New Dual Box Modwright Pre for Me!

[mgalusha]

Nice, looking forward to your thoughts on this. And the pics of course.

[miklorsmith]

I got the photos uploaded to my computer but somehow I can't get into the "Gallery" function to deposit them.  Any ideas?

[richidoo]

Gallery is dead since upgrading the site software last week.

[Carlman]

For the gallery, I'm planning to install something better.  The gallery is temporarily disabled.  Sorry for the inconvenience.
-C

[miklorsmith]

OK, just so long as it isn't me. 

[miklorsmith]

Early return - this is one highly resolving bugger.  It really defines lots of the smaller stuff that usually gets lost.  It's pretty lit up right now, like a horse before a race.  I'm hoping it settles in a bit with break-in, or maybe it's just my conditioning.  I might change my mind on this part, as I do enjoy a close-up perspective.  The assertive personality makes the unit seem a little less triode than the Lamm but this may prove incorrect with further exposure.

Bass is really strong.  Initially I turned the sub amp attenuators down about 20% though I'm now working my way back.  Overall bass level is higher than before but as controlled.

For the first time, I can run the sub circuit all balanced - from preamp to sub EQ to sub amps.  I don't know if this is of any sonic benefit but it eliminates a pair of cheap adaptors I had to use before and it feels cool.  Joe Pro Audio.   

Focus is tight, voices are human-sized, and channel separation is absolute.  This unit basically has a power supply for each channel in a single, rack-sized box which feeds a dual-mono linestage in the second box.  About the only thing shared between the channels is a single AC cord (which I'm glad for).  That feeds true mono amps for the mains and also mono amps for the subs.  The sub EQ is stereo.  All this adds up to a nice soundstage/image.

And the most important feature, one that hasn't been mentioned anywhere that I've seen (drumroll please) . . . it goes to 11!  No crap, the bottom end on the attenuator is "0", the other end is "11".  Freakin' awesome.  Even if it sounds terrible there's no way this thing's going anywhere.  I told my wife and she didn't get it (like everything else audio).

First impressions are very favorable.  At this moment, I think I'd tone down the up-front attack just a tiny bit.  I have cabling that will do exactly this and if the unit doesn't mellow itself a tad I'll do it.  Specifically, the transport/DAC power cables make a big difference.  I'm using the Zu Mothers which strive for resolution and detail in my digital stuff.  Swapping those can/does totally change suits and that might be a matching exercise for a future day.

[richidoo]

Great first take Mike. The next week should be lots of fun!  Sounds very promising.

This will help your wife understand about the volume knob:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akaD9v460yI

[miklorsmith]

Link sent, gotta love YouTube.  I tried to explain the bit to her yesterday.  Even the video clip isn't quite as good without the rest of the movie around it.  I saw it recently and damn that is a funny flick.  Anybody that hasn't viewed Spinal Tap in the last 10 years owes it to themselves to do so, stat.

[mgalusha]

Part of the subs being louder is running them balanced. Many balanced inputs are 6dB hotter than single ended.

Sounds like a very nice piece.

[miklorsmith]

Interesting.  The old arrangement was single ended outs from the pre > 2m RCA cable > RCA/XLR adaptor to the EQ > balanced to the sub amps.  New setup is balanced out from the pre > balanced cable, etc.

Even though I'm not 100% satisfied with how it sounds at this moment I can hear the potential and based on past experience if it doesn't settle in by itself I have the means to tweak it.

[miklorsmith]

It's settling in now, in ways I did not expect.  Clarity and separation have increased considerably which I suppose could be anticipated.  Most of the edge is gone.  The big surprise is the wrecking ball that came in and destroyed all the walls in the room.

I've been paying attention to the burn-in process, a little each day since the w/e - last night was the first chance in a couple days for some focused listening.  My mom watches our kids on Wednesdays and usually stays a bit after I get home to chat.  She usually cooks a nice dinner too.    Sometimes we listen to music, she's a big fan and has a pretty nice setup at home.  She doesn't know any of our goofy a-head terminology but she honestly knows my system as well as anyone and has heard literally every iteration though she couldn't name any of the pieces of gear.  For that matter I doubt she could name the stuff in her house.

Anyhoo, last night she was warning me not to expect her to notice much since she didn't see what could improve.  Given all the natural limitations of my room, layout, etc. I have agreed with her, the preamp was a flier for me (remind me to set a much lower price limit on fliers from now on).  I dropped in Cowboy Junkies' new classic Trinity Sessions Revisited and the walls melted away.  We were both speechless.  I'm not one for overstatement but holy frickin' crap.  My room became the church, complete with its cavernous reverberant field, bursting dynamics and, oh, I don't know, 30 feet of performance depth?

I'm gobsmacked.

And, I'm about 120 hours into Dan's 400-hour break-in.  I'm probably expediting that with 24/7 metal, techno, and Isotek at high volumes.  AC powered Preamps are so easy to break in, unlike all the battery-powered stuff I've run in over the last few years.

More to come . . .

[bpape]

"Gobsmacked" - Another term to be added to the audio dictionary 

Sounds like a wonderful piece that evidently has good synergy with your system.  Looking forward to your impressions as things progress.

Bryan

[miklorsmith]

According to The Free Online Dictionary:

Adj.   1.   gobsmacked - utterly astounded
colloquialism - a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech

Yes, I like my definitions on the cheap.  I certainly don't have anything left to pay for them after the new pre.  Glad you brought that up Bryan, I was actually wondering about that "word" even as I was writing it.

My results wouldn't be possible in an untreated room.   

[_Scotty_]

Mike,it sounds like you now have a new benchmark for system performance. For my money every system should do what your system now does if it is to be considered a High Fidelity system. Your results also indicate what your power amps are capable up. As a reviewer you now have a litmus test that you can apply to any piece of gear or accessory that gets substituted into your system,does it increase the sense of boundaryless space or do the walls come back.
Very Cool
Scotty

[miklorsmith]

Thanks Scotty

Every system is a series of compromises.  I believe the most important thing every audiophile should learn is what they personally value most and which things are less important to them.  Using that knowledge as the bellwether, it's much easier to start from core competence and build outward.  If the system as built does the most important things well, hopefully future upgrades will keep those strengths while chipping away at the rest.

Of course it's seldom so simple but without an idea of where you're trying to go the chances for success are smaller.  I was very happy before, the setup with the Lamm trips all my triggers - tonal density, dynamic fidelity, instrumental separation, all delivered in spades.  It is a personal success in system building and the best I've had by a long shot.  Other folks have said it soundstages/images well but I've never cared much about that and frankly didn't notice.  It delivers a spacious feel and sounds like real instruments and music.  Check, check, check.

But this is something else entirely.  It doesn't fit in the soundstage/image descriptor as I've experienced it.  I'm gonna quit now, as this was one disc on one day.  I trust my ears but I've also learned I'm not always trustworthy.