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  #21  
Old 01-25-2013, 11:03 AM
cat3600 cat3600 is offline
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Originally Posted by 4N6 View Post
Got the KWI-200 this afternoon. Yea! Immediately hooked it up to my Guarneri mementos and the Cambridge Audio 840 CDP (my computer source isn't ready yet). I put in Norah Jones and hit play.

For cold, right out of the box and completely not broken in...the sound was tremendous. Vocals were already warm and rich, and the bass was tight and tuneful. I will restrain from getting too analytic at this point as it is brand new, but first impressions are very good.

That is the good part. I will say that the amp is physically noisy. Not really a transformer hum, but definitely some mechanical noise. The noise is from the amp itself, not what is coming out of the speakers. Not sure if this will resolve in time, or if I may need to send it back. I'll give it some time and we'll see. One thing though, when the music is playing, I cannot hear the noise, so it is not THAT big of a deal.

All-in-all though, I am VERY happy with the amp thus far. I'm looking forward to seeing what the next few weeks bring.
Hi can you elaborate on the physical noise as i am a bit confused, I understand HUM but what is physical noise.

I too very recently bought this amp and for a couple of weeks have run music through it 24 hours to burn it in. I have to say the sound has changed and more focused with accurate base.

My previous 2 amps were the Cary Audio solid state 7.125 & 200.2. Actually I have the the Cary SA-200.2 with me to compare it with the KWI 200 and I have to say both are very good.

My previous Integrated was the Pass Labs INT-150 which I did not like very much at all, maybe system synergy!!

I am not sure why Good Times had such a bad experience. Last year at the Toronto Audio show I was there for all 3 days, the Joseph Audio room had the pulsars hooked up to the KWI 200 and collectively every one agreed it was one of the best sound at the show! The funny thing was that room the set up was terrible layout wise and they had mid level cables connected with run of the mill power conditioner, yet the sound was so good, go figure.

And here we are spending thousands of dollars on cables, power conditioner, racks etc. Though I think the rack they had was very expensive!
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  #22  
Old 01-25-2013, 02:41 PM
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Originally Posted by cat3600 View Post
Hi can you elaborate on the physical noise as i am a bit confused, I understand HUM but what is physical noise.

I too very recently bought this amp and for a couple of weeks have run music through it 24 hours to burn it in. I have to say the sound has changed and more focused with accurate base.

My previous 2 amps were the Cary Audio solid state 7.125 & 200.2. Actually I have the the Cary SA-200.2 with me to compare it with the KWI 200 and I have to say both are very good.

My previous Integrated was the Pass Labs INT-150 which I did not like very much at all, maybe system synergy!!

I am not sure why Good Times had such a bad experience. Last year at the Toronto Audio show I was there for all 3 days, the Joseph Audio room had the pulsars hooked up to the KWI 200 and collectively every one agreed it was one of the best sound at the show! The funny thing was that room the set up was terrible layout wise and they had mid level cables connected with run of the mill power conditioner, yet the sound was so good, go figure.

And here we are spending thousands of dollars on cables, power conditioner, racks etc. Though I think the rack they had was very expensive!
Welcome to Audio Aficionado, cat3600!

Thanks for your comments regarding the KWI200! Tell us more about your system...
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McIntosh MC501s, XRT29s, XR27, WS350s
ModWright LS 300 Preamplifier
Denon AVR-A100 HT Receiver
JL Audio F113 subs with CR-1 Crossover
Schiit Audio Yggdrasil DAC (Analog 2 + Unison USB)
Sonore Ultrarendu with Uptone Audio LPS-1.2
Uptone Audio EtherREGEN network switch with LPS-1.2
Oppo UDP-205 with ModWright Signature Truth Tube Modifications
Clearaudio Performance SE TT with Hana ML MC cartridge
ModWright PH 9.0x Phono Stage
ASC & RealTraps Panels; APS PurePower 2000; Daedalus Audio DiDs
LAT International, Shunyata, Wireworld, WyWires Cables
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  #23  
Old 01-25-2013, 03:18 PM
cat3600 cat3600 is offline
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Welcome to Audio Aficionado, cat3600!

