ModWright Transporter

[Bigfish8]

I see a JPS debate coming.....Shane where are you? Never mind, I see he posted! 

Ken, do you have your Transporter yet or is it just on order?

John:

I have the ModWright Transporter and since it has been playing 24/7 I would guess it has around 200 hours on it.  I hope to have an opportunity to compare it to the modified S3 this weekend.  Just listening to it, I think it sounds really good but when I run a comparison to the modified S3 it must sound better or another slightly used ModWright Transporter will hit the for sale market!

Ken

[richidoo]

It will sound better - don't worry!! Srajan said so! The oracle is never wrong.

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/modwright3/transporter.html

And at the end of that tortuously long review of Transporter and several other supposedly related products he added this:

"PS: Explained Dan Wright that in the final version of his modified Transporter, "the plate voltage is too high for the 6922 and 6DJ8. You correctly list the 6N1P, 6CG7, 6BQ7, 6BG7 and 6H30 as acceptable substitutes but the originally anticipated 6922 and 6DJ8 option is no longer viable. I don't want guys burning up their expensive 6922s and 6DJ8s."

So forget about those lovely Matsushita 6922s I recommended. 6H30 are very linear, very high current, modern russian tube, made in 80s for soviet's finest nuke proof avionics. Might sound like shit in your transporter, you never know - but maybe worth a try. They sound like the voice of God in Audio Research Ref 3 preamp.

I'll mail those NOS 6N1Ps to you tomorrow, I forgot....
Rich

[Black Sand Cable]

I see a JPS debate coming.....Shane where are you? Never mind, I see he posted! 

Ken, do you have your Transporter yet or is it just on order?

John:

I have the ModWright Transporter and since it has been playing 24/7 I would guess it has around 200 hours on it.  I hope to have an opportunity to compare it to the modified S3 this weekend.  Just listening to it, I think it sounds really good but when I run a comparison to the modified S3 it must sound better or another slightly used ModWright Transporter will hit the for sale market!

Ken

I will be curious to see what you think. The Transporter should be better, but to me at the least the question will be how much better is it and does it warrant the cost? I went down this road which is why I'm so curious on what you will find.

[Bigfish8]

Guys:

I got home tonight and replaced the stock tubes in the ModWright Transporter with a Mullard GZ-32 Rectifier and RCA 6FQ7 signal tubes.  Just freshly installed, not broken-in and the sound improvement is amazing.  Now waiting for a pair of RCA 12AU7s Clear Tops to try in the Candela.  Wish I had more time to spend listening to the system as tube rolling is a blast.

Ken

[richidoo]

AHA!!! That is awesome!!!! I'm glad you are enjoying it so much. I can't wait to hear it myself.

Ken you are going to pee your pants when you get those RCAs in the preamp. I use them too, and I think so does Bryan? A very nice clear balanced tube. Neutral with a bit of sunshine and a slightly rounded edges, but still tons of beautiful detail and texture, not too tubey at all. Although to be honest what you have in there right now sounds pretty dang good! But in this hobby there is always something better, right?
haha
Rich

[bpape]

Haven't tried the cleartops but want to.  I run 50's vintage RCA Blackplates with a Siemens or Telefunken rectifier tube for the power supply.

Rich is right.  They've got gutsy bottom end nice top but not rolled off and wonderful mids without being to 'sloppy' or 'slow'.

Bryan

[Bigfish8]

I just discovered and read the following new review on the ModWright Transporter:  http://www.sonicflare.com/archives/review-modwright-truth-transporter.php

The reviewer does not mention what tubes he was using in the ModWright Transporter. 

Ken

[richidoo]

Nice review. That is one cool gadget...

Bryan and Ken, I have plucked the RCA cleartops temporarily from my minimax, they aren't perfect for the Ushers, but enhance the Legacys nicely. So Bill O'Connell helped me pick some different tubes to improve the balance for th Ushers, which I am still auditioning. So if you guys wanna try mine, now's a good time. They are the Black Sable cryoed NOS from tube depot. Just 6 months old.

Rich

[Bigfish8]

Nice review. That is one cool gadget...

