Dodd won over Modwright in shot out yesterday. Better tone and middle range. Modwright sounds almost SS-ish next to Dodd. Dodd is still on the top in my book. Who is next???? Maybe.....Audio Horizon ??? Anyone in NY area up for a head to head blind test with independent jury ?? Whatever the outcome might be , I am up for it....so is Dodd. Cheers |
Joe, no problem. My place or yours. I will have John Rutan over in few weeks time to play around with my Quatros. That should be fun as long as it is OK with John - of course after he will finished dialing in the Quatros. Or your place makes no difference. Should have Dodd almost broken-in by then. Send me the PM. As to RWA Isabella, yes, I would like to hear it as well. It was on my short list of preamps to audition but the long wait made me go with Dodd which was on promo-sell + Walters trade-in program worked for me better. Most of all, I have no regreds while it does what is needed for my system and does it with grace. One thing that Isabella excels over Dodd (sonics a side) is build-in DAC that might be a killer IMO. Other the that , it is a crap shooting game as long as someone can compare the two and report the results. It is a great idea that would benefit all audiophiles interested in either preamp. I am personaly all for it. I am sure that Vinnie will succeed by adding Isabella into his line of products. It sure will have strong following of satisfied audiophiles around the World. _______________________________________________________________ Dodd vs Modwright notes later tonight. Cheers Mariusz |
Here , see this link - from another Dodd thread I would also like to add , that to it is based on my experience and preferences of the sound that is closest to my taste. What I look in the gear in general is musicality that is reflection of emotions, engagement, window to the soul of the performers and the place where music sleeps. Modwright, being very detail, crisp and transparent failed in the very essence of music reproduction - middle range. Besides, the overwhelming domination of treble and upper bass I felt the overly bright, edgy and often - ear piercing heights were the Modwright's biggest flaw. In contrast, Dodd had better tonality, background, inner detail and most of all - very rich, intimate and seductive middle range that was realistically maped within the listening space. Vocals on Modwright seemed to be pushed back at least few feet back and behind the main speakers. Beig sensitive to overly bright, harsh and edgy sound. I must say that it is the Dodd that made the music as a whole. Great overall sound........and the battle was won by Dodd by small margin IMO. Take care Mariusz |
You are right, it is my opinion and should be taken as such. Cary is great. I thing that should put it to bed. For more on Dodd, contact other users and search the web for reviews. My ears might be different then yours .....same goes for preferances in music and gear that reproduce it. However , I am not the lone wolf with opinions regarding Dodd's performence. Does it work in my system? absolutly. Will it end your search for ultimate preamp? I don't know. What I know......and I speake from my personal experience, is that this thing kicks butt. YMMV. Regards Mariusz |
I agree with last to posts......wait and listen for yourself. I think Vinnie offers in home audition with money back guaranty for 30 days. Nothing to loose accept shipping costs. Gary does't yet offer IHT , but hopefully he will. As to one of the comments from the "Rave".......I agree with that statement. Modwright is very transparent and in my opinion with grained upper freq. It is true, I am very sensetive to coloration in that department. I had the same experiance with Supratek preamp. Yes, it was great......but no matter what I have tried to eliminate the edginess / grain - whatever you want to call it - it seemed to be there no matter what. I loved that preamp but had to let it go for that reason alone. Dodd is very sensetive to tube rolling and its character is very much influence by tubes you choose to pair it with. My choice were NOS Mullards and like most of you know it is a queen of middle range in 6922 family. It is not the most detail or transparent of tubes from that group and one can tweak Dodd's character by simplly swaping pair of tubes. If you want more detail use Amperex 7308 white label PQ or Amperex orange label 6922 round plate. I like Mullard for its musicality, body, wonderful vocals as well as insrtuments articulation. Your preferances might be different from mine. All in all , it is very easy to forget that Dodd is even in the system and it doesn't draw attention to itself like some that I have own or auditioned. Like I said , it is not "it" for everyone but at least worth a listen. But away, Gary makes only one preamp - the battery powered preamp that I am refering to. |
Thanks Nate. Well.....it is OK with RWA.....not exactlly my main rig but close enough to enjoy it. Both systems share the same characteristics and sound very alike. Of course both share the same preamp.....until TVC passive preamp arrives with 4ch for HT. AADs need a little more power.....maybe another RWA for Bi-amp in the near future. Who knows, I might even try new RWA Isabella preamp and compare it to Dodd. The only thing that scares me is that I might fall in love with it ............and my peace of mind will be back in the upgrade mode. :) Like I said, it would be very interesting to have these two going head to head at each other. Both battery powered with sweet, engaging and musical character ( I am guessing here based on my experience with RWA amp). Will have to find someone in NY area who is thinking about RWA preamp and ask for audition. I know tha Vinnie sometimes shows up at the Raves......so maybe there we could let them loose.....who knows. Its build in dac is the iceing on the cake. Costs more but within the reasons. Best Mariusz |