Thanks for your comments regarding the KWI200! Tell us more about your system...
Thank you for the warm welcome!

I have a very modest system for now:
ModWright KWI 200 Amp
PS Audio PWD DAC MKII with bridge
Pioneer Elite SC-68 AV receiver for HT
Anthony Gallo Reference Strada with TR3 sub
Mix and match of different power cords and cables

No Blu Ray player used to have the Oppo BDP-95 before not sure what to get as I don't need an expensive one for analog sound, I have the PS Audio DAC for that. I Pull my music through the bridge connected to my NAS, mostly FLAC files.

My previous set up was Cary Cinema 12 with Cary 7.125 7 channel power amp, same PS Audio DAC
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  #24  
Old 01-27-2013, 08:46 AM
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4N6 4N6 is offline
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Some more follow-up with my new integrated...

Hooked up a laptop running JRiver and using music files stored on my NAS. Now it is just the computer, amp, and speakers, making for a very simple system.

The sound is almost exactly what has been written about in the published reviews. A warm, rich, tube-like midrange and treble, coupled with tight and tuneful bass. Terrific sound coming from mt Sonus Fabers. I am very happy with the amp so far. Just for comparison, I used to have these speakers powered by the McIntosh MA7000 integrated amp. To my ears, the ModWright sounds better, with smoother treble and richer mids.

The transformer hum has gone down in volume and is barely noticeable unless you are very close to the amp. I certainly cannot hear it from the listening position. I wonder if by using a PS Audio Powerplant that regenerates the power, the hum would go down even further? Who knows with transformer hums. Bottom line is that it does NOT interfere with the experience at all.

BTW...I bought the amp from Galen Carol Audio in San Antonio. Perhaps the best experience in buying stereo equipment I have ever had. Absolutely terrific communication and very prompt service. BRAVO!!!
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Last edited by 4N6; 01-27-2013 at 11:53 AM.
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  #25  
Old 01-27-2013, 04:44 PM
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Glad to hear you are so pleased Kevin - I'd love to see a pic of your system sometime if you have a chance! Your main system is extremely nice also - it would be fun to have you try out the KWI200 with your Maggie's sometime to see what you think!

I appreciate your comments about Galen Carol audio also - I've heard good things about them, and they are the supplier for the Sophia Electric tubes that Dan Wright recommends as upgrades in the LS100 and his tube modified Oppo and Sony digital sources. I have them in both of mine and they are a very nice upgrade!

I'm betting you may have a considerable amount of break-in still to come - happy listening and let us know how things continue to evolve!
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McIntosh MC501s, XRT29s, XR27, WS350s
ModWright LS 300 Preamplifier
Denon AVR-A100 HT Receiver
JL Audio F113 subs with CR-1 Crossover
Schiit Audio Yggdrasil DAC (Analog 2 + Unison USB)
Sonore Ultrarendu with Uptone Audio LPS-1.2
Uptone Audio EtherREGEN network switch with LPS-1.2
Oppo UDP-205 with ModWright Signature Truth Tube Modifications
Clearaudio Performance SE TT with Hana ML MC cartridge
ModWright PH 9.0x Phono Stage
ASC & RealTraps Panels; APS PurePower 2000; Daedalus Audio DiDs
LAT International, Shunyata, Wireworld, WyWires Cables
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  #26  
Old 02-03-2013, 11:17 AM
cat3600 cat3600 is offline
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Kevin any other improvement or thoughts on the sound, how is your burning in going. I know another person who has the same amp, in fact I sold my Pass Labs INT-150 to him and he sold that and bought the KWI 200 much before I did, as I had a Cary Audio set up after the Pass Labs, sold that and then bought the KWI 200.

He said that the burn in process is long, very long but he is very happy with it and he is a strictly Vinyl guy. Both of us did not like the Pass Labs though!