Bryan and Ken, I have plucked the RCA cleartops temporarily from my minimax, they aren't perfect for the Ushers, but enhance the Legacys nicely. So Bill O'Connell helped me pick some different tubes to improve the balance for th Ushers, which I am still auditioning. So if you guys wanna try mine, now's a good time. They are the Black Sable cryoed NOS from tube depot. Just 6 months old.

Rich

Thanks for the offer Rich but my pair arrived on Friday.  I have not installed them due to my mother and mother-in-law being at my home over the weekend! 

You will have to let us in on what your new tubes are and how they work out!

Thanks Again,

Ken

[Carlman]

...... I have not installed them due to my mother and mother-in-law being at my home over the weekend! 

Wow, now that's a 'double whammy'...    Glad you lived to tell about it.

[Bigfish8]

...... I have not installed them due to my mother and mother-in-law being at my home over the weekend! 

Wow, now that's a 'double whammy'...    Glad you lived to tell about it.

Carl:

The triple whammy was that my wife had to leave Saturday Morning to fly to Toronto.  They are great ladies but I was home alone with them and it was too darn hot to escape by working outside!

Ken

[richidoo]

Triple wammy, I'll say!!  I hope the ladies survived your partying, or vice versa?

Swapping tubes is like swapping amps, you can't judge immediately. They have to break in for at least 20 hours, plus the brain has to adjust, get over the sonic stimulation of change, compare, back and forth... Maybe it is easier for you guys. Making decisions is not my forte.

Some ultra exotic tubes will be (hopefully) making a short loaner visit via handcuffed combo locked briefcase just to see what the absolute ultimate is possible with the minimax. Mullard 10M, Genelex Gold Lion U707, and some other special tubes. I (cynically, sarcastically) hope I don't like them because they are impossible to find, but concensus among Minimax gurus is that I will like them very much.  I have learned that the most expensive part will always be my favorite.     

As intriguing as tube rolling is, I find it can take my desire for listening away, I focus on swapping tubes instead. A new tube in there makes me listen to the tone instead of the music. Just when I think I have a tube that "works" then in a couple days I get used to the positive aspects and start hearing the problems, then I can't hear anything else. But I haven't really delved into ultra fancy tubes yet, so maybe I am still ignorant of what's possible with great tubes. If only ss preamps sounded as good?

Rich

[Bigfish8]

Triple wammy, I'll say!!  I hope the ladies survived your partying, or vice versa?

Swapping tubes is like swapping amps, you can't judge immediately. They have to break in for at least 20 hours, plus the brain has to adjust, get over the sonic stimulation of change, compare, back and forth... Maybe it is easier for you guys. Making decisions is not my forte.

Some ultra exotic tubes will be (hopefully) making a short loaner visit via handcuffed combo locked briefcase just to see what the absolute ultimate is possible with the minimax. Mullard 10M, Genelex Gold Lion U707, and some other special tubes. I (cynically, sarcastically) hope I don't like them because they are impossible to find, but concensus among Minimax gurus is that I will like them very much.  I have learned that the most expensive part will always be my favorite.     

As intriguing as tube rolling is, I find it can take my desire for listening away, I focus on swapping tubes instead. A new tube in there makes me listen to the tone instead of the music. Just when I think I have a tube that "works" then in a couple days I get used to the positive aspects and start hearing the problems, then I can't hear anything else. But I haven't really delved into ultra fancy tubes yet, so maybe I am still ignorant of what's possible with great tubes. If only ss preamps sounded as good?

Rich

Rich:

Excuse the extremely poor grammer but it is really fun ain't it?  Just think those exotic, extremely rare and expensive tubes may take your MiniMax performance level up to the equivalent performance of a very, very expensive tube preamp.  To me that is the great upside potential and just think if you were to buy that expensive tube preamp you would still be rolling tubes, ha, ha, ha!

Ken

[richidoo]

Ken, you're a wise man.   Thanks for the encouragement.

[mca]

Modwright Transporter vs. Bolder SB3. This is a comparo I have been interested in and I'm surprised it has not been discussed more. I'll be very curious to hear your thoughts.