My experience with a Modwright SWL 9.0SE (mini-review)
Gaara
Posts: 2,415
Ok guys this thing is a long time coming. I have had my new preamp and new cd player for about a month now, have over 200 hours into both, and have done some critical listening comparing a few things. Let me start by saying that my SWL is now my new favorite piece of equipment, before it was my Cinenova, loved the look on people's faces when they saw it, and tried to lift it. Well lets start from the top shall we?
XxXxX If you want to skip the background just go to the Xs XxXxX
A little background, way back when even before I got my Ref 50 or the cinenova I first got my lsi's. I loved these speakers and thought they sounded great, but felt I was still lacking. So I looked into options to upgrade, and two paths were there, either go with separate amplification and pre-amp, or upgrade my source, which at the time was a Pioneer Elite 47-Ai. I did a little research on my dvd player to see what kind of tweaks were available, and found that a few places modded these units, one of those was Modwright. I thought I was crazy spending $900 on a dvd player, and spending an additional $900 to give it a tube output was just crazy. I did a little research and found a lot of people praising Dan Wright over at Modwright's work, but then I got a great deal on a Ref 50 and yadayadayada.
Fast forward, I now have a Ref 50, Halo A23, and Cinenova Grande, and everything is great for movies, but my system still kind of lacks in music. I kind of regret not going for the Integra Research RDC-7 that I could have gotten for about $700 more then the Ref 50, but whatever. So I get more new equipment, like a new sub, a new eq for said sub, new stands, and a HTPS 7000 which was acquired a couple months after the Cinenova. So now I have great speakers and a great amp, and I look to my source again. I then read up tons about Modwright, all of his Dan's mod's and yet again start thinking about getting my unit modded. I check the site and Dan has discontinued all mod's on the Pioneer units. Damn. So I look to mods again, I start by modifying my speaker's and sub, as well as running a new 20amp dedicated line for my Cinenova, then another for the main system. I also acquire a AVS 2000 SS to match my HTPS 7000. The sound improves in all aspects, but there still is something lacking, movies are great, and I now love listening to convert dvds. I again look into Integra Research, namely the RDC-7.1, and spend some time researching this unit.
So for a few months I tweak my system, moving speakers, I get a new loveseat, get a buttkicker for my loveseat, but still find the system lacking. So I come on here and read up about cd players, and preamps and all that and start reading reviews. I put off purchasing the RDC-7.1 because it seems to be very buggy, so I focus on cd players. I looked into NAD, CEC, Jolida, Ah!, and a couple other brands for cd players, and I decide on the Jolida JD-100A. By this point I am starting to think I am crazy, and I should just stop now, because what I want I obviously can't get, without a very large investment. Well I finally decide that if I am going a new cd player I might as well go with the new preamp at the same time. Since the IR is out of the picture for now I decide to look at a tube preamp for 2-channel, since this is really the only aspect of my system I want to improve. I look into mainly DODD, but then get drawn back to Modwright. I was reading about how he introduced the unit, got lots of feedback on what people wanted, and then gave it his all. At this point the unit had been out for around 6 months or so, and had been getting rave reviews everywhere. The big thing for me was that it sounded great at low volumes, very important for me. So I decide to buy both the JD-100A and the SWL at the same time.
I bought the Jolida through Hot Rod Audio Mods, since I wanted to buy the unit from a authorized dealer, wanted some extras, and wanted the EH tubes in it. Considering it was $910 with mods, the tubes I wanted, and full warranty, it was a no brainier. I ordered this unit and then went to Modwright and sent out the order form, got confirmation six hours later, and then got a phone call a few hours after that from Dan the owner and creator himself. We talked about the unit for a few mins, talked about what I wanted to get out if it, and decided that his unit was right for me. I got the SE version with upgraded parts and internal wiring, and life was good.
Well sooner then I expected I got the SWL, actually three days after I ordered (I paid for ground, but got express after a slight mixup), and I got the Jolida after four days (I paid for express). At this time I was building a flexy for my new equipment, and I actually wasn't done with it by the time the SWL arrived. I just popped the unit on top of my amp, hooked up the 2-channel out from my 47ai to it, and put in some pink noise for a few hours. Then came the fun part...
XxXxXxXXxXxXxXXxXxXxXXxXxXxXXxXxXxXXxXxXxXXxXxXxXXxXxXxXXxXxXxX
Ok so I don't listen to exactly reference quality music, I like bands like Spineshank, Cold, A Perfect Circle, Orgy, The Birthday Massacre, and Mars Volta. My tests were all done with my own music which I know most of which is not of the best quality.
My first experience was listening to Jimmy Eat World, the Futures cd via the 47Ai out to the SWL after about 3 hours of burn in. I was completely blown away by the sounds coming out of my speakers, they were nothing like before, everything had improved, and lots of things were there that I never knew before. For example the last song on the disc I heard my system do things it never has before, I finally understood what terms like air, and soundstage depth really meant. I could hear space between instruments, I could hear that the vocals were more upfront, that the drummer seemed to be farther back. Cymbals were now enjoyable, I never before liked to hear cymbals because they always seemed unrealistic (I have a neighbor who was a drummer) these sounded like they should. Well I let the unit burn in more and the next day I got my Jolida JD-100SR.
