I had the opportunity to slot a KWI-200 into my downstairs system this morning.
Two discoveries worth mentioning.
First, I really appreciated the KWI-200's reading of the music. Warm, organic and natural to succinctly sum things up. Versus my reference Integrated amplifier, a Gryphon Diablo, the KWI-200 did not have the same treble extension (seemed a little rolled off) and certainly was not as dynamic with the KWI-200 smoothness seeming to cloud / sacrifice some sharpness in transients. The KWI-200 exhibited a vestige of softness to leading edge of notes which robbed dynamic music of that last ounce of immediacy and attack. Still, this is nit-picking for the price and as noted above I liked the KWI-200s overall musical reading and I imagine this amplifier will be a breath of fresh air for many.
Second, the KWI-200 was in-capable of driving my ESL speakers above moderate listening volumes with-out clipping. The ESL speakers are however difficult to drive being 84dB sensitive with impedance dipping to 3 ohm at 20 KHz. |
After close to three hundred hrs on this amp.I can tell you it blows my sim i5.3 out of the water,theres no comparison.The dynamics,the effortless musicality of this amp is amazing.I really love being able to listen at low levels and have all the dynamics and grunt there,I have never heard my system sound so absolutly right.Thankyou dan wright for the tremendous bargin. |
Let me second Teajay's comments. Yes, the Modwright KWI-200 is warmer, has more liquidity, and more natural tones than the Pass integrated. Frankly, for the money, the KWI-200 is a tremendous bargain. |
Hi Taylor514,
I'm doing a review for my website hometheaterreview.com on the KWI-200 and my review unit just came this morning. It's suppose to have about 300 hours on it already, but I'll give it alot more time before coming to any final conclusions. However in the short time I have been listening to the KWI-200, I'm quite impressed with its liquidity, natural rich timbres, and overall dynamics. I'm very familiar with the Pass Labs INT-150 and so far like the Modwright much better. It reminds so far much more of my Pass Labs XA-60.5 monoblocks or the XA-60 Intergrated because of its grainless texture and warmth. |
Has anyone had a chance to compare the KWI-200 to the Pass Labs INT-150? |
Let us know your thoughts.If your thoughts are anything like mine you should be very happy(blown away!)with the quality of this thing. |
Digsmithd,
Thanks for your posts. My unit will be arriving Friday. I'm looking forward to hooking it up then burning it in. |
My kwi 200 has about 180 hrs on it so far.Its a very detailed sound stage,bass is tight and extended.More than that you can here the (playing)subtlties.Its a less forward sound than the i5.3 was.Dan say 300 hrs for burnin so by then should be able to accuratly tell. |
I would call dan at modright and ask,i dont think hes the type to sell you something thats not right.From 85 watts(sim i5.3) to this is quite a jump.My adagios have 6 ohms so apparently they are fairly easy to drive.Thought about getting the psb syncrony 1 to try something new...but to many changes to quick. |
I am also considering getting this IA, one concern is that I am wondering what speakers to use with this amp? It appears not to suffer some issues of other AI's in that most IA's have plenty of power to drive 8 ohms load speakers, but lacks the muscle to drive harder 4 ohm speakers. I am currently using PMC speakers w/Bryston gear, but want to also get a Dyn C-1, someday, I had the Bryston B-100, as good as it is, it had a difficult time with the Dyn's. |
just recieved mine yesterday.Wow what a nice peice of gear.It,s already sounding very nice.a little bit more power than the i5.cant wait for this baby to burnin. |
Whoops, my error. I thought it was an integrated amp. |
Sorry Hgeifman but that is not an integrated amp. |
Please see the review below for the ModWright Instruments KWA 150 Signature Edition Integrated Amplifier.
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/superioraudio/equipment/0212/modwright_instruments_kwa_150_signature.htm
The KWA 150 costs $6,995 and delivers 150 wpc into an 8 Ohm load, or 275 wpc into 4 Ohm. The ModWright KWA 150 Signature Edition costs $8,495. These prices came from the above article.
I am surprised the units power does not double going into 4 ohms (275 wpc instead of 300 wpc). It is a heavy unit and must have a large power supply. Comments? Is the KWI-150 SE a balanced design? If yes, it should have two XLR inputs instead of one.
These prices are high for me but I would interested in hearing owners comments on the KWI-150 SE unit (or the KWI-150 unit). |
It's true - your dealer can't say enough good stuff about this integrated...a substantial improvement over sim and a much better value than Pass.
Stay tuned... |
I also am expecting one within the week or weekend,talking to the dealer (and dan)he described the sound like the pass 150 with better bass.I told him i would be coming from sim i5.3...dan said he would put this up against any of the sims very confidently.(sounds like im moving in the right direction)....cant wait.dealer is highly impressed with the unit. |
Jriggy, when I had the 150 (not the SE version) it was soft or recessed or rolled off in the treble. It was not well extended in that area. Sorry. Of course everything is system dependent and at the time the way my system was, that was being manifested. I'm hoping the KWI 200 will be better in that area with a system that is completely different from when I owned the KWA 15O a few years ago. |
Jriggy,
I let the modded BDP-83 break in over 300-400 hours. Perhaps "soft" is not the right word. "Laid back" or "relaxed" might be a better description which is good or great for some. I'm trying to find that middle ground where the sound is not hyper-detailed (SS) and too relaxed (tubes). I'm finding it difficult because there are so many factors involved and I am fussy. The KWI-200 sounds very promising. Thanks! |
Routman21,
Maybe the unit was not fully broken-in. Because "soft" is not how I would describe any of Dans offerings.
Re: the KWI 200... I heard a quote from a distributor in Canada. He called the unit "the finest integrated amplifier I have heard in this price class. Very supple, yet great dynamics and speed."
Knowing Dans work ethic and his constant drive for improvements, I would bet it to beat out some of his current offerings yet again.
Looking forward to reading more soon... |
I used to own the 150, and I felt it was a little rolled off as well. Maybe the SE version improved in that area? I have the KWI 200 on the way so I will try and post my impressions, but only after a few hundred hours. |
Mcondon,
I previously owned a Modwright Tube modded Oppo BDP-83 blu-ray player. I tried to like it but just couldn't connect. I found it to be a little too soft & uninvolving. I'm not totally sure but I just may be a SS guy. I was considering a Modwright tube pre & SS power but backed out for the fear of the rolled off sound that I believed I was getting with the BDP-83. I didn't try the BDP-83 with different amps or speakers before I sold it. Perhaps, more experimentation may have produced different results. Thank you and others for the responses. |
This is a new integrated, so I doubt too many people have heard it. You might want to check out the Modwright circle on Audiocircle, as there are probably some reviews there. I hope the amp works out for you.
Modwright amps are not cheap. They get very good professional reviews, but I see a fair number of used Modwrights show up for sale here, which has left me scratching my head. One possible explanation is that his amps have a fairly low input impedance, which means they may sound rolled off when used with tube preamps with a high output impedance. Of course, you won't have that issue to worry about with Dan's integrated amp. |
I agree, you should have high expectations. I haven't heard any of Dan Wright's amps, but judging by my SWP 9.0 SE phono stage, you won't be disappointed. Their power amps are highly regarded, so I would guess you will be very much satisfied.
Regards, and enjoy,
Dan |
Sorry, I haven't heard it either, but I am hoping that anyone who has will compare the sound to the KWA amps. |
