box, and takes up a full rack length (which is annoying).

Finally, I'm experimenting with a K&K 1:8 SUT (the premium model with the nicer Lundhal transformers) and comparing it to the MC input in the ModWright. (The ModWright also uses Lundhals to step up the MC signal, but the level below the K&K Premium.) I haven't decided yet whether it's worth keeping the K&K (Kevin has an audition window, too) or if I don't hear enough of a difference, but the K&K definitely sounds good. It seems to overload the Era Gold V though.

Carts are ART9 (good but maybe haven't got it completely dialed in yet), 2m Bronze (sounded just great through the PH 9.0), and perhaps a Koetsu Black (will set it up tomorrow).

Any thoughts welcomed! I'm pretty sure the PH 9.0 is staying. It sounds great and looks great. Only small wrinkle thus far is a humming power supply in my system, which could be a bad choke. ModWright is going to send me a different supply to compare. Great service through them thus far.

 

What about just having ModWright install better transformers in your unit? That would get rid of the extra cables and connectors. It comes standard with the LL9226, which K&K sell for $86 each. I have a couple of the $180 LL1933 in one of my preamps and they are very nice sounding, they are the laminated nickel core version of the $225 LL1931 amorphous cobalt core transformers in the K&K Premium. Guess it might not make sense as a retrofit, but maybe he would offer a choice at purchase?

In any case, that is a very nice unit, and you are right about the missing negative feedback, in my experience that is a big factor in the quieter backgrounds you are experiencing. I get the same in my Conrad Johnson Premier 15, just allows you to really relax into the music. The CJ also gets rid of the electrolytic capacitors and just uses big expensive film caps (except on the heaters), which removes another level of distraction, but that gets kind of expensive and takes up a lot of room.

 

That's interesting to think about retrofitting the transformers in the ModWright, though I'm not sure it would worth sending the unit in to do it. Elsewhere on the site (in this thread, I think), someone suggested I might not hear much difference between the two levels of Lundhal transformers. It's really hard to say if I do or not, as I don't have a reliable way to match levels (other than an app on my iPhone, which seems inaccurate). Anyway, I'm trying not to sweat it too much. The nicer SUT is there if I want it, now or later.

Though I would be curious what I should listen for between SUTs. What effects transformers have on the sound other than S/N ratio, etc. Do they affect the frequency response, for example?

Would also be curious if anyone's hard the Elac PPA-2! Quite annoyed that my sample isn't working.... Thanks for the guidance, y'all!

 

There are a couple people here with one, I know that we talked about it in one thread when it was introduced. The PPA-1 was getting blown out at the time for a great price, after Elac bought out Audio Alchemy and was preparing to introduce the new version. It's a nice looking preamp. good layout, full size analog power supply built-in with a big toroid transformer, fully discrete design other than the DC servo opamps. The wide chassis does allow for good isolation between the circuits and the power supply. I tend toward a little different direction for the preamps I like best, but looks like a very well designed box with a lot of features ...



Phono preamp upgrade

 

Yeah, it does look a nice design, doesn't it? And the Audio Alchemy designer seems to have a very coherent philosophy. Aesthetically it's not up to much, but the feature set and good-looking internals put it on my short list. (Along with the Tavish Adagio, which I haven't heard or seen.)

Still, I'm guessing the ModWright, at nearly three times the price, is a better stage overall. I got my PH 9.0 as a demo, so saved a bit there. Another reason I'm inclined to go with it.

But it would've been nice to A/B with the Elac, if just for the experience hearing another good stage.

 

How’s everyone’s PH 9.0s doing? I’m interested in getting one, but curious if over time it’s still the one to beat. If you’ve moved on, what’d you get? Thanks!