Modwright LS36.5 gain adjustment

I had the previous Modwright pre-amp and the gain was too much for my system. I sent it back to Dan Wright and he modified the volume for me. He was very nice about it and we spoke several times on the phone. It did modify the volume but between my CD output and the gain on my amps, it was still a bit much. The "cure" came when I started using a tubed DAC with volume control. Then I could precisely dial in the volume and the pre-amp started singing. My phono pre-amp did not have the high gain that my CDP had, so no adjustment was necessary when I listen to LPs.

Thanks Tgrisham,
I'm experiencing the exact same situation. I can lower the output of my phono pre-amp and have a good range of volume control, but am still left with very little range for CD. I contacted Dan and he informed me he could modify it at the cost of $75 per hour plus shipping both ways. Since I purchased the unit used and it is out of warranty, I was hoping to modify it myself.

I tried in-line attenuators but didn't like the sound. I tried passive volume controls like NHT and didn't like the sound. Other options are using a CDP volume adjustment if available, using a DAC with volume control, or paying Dan. The only problem with the mod is that you may get a lower or higher volume attenuation than you like, then your phono volume may be off. Good luck.

Dan graciously contacted me again and informed me he will send me a photo with the location of a couple series resistors which can be changed to adjust the volume output. Dan is a good guy.
I've had the 36.5 for about a week and have already put around 250Hrs of burn-in time using a track on one of my CDs made specifically for component burn-in. After listening for several nights I can confidently say this is the best pre-amp I have had in my system. I thought the Modwright SWL9.0SE Signature I was using before resolved everything on the recording, but was suprized when I heard previouly unheard details with the LS36.5. I haven't heard other pre-amps of comparable quality in my own system, so I can't really compare. I have heard the Audio Research Ref3 at a dealer and feel the sound I'm achieving at home is much better. The sound is more holographic, layered and dimensional. The frequency extremes seem to be about the same, maybe slightly better than the 9.0SE. The 9.0SE is very good, it's just the 36.5 is better.