Modwright LS100 vs LTA MicroZOTL


Has anyone had an opportunity to compare the Linear Tube Amplifier MicroZOTL vs the Modwright LS100?  If so how do they compare?

Thanks

M

mdrone

@pdreher ok I will let u know my thoughts.  I’ll have my amp back around mid August and then I’ll need a week or so to let them both burn in properly.  BTW, I got the upgraded linear power supply just so you know.  I don’t consider it optional as by all accounts it makes a significant improvement to the preamp.  

I've got  Modwright LS 36.5, DeHavilland UltraVerve III, and PS Audio BHK preamps. I pair them with either KEF500 or Tidal Piano Cera speakers. Just mention this so there's a reference point in my comments about the Modwright LS 36.5. In my opinion it would have to be partnered with some quite bright sounding gear to be perceived as "harsh" with the stock 6h30 tubes. I also have a set of '86 6h30p-dr tubes and they are a bit smoother in the top end but I don't find the stock modern manufactured tubes to be deficient sounding at all. With the KEF speakers I actually prefer the stock modern tubes to the expensive 1986 DR tubes. Installing an older Mullard gz34, GE 5AR4,  or Japanese Mullard gz34  is highly recommended and would be the first thing I'd change. Dan Wright (the designer) recommends Daedalus DiD isolation feet as an upgrade. I use 3 Stillpoints SS feet and find they make a noticeable improvement in high frequency refinement. It also noticeably responds to changes in power cables. The LS 36.5 is a tiny bit less delicately refined and resolving in high frequencies than the BHK preamp but it is more dynamically emotive and is pretty much on parity in other characteristics. The build quality is very reassuring. There are really no tube rolling options at all for the 6h30 tube in this preamp but I no longer have any reservations about that. After driving myself to distraction for years trying all the various iterations of sound possible by rolling either 6922 and 12au7 family tubes in the BHK or 6sn7 tubes in the DeHavilland, it's actually nice to have a simpler owner experience with the LS36.5. When I purchased the Modwright from TMR I asked about their comparative experiences between the LS36.5 and the LS100. Their impressions were that the LS100, while a great preamp, was not as refined and resolving as the LS36.5.