Hegel H200 vs Modwright KWI200

[cooper52]

Looking for some guidance here. I've owned a Hegel H200 for about 2 years now and at the moment it's partnered with Proac Response D-2s. These speakers are sort of an experiment, as they became available for a price I couldn't resist so I threw caution to the wind and jumped. This amp/speaker combination has some wonderful qualities, particularly the pinpoint stereo imaging and an extraordinary amount of detail. However, the overall sound is awfully bright and I feel as if I'm missing something, i.e. not enough meat on the bones (so to speak)--lots of top, lots of bottom (abetted by the addition of a REL S-2 sub) but thin in the middle. I'm wondering if anybody has had to opportunity to hear both of these amps and could advise whether the Modwright would be noticeably fuller/warmer than the Hegel and thus perhaps a better fit for these speakers? It appears as though they are roughly equivalent, but are their personalities sufficiently different? I'm asking because there's currently a Modwright for sale at an attractive price. Thanks for your feedback.



Hegel H200, Proac Response D-2, REL S-2 sub,Cambridge Audio 751BD, Bryston BDA1 DAC, Clarus Aqua speaker cable & analog interconnects, APC power conditioner

 

[cooper52]

Well, it appears that the odds don't favor this direct comparison, so maybe I should approach this from a different angle. I'd be very interested in hearing from any current or former Modwright owners. What speakers do you pair with this amp? What sort of sound profile does it deliver? I've read the reviews, but as I'm sure you know, it's often difficult to get a clear idea of the sound from these. Thanks again for any opinions.

 

[myrman]

From what you are saying I think the Modwright would be ideal. You could never describe Modwright as overly bright. The whole amp range is wonderfully voiced and the integrated is a great amp. I have heard it on many occassions with a variety of speakers. I admit to some bias as I run a Modwright Pre/power but I have always been impressed with the KWI200.

 

[JJinID]

I performed a demo of the MW KWI-200 in my system for a few days earlier this year, and it definitely is not overly bright. I found it to be a very capable and terrific sounding unit, and if I did not want to remain with separates and needed to downsize at all I would have bought it in a heartbeat. I do believe it has the more full, meat on the bones sound you are looking for, while still being very powerful, extended and dynamic.

 

[jaaptina]

Nice

 

[blackdog]

A couple years ago at a local audio show I heard the Modwright paired with a pair of Joseph Audio floor standing speakers (not sure model). The Joseph speakers always sounded bright to me, but not with the Modwright. Plenty of low end energy.
Also being the service tech in Canada for Modwright (my disclaimer), I can tell you it's built like a tank.

 

[cooper52]

Thanks for the replies. I missed my chance with that used Modwright but I'll keep my eyes open. One of the things that was happening in my present system is that the Proacs, though used, actually needed more time to open up. I guess the previous owner(s) really didn't put enough time on them and from personal experience, I know these speakers take at LEAST 100 hours to find their voice. Once they did, however, the old Proac magic made its welcome entrance. Of course, from reviews and feedback in this thread I am dying of curiosity to hear the Modwright amp, but at the moment it's kind of hard to imagine my system sounding better, at least within any budget I could stretch to.

 

[Q3Di]

I had the ModWright KWI200 and I used with Tyler Acoustics Decade D1 and Magnepan 3.7. This beast is the killer. It drove my Maggies without problem. I am a fan of Integrated. I used Integrated as back up in the summer as I don't want to fire up tube gears. I have used Electrocompaniet ECI-5, Ayre AX-7e, Rogue Pharaoh. ModWright is a great one box system.