So I resisted listening to what the duo sounded like, and let them both burn in all day and night. I did some tests and played around a little, but nothing to serious. Well needless to say the sound got better and better and better and better...
Fast forward to last week. Both units have around 150 hours of burn in time on them and everything works fantastic. The duo sounds great at lower volumes, it doesn't lose depth, it doesn't fall apart, it doesn't lose bass. Using the HT Bypass works great, I can't notice a difference between hooking up the unit direct and having the SWL in between. Overall everything improved with the SWL, music sounds totally different then before. I am still amazed by this unit, and sometimes I will turn it on, turn it up while getting dressed, and just be awestruck by my music, so much so that I can't leave. I have been to late to work a few times now because I have not been able to stop listening. This thing works wonders with all of my discs, and certain discs that I didn't like playing in my system before, like Thursday, I know love to listen to. A lot of discs still are quite harsh, but its not as bad now that my treble sound so much better.
As for the Jolida vs. my Elite, Jolida wins hands down, but not a huge step up. Comparing the two I would much rather have my Elite going through the SWL then the Elite through the Ref 50, or the Jolida through the Ref 50 for that matter. I think everything the SWL does right going with the Jolida expands on it all.
Overall I would say that the biggest things that improved would be voices and treble. Like I said earlier cymbals are much more realistic and aren't as harsh as they were before. Voices now sound much more natural, and frighten me sometimes, because they seem to be coming from the room itself. Another thing I like is that it seems that the sweet spot is larger, or so it seems, because I love listening to music lying down, which happens to put my head off to the right and my ears below the tweeters by about a foot.
Well I guess that about covers that, in closing the SWL 9.0 SE transformed how I listen to music, and made me realize that all my efforts were worthwhile. I know can finally say after the last three years or so that I do fully enjoy listening to music.
Jared
P.S. If anyone wants pics I will be posting some on my webshots later on. Internally this thing is built like a tank, just look at the 6moons review to see what I mean. Lots of tweakers stuff in here, sonicaps, and a overbuilt transformer, as well as JPS labs cryoed silver signal wire.
P.S.S. If anyone has any comments or questions on my impressions or the unit itself, post em.
XxXxX If you want to skip the background just go to the Xs XxXxX
A little background, way back when even before I got my Ref 50 or the cinenova I first got my lsi's. I loved these speakers and thought they sounded great, but felt I was still lacking. So I looked into options to upgrade, and two paths were there, either go with separate amplification and pre-amp, or upgrade my source, which at the time was a Pioneer Elite 47-Ai. I did a little research on my dvd player to see what kind of tweaks were available, and found that a few places modded these units, one of those was Modwright. I thought I was crazy spending $900 on a dvd player, and spending an additional $900 to give it a tube output was just crazy. I did a little research and found a lot of people praising Dan Wright over at Modwright's work, but then I got a great deal on a Ref 50 and yadayadayada.
Fast forward, I now have a Ref 50, Halo A23, and Cinenova Grande, and everything is great for movies, but my system still kind of lacks in music. I kind of regret not going for the Integra Research RDC-7 that I could have gotten for about $700 more then the Ref 50, but whatever. So I get more new equipment, like a new sub, a new eq for said sub, new stands, and a HTPS 7000 which was acquired a couple months after the Cinenova. So now I have great speakers and a great amp, and I look to my source again. I then read up tons about Modwright, all of his Dan's mod's and yet again start thinking about getting my unit modded. I check the site and Dan has discontinued all mod's on the Pioneer units. Damn. So I look to mods again, I start by modifying my speaker's and sub, as well as running a new 20amp dedicated line for my Cinenova, then another for the main system. I also acquire a AVS 2000 SS to match my HTPS 7000. The sound improves in all aspects, but there still is something lacking, movies are great, and I now love listening to convert dvds. I again look into Integra Research, namely the RDC-7.1, and spend some time researching this unit.
So for a few months I tweak my system, moving speakers, I get a new loveseat, get a buttkicker for my loveseat, but still find the system lacking. So I come on here and read up about cd players, and preamps and all that and start reading reviews. I put off purchasing the RDC-7.1 because it seems to be very buggy, so I focus on cd players. I looked into NAD, CEC, Jolida, Ah!, and a couple other brands for cd players, and I decide on the Jolida JD-100A. By this point I am starting to think I am crazy, and I should just stop now, because what I want I obviously can't get, without a very large investment. Well I finally decide that if I am going a new cd player I might as well go with the new preamp at the same time. Since the IR is out of the picture for now I decide to look at a tube preamp for 2-channel, since this is really the only aspect of my system I want to improve. I look into mainly DODD, but then get drawn back to Modwright. I was reading about how he introduced the unit, got lots of feedback on what people wanted, and then gave it his all. At this point the unit had been out for around 6 months or so, and had been getting rave reviews everywhere. The big thing for me was that it sounded great at low volumes, very important for me. So I decide to buy both the JD-100A and the SWL at the same time.