I also have a very little hum on my left channel, its quite less and the right channel has none, so I am thinking its not much botheration to change the Amp. Do you have any Hum Kevin.

Oh I see that you have the same DAC as me PS Audio PWD Mk II. I think it competes with the top end, superb sound. Probably will never sell it!
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  #27  
Old 02-05-2013, 08:05 AM
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Originally Posted by cat3600 View Post
Kevin any other improvement or thoughts on the sound, how is your burning in going. I know another person who has the same amp, in fact I sold my Pass Labs INT-150 to him and he sold that and bought the KWI 200 much before I did, as I had a Cary Audio set up after the Pass Labs, sold that and then bought the KWI 200.

He said that the burn in process is long, very long but he is very happy with it and he is a strictly Vinyl guy. Both of us did not like the Pass Labs though!

I also have a very little hum on my left channel, its quite less and the right channel has none, so I am thinking its not much botheration to change the Amp. Do you have any Hum Kevin.

Oh I see that you have the same DAC as me PS Audio PWD Mk II. I think it competes with the top end, superb sound. Probably will never sell it!
So far, I am loving the KWI. The mecanical/transformer hum is still there but relatively minimal and not heard through the speakers. Great amp and HIGHLY recommended.

My main troublesome issues are not with the amp, but with the JRiver software and Windows 8. When working , this is very convenient and sounds great. However, the JRiver software keeps freezing up or simply not booting up. I have to constantly reboot my computer to get it going again. Perhaps it is not yet fully compatible with Windows 8? I am running the latest and greatest software so I don't need to update. I did download yesterday E-Lyric Music Manager and it seems to work fine. The user interface is nowhere close to as nice as JRiver, but it was working. We'll see if it KEEPS working...

Yes, in a different system I am using the PS Audio PWD Mk. II. I also love the sound, especially in DirectX mode. Bang for the buck, I would be hard pressed to find a better DAC.
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  #28  
Old 02-05-2013, 12:05 PM
Pider Pider is offline
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I've had trouble with JRiver as well, but not freezing up. And not with Win8. Mine had to do with no sound coming forth, even though it said it was playing. This was after a recent s/w update with Win7. I updated again and all was fine, so I doubt it was JRiver's problem. I do hope they get the Win8 problem fixed for you so you can concentrate instead on the 200. I should be able to hear one this Thursday.
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  #29  
Old 02-05-2013, 07:49 PM
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I've a date on Thursday with a KWI200 demo, followed by a Mc 6600, Bryston, then Naim. All integrateds. This should narrow things down a bit, or make me totally corn-fused.

Still trying to decide on the music to cart along. Suggestions welcome.
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  #30  
Old 02-06-2013, 01:43 AM
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Originally Posted by Pider View Post
I've a date on Thursday with a KWI200 demo, followed by a Mc 6600, Bryston, then Naim. All integrateds. This should narrow things down a bit, or make me totally corn-fused.

Still trying to decide on the music to cart along. Suggestions welcome.
Excellent, John! This will be a lot of fun, and I'm excited for you! Pick music that first and foremost you are extremely familiar with. For me, I like to to focus first on vocals, then piano, then other acoustical instruments (i.e. jazz trio) as main choices, then something with some dynamic range! I look forward to your follow up posts on how things went for you!
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McIntosh MC501s, XRT29s, XR27, WS350s
ModWright LS 300 Preamplifier
Denon AVR-A100 HT Receiver
JL Audio F113 subs with CR-1 Crossover
Schiit Audio Yggdrasil DAC (Analog 2 + Unison USB)
Sonore Ultrarendu with Uptone Audio LPS-1.2
Uptone Audio EtherREGEN network switch with LPS-1.2
Oppo UDP-205 with ModWright Signature Truth Tube Modifications
Clearaudio Performance SE TT with Hana ML MC cartridge
ModWright PH 9.0x Phono Stage
ASC & RealTraps Panels; APS PurePower 2000; Daedalus Audio DiDs
LAT International, Shunyata, Wireworld, WyWires Cables
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