If anyone is still following this thread, JWM and I have been good buddies for several years. I've heard his system(various systems) hundreds of times and know the sound well.
About four months ago, I told JWM I intended to purchase the Modwright XA-5400ES once Dan got all the bugs worked out. Not being happy with any of his previous digital rigs (Chord, PS Audio, CEC 1, Timbre, Musical Fidelity, all separates), JWM did a bit of research on Modwright's previous achievements and decided to buy one too.
We ordered a pair of Sonys from a dealer recommended on AudioCircle and had them shipped direct to Modwright. A couple weeks later, both players showed up and we began listening; to each player in each of our systems. You can read my initial thoughts on AudioCircle in the Modwright section but long story short, right out of the box it sounded wonderful; both of them. Now, after a few hundred hours, they both sound even better and as far as I'm concerned, it's the best sounding digital I've heard. By the way, the Sony is a balanced player and Dan's mod keeps it that way. I use the XLRs out to connect to my fully balance Atma-Sphere MP-1 Mk3 preamp which mates with A/S MA-1 Mk3 mono's. For vinyl, my Galibier Gavia table, Tri-Planar VII UII arm(balanced) and XV-1s do the job.
JWM provided some info on his system and I have to admit, I love his VAC amps(only in triode!) and his VAC preamp. Most of the rest of his system is also up to the task; Basis Debut, Vector arm, ZYX Universe and Airy 3, three box Aestetix phono stage(talk about tubes!) but.... he needs new speakers!!!! Sorry Jeff but it's true and I can think of three of our 'phile friends who say the same thing.
JWM listens to ESP Harps that he purchased new several years ago. They are very pleasant to listen to and they never offend. They have a warm character and you'll never have to worry about listener fatigue. Problem is, with warm recordings, things can get a little thick and slow. They're also somewhat veiled and I attribute part of the problem to the very thick grill cloth ESP decided to use; hell, you could upholster a couch with the stuff. The top end is slightly rolled off and missing the usual air & sparkle I'm used to hearing and there's not much bass below 50Hz. Don't get me wrong, you can hear differences in cables, tube rolling, changes in VTA, etc. but, as the audio rags like to say, they "commit sins of omision."
Another potential problem I've pointed out to JWM and he agrees could be a problem, his VAC amps and preamp are balanced, so is the Modwright player, but... he's running those Cardas Clear interconnects single-ended. Duh!
One more thing, with all that expensive gear JWM is running, he's using "homemade" speaker cables made by a mutual friend who occasionally markets his products on the 'Gon. I like the guy and have tried his interconnects and speaker cables in my system and frankly, they're not very good. I brought my Siltech speaker cables over and they totally transformed the sound; gone was grain and grunge.
OK, so the point of all this is not to offend my friend, sorry Jeff, but to inform anyone reading this thread that the Modwright is a fantastic player. For less than $3500, you get a one box player that will put $10k separates to shame. I love what it does with digital and yes, as Jeff pointed out, replacing the Russian Tung-Sols with NOS makes it even better. Honestly, this player is a steal.