I bought the Jolida through Hot Rod Audio Mods, since I wanted to buy the unit from a authorized dealer, wanted some extras, and wanted the EH tubes in it. Considering it was $910 with mods, the tubes I wanted, and full warranty, it was a no brainier. I ordered this unit and then went to Modwright and sent out the order form, got confirmation six hours later, and then got a phone call a few hours after that from Dan the owner and creator himself. We talked about the unit for a few mins, talked about what I wanted to get out if it, and decided that his unit was right for me. I got the SE version with upgraded parts and internal wiring, and life was good.
Well sooner then I expected I got the SWL, actually three days after I ordered (I paid for ground, but got express after a slight mixup), and I got the Jolida after four days (I paid for express). At this time I was building a flexy for my new equipment, and I actually wasn't done with it by the time the SWL arrived. I just popped the unit on top of my amp, hooked up the 2-channel out from my 47ai to it, and put in some pink noise for a few hours. Then came the fun part...
XxXxXxXXxXxXxXXxXxXxXXxXxXxXXxXxXxXXxXxXxXXxXxXxXXxXxXxXXxXxXxX
Ok so I don't listen to exactly reference quality music, I like bands like Spineshank, Cold, A Perfect Circle, Orgy, The Birthday Massacre, and Mars Volta. My tests were all done with my own music which I know most of which is not of the best quality.
My first experience was listening to Jimmy Eat World, the Futures cd via the 47Ai out to the SWL after about 3 hours of burn in. I was completely blown away by the sounds coming out of my speakers, they were nothing like before, everything had improved, and lots of things were there that I never knew before. For example the last song on the disc I heard my system do things it never has before, I finally understood what terms like air, and soundstage depth really meant. I could hear space between instruments, I could hear that the vocals were more upfront, that the drummer seemed to be farther back. Cymbals were now enjoyable, I never before liked to hear cymbals because they always seemed unrealistic (I have a neighbor who was a drummer) these sounded like they should. Well I let the unit burn in more and the next day I got my Jolida JD-100SR.
So I resisted listening to what the duo sounded like, and let them both burn in all day and night. I did some tests and played around a little, but nothing to serious. Well needless to say the sound got better and better and better and better...
Fast forward to last week. Both units have around 150 hours of burn in time on them and everything works fantastic. The duo sounds great at lower volumes, it doesn't lose depth, it doesn't fall apart, it doesn't lose bass. Using the HT Bypass works great, I can't notice a difference between hooking up the unit direct and having the SWL in between. Overall everything improved with the SWL, music sounds totally different then before. I am still amazed by this unit, and sometimes I will turn it on, turn it up while getting dressed, and just be awestruck by my music, so much so that I can't leave. I have been to late to work a few times now because I have not been able to stop listening. This thing works wonders with all of my discs, and certain discs that I didn't like playing in my system before, like Thursday, I know love to listen to. A lot of discs still are quite harsh, but its not as bad now that my treble sound so much better.
As for the Jolida vs. my Elite, Jolida wins hands down, but not a huge step up. Comparing the two I would much rather have my Elite going through the SWL then the Elite through the Ref 50, or the Jolida through the Ref 50 for that matter. I think everything the SWL does right going with the Jolida expands on it all.
Overall I would say that the biggest things that improved would be voices and treble. Like I said earlier cymbals are much more realistic and aren't as harsh as they were before. Voices now sound much more natural, and frighten me sometimes, because they seem to be coming from the room itself. Another thing I like is that it seems that the sweet spot is larger, or so it seems, because I love listening to music lying down, which happens to put my head off to the right and my ears below the tweeters by about a foot.
Well I guess that about covers that, in closing the SWL 9.0 SE transformed how I listen to music, and made me realize that all my efforts were worthwhile. I know can finally say after the last three years or so that I do fully enjoy listening to music.
Jared
P.S. If anyone wants pics I will be posting some on my webshots later on. Internally this thing is built like a tank, just look at the 6moons review to see what I mean. Lots of tweakers stuff in here, sonicaps, and a overbuilt transformer, as well as JPS labs cryoed silver signal wire.
P.S.S. If anyone has any comments or questions on my impressions or the unit itself, post em.
Post edited by Gaara on
Comments
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Nice read Jarad...
Those Lsi's always look great. The dedicated line and your equipment upgrades sound like a fine combination and are working out for you...
Denon #2900, Denon stereo receiver, Conrad Johnson Sonographe 120 amp, Blue Jeans cables, and Klipsch RF-7's -
i also look at the audiocircles website and the people who own the modwright gear swear by it. especialy the preamplifiers. good stuff!Rogue Audio stereo 100 tube amplifier - Lector Zoe preamplifier with 6H30 pi's
.Audience AU24SE speaker and ic cables- Chord Qutest DAC - Black Cat Silverstar II 75ohm digital cable-Tyler Acoustics Linbrook Signature system with large bass cabinets to accommodate 10" Seas magnesium woofers.
