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| Then confusion entered. Running the Transporter's analog outputs into one input of the remote-switchable UA-S1; then the Transporter's digital output into the NWO's digital input, the NWO's analog output into the adjacent input of the integrated amp (and able to switch the NWO remotely between its digital input stream and its own Redbook spinning), I could do a 3-way comparison on the fly while trimming the 5dB offset on the Transporter by remote as well. The confusing bit was that despite perfect level matching, I slightly preferred the Transporter's direct feed over sending it digitally forward for outboard D/A conversion to a presumably even superior converter. What the hell did that mean? I think it meant that Alex Peychev's converter advantage was outmuscled by the higher data fidelity of the more direct feed which didn't involve the added S/PDIF interface and secondary reclocking. Hand on heart, this was a shocker which I'm still digesting. I spent four long days on just this subject alone to be sure. I finally proclaimed defeat at the hands of Dan Wright's Transporter and considered the implications. Apparently, Neal's software/hardware combo to rip to his Vault's hard-drive, then streaming that data wirelessly to the Transporter was as good as the world's best dedicated transport. This won't make me popular with Esoteric or anyone else still committed to designing and fabricating such devices (very few are left). Yet I cannot deny my ears' evidence. Nor I'm not suggesting that such results are inherent in the computer audio equation. Just running any loaded-for-bear PC for audio purposes will likely not give equivalent results. Still, combining a good Plextor drive with EAC or related ripping software with a music-optimized computer/server can compete with a VRDS NEO for pennies on the dollar. That's not myth, hype or misinformation. It's factual and doable right now, right here. Been there, done that and smoked the cigar. |
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Reversing the digital send scenario to arrive at the Transporter had the Slim piece again sound slightly bigger, looser and fuzzier around the edges as well as a tad more close up than the NWO's presentation which was a mite farther back and more tightly focused. In the above DeVore setup, I'm certain that a group of experienced audiophiles auditioning would have split a vote for preference right down the middle. Now add the moving target that's implied by the tube rolling Dan Wright's output stage invites. It invalidates any definitive statements on sonics. As I grappled with these matters, I realized that the biggest message of my particular assignment wasn't what the ModWright Transporter sounded like to me. It had to be how it competed in the uppermost reaches of traditional digital hifi components. |
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Direct drive is a feature of particular interest to budget-conscious music lovers who might want to knock out the added preamp component from their "what do I need to make great sound" equation. As with my Ancient Audio (6H30) and APL HiFi (ECC99) sources, ModWright's Transporter comes with a serious tube output stage, not inferior IC-based op amps. However, its attenuation occurs in the digital domain prior to the conversion stage. Depending on setting, you will eventually decimate resolution. It'll thus depend on where on the dial most your listening occurs. Personally, I suspect there is a correlation between circuit gain and being fully optimized for direct drive. My Polish spinner can swing up to 7 volts in its max output setting. That's far more than either the APL Hifi or ModWright machines manage. I suspect that's why it ultimately sounded the fullest in amp-direct mode, telegraphing the absence of a superior active preamp and thus the need or desire for it the least. With both the NWO and Transporter, I preferred a preamp even as crystalline and neutral as my Wyetech Labs Jade to no preamp at all. But then my listening tastes value dynamics and tone very highly. Your mileage could well differ if transparency and directness turn your crank more than tonal fullness and image density. The wrapless wrap In situ, this review was deliberately refocused, from sonics to context. I have personally reviewed the Zanden separates, the Ancient Audio Lektor Prime and the Abbingdon Music Research AM-77. Their assessments are readily accessed in our archives to make repeating what I said there redundant. The ModWright Transporter performs on that level, against machines $10,000 and up which can only spin, not stream. The upshot is that investing today into a traditional CD player seems quite foolish and pointless - if you have the $5,000 to spend on the ModWright Transporter/Music Vault combo. |
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My only real misgiving about the Vault is its deliberate refusal to rip CDs not recognized by the data base it logs on to. This automatically eliminates home-brew compilation CDs but also included m.a. recordings and other treasures. While I recognize that my particular FireWall setup interfered, it still was an issue I couldn't solve except to temporarily defeat the FireWall. On balance, I'm more inclined to spend the Vault funds on a laptop and, over time, allocate extra funds to additional external hard-drive storage. (You'd need one external hard drive for backups right away but the same holds true for the Vault). A laptop would add the screen and keyboard functionality which now involves my main PC. However -- make that a big if -- unless a laptop was deliberately configured to just be a music server, it's not a given that its performance would equal the Vault's. Computers are very noisy environments in more ways than one. Just as I did with my main PC, I'd contract with a local computer expert to configure a laptop from scratch, with only the hardware and software installed that was optimized and necessary for the job. For the same or less money however, the Vault gives you 1TB of storage to become a very viable option in this emerging new world of hi-performance computer audio. While on green, Stereophile's Wes Phillips recently reviewed the $20,000 Linn Klimax DS DAC/Server. He concluded with calling it the "stuff that dreams are made of." Did he mean bad dreams? To work, the Linn still requires a NAS device for file storage. What justifies its exorbitant price? Thankfully, to answer that isn't my job. My job concludes today with joining the ranks of those who've said the same much earlier already: computer audio done right is progress all around, not just compromised convenience for the unwashed masses. The ModWright Transporter is a superlative performer with the kind of tone and dynamics you expect from dedicated CDPs twice or more its price - and features which relegate those same CDPs to a stone age that began to give itself away as such a few years ago. |
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The music industry at large hasn't fully emerged from that stone age. The implications of copyright, downloads, fair use, legitimate access points and more remain as challenging and far from resolved as e-commerce continues to be for brick and mortar retailers. We're in a transitional time on those matters and the ModWright Transporter is a product of those times. What I didn't expect -- I still wear my dinosaur button with pride -- was learning how far this genre has come. It makes the digital portion of that dinosaur pride (tubes and hi-eff speakers still belong) more and more idiotic. Considering the cost of a superior old-fashioned hi-end DAC such as a current Lessloss 2004, Dan Wright's Transporter with its added functionality seems very fairly priced indeed. The added functionality is simply something you won't want to be without once you've sampled it. While self-styled defenders of yesteryear's digital music technologies might wish otherwise, this ex owner of Zanden and reviewer of AMR, Ancient Audio, APL Hifi, Audio Aero, Esoteric & Co. would be lying if he didn't call today's silver machine with its weirdly coexisting twin WiFi antennae and three valves their full and unequivocal equal - at ½ to 1/6th their price. That makes it award material and what my kind of dreams are made of... |
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| 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." |  |
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Quality of packing: Original stout cardboard for Slim Devices machine, improvised but sufficient for Music Vault. Reusability of packing: Yes. Ease of unpacking/repacking: Easy. Condition of component received: Perfect. Completeness of delivery: Includes remote with batteries, separate tubes, Music Vault includes Ethernet cable and OS-loaded USB stick Quality of owner's manual: Original Slim Devices manual. Website comments: The ModWright website is a bit slim on details but the ModWright circle on AudioCircle is a veritable treasure trove of information. Warranty: Limited 5-year parts and labor warranty to original owner. Usage conditions: The Transporter as a WiFi component interfaces with your main Internet router via either your PC or a NAS like the Music Vault. FireWall settings may need to be reconfigured for proper operation. Human interactions: Very helpful and immediate, however don't count on the Music Vault seller to sort out FireWall-specific issues. |
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