Capital AudioFest 2023

Dan Wright of ModWright Instruments Inc., partnered with Cardas Audio, Acora Acoustics, and Woodsong Audio to bring his new compact, affordable 9-series products, which are "based on our Reference Designs," Wright told me in a preshow email.

The ModWright room featured a SOTA Cosmos Eclipse turntable ($10,500) with an SME V tonearm ($5500) and an Ortofon Winfeld Ti MC cartridge ($5999) as well as a prototype ModWright step-up transformer ($2000), ModWright Analog Bridge ($3900), ModWright PH 9.0XT phono stage (featuring two 6C45 and two 6922 tubes: $5250), and a Weiss DAC ($3495). Amplification was provided by the new ModWright LS 99 balanced tube preamplifier (with matched 6922/6DJ8 tubes: $6,500) and the ModWright KWA 99 MOSFET monoblocks ($9000/pair), and the two-way, Acora SRB standmount speakers ($18,000).

The connective tissue was an array of Cardas Clear products, including a Cygnus Power cable ($570/each), Clear Beyond Power cable ($1425/each), Clear Power cable ($1150), Clear Speaker cables ($5250/pair), Clear Interconnects ($2250-$3390/pair), Clear High Speed Digital USB ($550), and a Clear Beyond Phono RDIN-RCA cable ($1830).

Dan was spinning Eva Cassidy when I arrived, soon switching to progressive banjo twiddler, Bela Fleck, then to the pure bluegrass of Nickel Creek. The gear completely disappeared, with sweetness and exceptional bloom. Nicely done Dan!