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Modwright SWL 9.0SE Pre ... your thoughts welcome

Hey, I have decided to dive into tubes ... well, you get my meaning. I was steered towards the Modwright SWL 9.0SE and so far have read some good things. I'm running a Levinson ML-27 for power and Paradigm S-4's for speakers. My transport is nothing special, Denon DVD-2200 but I am also looking at running a tubed DAC in hopes of bringing the system a little more alive. Right now the system seems a little flat ... not very exciting. Plenty of volume bass end it fantastic but the mid and upper end seem very packaged. Imaging is not very good ... High and mid frequencies don’t seem to blend well. Some CD's have fair to good sound but most seem pretty "plain". Just doesn’t have that delicacy I'm looking for. I seem to listen the SPEAKERS and not the music. I recently listened to an older set of Paradigms pushed by a small tubed integrated and I was amazed. The tubed gear really made the Paradigm speakers come to life ... I was set back in my chair. Vocals were clear and crisp … the sound was extremely detailed and I had to be drug out of the room. Since then I have really started to pick a part my system.

Cables are Signalcable Silver Resolution Balanced and Cobalt Ultimate speaker cables. I'm running Signal cable "Magic" power cables. Nothing fancy but it should do the job.

Is this upgrade going to help? Has anyone experienced this?

Any better preamps in the $1500-2000 range? What about Levinson SS preamps?

Help me out … Please
128x128horseface
miklorsmith
146 posts
 
It doesn't take any time to sound good. You'll be thrilled out of the box, though it does mellow (in a good way) over the first couple days and weeks.
bmwjeff10
3 posts
 
Hello All:

Just wanted to put my two cents worth in as well.

I also own the Modwright 9.0SE and love it. I have had mine
for almost a year now. I used to write for the Absolute Sound
but now have started my own pub, and we will be featuring a
full review after the first of the year in TONE-Audio.

I have owned quite a few different tube and solid state linestages,
but have really enjoyed the MW, because in my two systems, it
was as close to neutral, not overly warm or dry that I could find.

I previously had a CJ-PV12 which I liked a lot, but was a bit too
tubey and an ARC LS-3 that was always a touch too thin. Again, your
results may vary, but for me it was just right!

I have a very similar setup to what Dan was running at RMAF. I purchased
the Penaudio Serenedes that were in the booth, have his Denon player
(another great piece...) and am using the 9.0SE with a pair of bridged
Monarchy Pro 70's to drive the Serenedes with great luck in a modest room.

When I was still at TAS, I wanted to review the 9.0, but my boss Wayne Garcia made all sorts of excuses about us not being able to review products that didn't have 20 dealers (or advertise with TAS), or have been around forever.

I reminded him that many years ago I had purchased some gear from this little company that no one had heard of called Krell and it just fell on deaf ears.

The Modwright box not only sounds good, it's built like a tank! Even if Dan died in a fiery plane crash tomorrow, Im sure a competent tech could repair it should it ever require some work.

If there is any way you can audition one of these, I think you will be very
impressed!

Good luck shopping,
wsifu
9 posts
 
i own a SWL 9.0 as well and have been using cryo'ed late 1950's tung sols for the last 100 hours. nice combination.
timo's avatar
timo
610 posts
 
Follow-up: Wsifu, I too, am using cryo'd Tung Sols that Dan provided me with the purchase of his RMAF show preamp. A very fine tube for a very fine preamp indeed!
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