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Hi-Rez Highway: REVIEW: ModWright Sony DVP9000es CD Player/Recorder by Retsel

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REVIEW: ModWright Sony DVP9000es CD Player/Recorder

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Model: Sony DVP9000es
Category: CD Player/Recorder
Suggested Retail Price: $-
Description: Sony DVP9000es modified by Modwright with Truth Mod
Manufacturer URL: ModWright
Manufacturer URL: ModWright

Review by Retsel ( A ) on February 07, 2003 at 15:47:03
IP Address: 134.67.6.46
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for the Sony DVP9000es


My Previous System

I already had a very good digital system (Esoteric P2 transport and EVS Millenium 1a DAC), but when I was searching for a DVD player I figured that I would add SACD playing capacity at the same time, so I picked up the Sony DVP9000es player. Besides being a very good DVD player it is a good to very good CD/SACD player. I compared it to the digital sytem I already had, the Sony is somewhat veiled, has some harshness in the upper registers, and the bass was a little flabby and does not go as deep. Even SACDs played on the Sony were not as good as CDs played on my other digital system. Thus, I only used the Sony 9000 for DVDs and I used my other digital system for CDs; I rarely played the dozen or so SACDs which I had accumulated.

Who will Modify the Sony 9000?

I next got the bug to modify the Sony. I decided to mod this player to accomplish two things, simplify my audio system by being able to play CDs/SACDs/DVDs with one player, and to have improved overall sound. So who should I trust my Sony player with? My first thought was Ric Shultz over at EVS since I already had his DAC. But Ric was not actively modding players for a while including when I was shopping around for mods. I searched the archives of the Asylum and I found that the modder with the most positive feedback was Dan Wright. I contaced Dan and he agreed to modify my 9000.

One important criteria for me was to replace the analogue section of the player, which uses op amps, with something better. Although Dan does replace the stock op amps with better op amps in his Level 3 mods, I also knew that he has been putting tube output stages on players too. I asked Dan about that, and he could not promise that he could put a tube stage on it until he looked at the player, but he said that he would try. I also knew that Allen Wright is putting separate output stages on 9000 players as well, but I believe that tube stages would ultimately give a better soundstage, so I gambled to get tubes. I was willing to gamble figuring that Dan is a genius so he would indeed get a tubestage into the 9000. Dan said upfront that since this is the first 9000 that he has tried to put a tube stage on, that if he could put a tube stage on it, it would likely take more than the standard two weeks to mod. I was fine with that since it was not my only digital source. So I sent the player to Dan late last year.

The mods

Dan took a look at it and decided that he could indeed tube it. So he slowly made headway on the unit, accomplishing bits of the work at a time between all the rest of his projects (including putting together a nursery for his first child!!). I would e-mail Dan every couple of weeks, and he would respond back instantly with a progress report. I started to get excited when Dan also was getting excited. Apparently, the 9000es has a very good power supply and coupled with heavily modified DAC section and the tube output stage, it was sounding very, very good.

Just to catch you up on the modifications, he replced the digital power supply diodes and caps with ultra-fast, soft recovery diodes and in Nichicon Gold capicitors (he chose Nichicon over the Blackgates because of the larger capacitance, but could go either way). He replaced the resistors in the signal path with high quality metal film resistors (Vishay or Caddocks) and black gate capacitors were added at key points on the DAC board. He installed 3 Super Regulators on the DAC board to carefully regulate the voltages there which also lowers the jitter (apparently the 9000 does not use conventional clocks for timing so no super clocks can be used). He fit a tube stage board inside the upper corner of the unit with two holes drilled in the top which allow the tubes to poke through (it is cool seeing those!), and then created a separate power supply to supply the tube stage with B+ and filament voltage. He also put in Bybee filters at the output.

One additional change Dan made was to triple up the Sony DACs. This is a trick used by the Sony XA777es SACD/CD player which apparently makes a significant difference by lowering distortion and improving the soundstage, and Dan did this to mine as well.

I maybe did not remember all the changes he made, so go to his website or contact Dan with any questions.

After getting the unit back (which was double boxed and completely engulfed in peanuts, thanks Dan for caring!), I opened the unit up and checked out the work. Everything was cleanly installed. The separate power supply is really sharp looking considering that it will sit on a corner of a rack somewhere. The tube section is wired up with high quality Jenna Wire, a real bonus.

How does it sound?

I carefully set the unit back on my shelf, and the weight of the unit reminded me of its high quality build. I plugged in the two tubes (5692s cryo-treated Tung Sols and a search on the tube asylum revealed that these are some of the best sounding of that line of tubes!), and I plugged the power cords for both the tube power supply and the Sony into my Power Plant P300 (I have only cheap power cords now, but this unit will deserve something better). I powered everything up and away I went.....

I started with several of my favorite CDs. The improvement compared to my previous digital system was so huge that it immediately apparent; no A-Bing was even necessary.

Detail - The Modwright 9000 has so much more detail. The rasp of the saxaphone comes through instead of being blurred or muffled, there is now the fine ring of the cymbals and you can now hear the woody sound of the violins and the detail of the double bass.

Clarity - The Modwright 9000 has increased clarity as well. Whis is related to detail, but somewhat different as I detect a blacker background and the lack of a veil which was superimposed over the music of my other digial system. The music sounds so much more there. Vocals are really clear.

Soundstaging - This is perhaps the biggest and most dramatic improvement, probably due to the tube output stage and triple DACs. Instruments now have their own space instead of being blurred together, even in complex passages! Each instrument or voice has much more depth to them compared to the much flatter soundstaging of my previous system and of digitally reproduced music in general. The notes of piano music float in the air. On one CD, the vocals which are recorded behind the rest of the music sound like the person is 6 feet behind the speakers (in my backyard!) and the voice has its own three dimensional space. This improvement alone brought digital reproduction in my audio system up two notches, starting from a very good starting point.

Bass - People say that you cannot match Hedlund Horns (Lowthers) with subwoofers. I had pretty good bass before which matched the really great Lowthers well enough that I enjoyed the bottom couple of octaves, but still the bass always did seem a little sluggish compared to the Lowthers. I figured that it was just the Genesis sub. Now I know better!! With this Modwright 9000, I am beginning to find out what bass is really about. The bass has so much more detail and energy now that I realize that it was not the sub at all that was holding the bass back, but simply that the sub was starved with a decent line level signal with enough drive to work with. Another revelation for all Lowther owners!

That is how the Modwright 9000 player compared to the previous CD playback system. But then I popped a few SACDs into it. The first two were not the best recorded so they were so-so. But then I tried the Red Rose disc and the Chesky sampler. Holey Smoley!!! Now the music wholeosity really comes through! As much as I was amazed at the above points with well recorded CDs, the music recorded on SACDs really, really shine on the Modwright 9000!

Well I could go on forever about this Modwright 9000, but I tell you it is a really big winner. I called up my closest audio friends and one-by-one they will come over and experience a really big treat. I will have the whole audio club over, but after I am sure that this unit has broken in. Dan said that he had about 70 hours on it, and I put another 15 - 20 hours, but it probably has more to go.

The beginning....


Product Weakness: Absolutely None.... well, er... there is one small problem... I CAN'T WAlK AWAY FROM THE MUSIC@#&*@+|
Product Strengths: Outstanding sound at a very affordable price


Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier: SE 300B parafeed tube amps
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): EVS attenuators
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Thorens 125/Alphason100/Shelter901
Speakers: Hedlund Horns with new Lowther DX4s/Genesis 900 Sub
Cables/Interconnects: AlphaCore Silver
Music Used (Genre/Selections): Jazz/Folk/Movie Soundtracks/Pop/Rock/
Room Size (LxWxH): 25 x 13 x 8
Time Period/Length of Audition: Several days
Other (Power Conditioner etc.): Power Plant P300
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner




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Topic - REVIEW: ModWright Sony DVP9000es CD Player/Recorder - Retsel 15:47:03 02/7/03 ( 5)