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Many reviews of Underwood HiFi brands and custom mods are already available. Many more are to follow. For your convenience, we've excerpted pertinent quotes to give you a quick overview of what's been said. To read the reviews in their entirety, click on the embedded links. |
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| Audio Zone "... I don't know about you but the less-is-more ideal of audio signal manipulation -- the proverbial straight wire with gain myth, with the least amount of detours snaking themselves through multiple parts, inductor windings, circuit board junctions -- makes perfect sense to this would-be philosopher. Of course fancy ideals amount to naught if they don't translate in the real world of sensory perceptions and verifiable experience. Which they blatantly do though in this instance. For once. A popular explanation for the purity of most single-ended triode amps is the latter's circuit simplicity. There's less stuff to muck up the signal. Is that the main reason for their particular sonics? Who knows. What I can tell you is that ultra wide bandwidth audibly translated as speed, clarity and resolution, the combined package of which could justifiably be termed immediacy or directness... Looking back at our first 6 months of 2003 with its 40 hardware reviews total, the Audio Zone AMP-1 strikes me as the most exciting discovery yet - and there were quite a few bona fide hotties already. The AMP-1 is the one I'm most keen on turning fellow music lovers on to. It's got the mindblowing sonic merits and complete package perfection I'm now intent on getting across. Hopefully today's review accomplished that. In case things aren't clear yet, here goes the matching award. To be clear, it is not for originality and thus shared with Junji Kimura of 47Lab as its true spiritual progenitor, and with his Shigaraki 4717 in particular for sonics. AMP-1 eliminates the latter's multiple input choices but advances cosmetics and fit'n'finish, especially for US audiences accustomed to tank-like construction..." Srajan Ebaen, 6moons.com, July 2003 "... As soon as I spun up my first disc, I knew that something special was afoot. Music playback was transparent, incisive, visceral and fun. Snare drums exploded with a solid crack and the pitch definition and punch of bass notes enhanced the forward thrust of music. With this Canadian combo, music flowed like water over Niagara Falls. Leading edge attack and the decay of each note were exceptional and the illusion of a live performance was uncanny. I'm sure this was a result of lightening fast rise-times and incredibly short signal paths. Heck, said pathway is less than 5 inches long, the feedback loop less than a half inch! How's that for preserving signal purity and wickedly fast transients? Like the Unison Research Unico with Underwood HiFi's Level-2 Mod, the AMP-2 also had bodacious image density; a fat rich sound that wasn't the slightest bit slow or bloated. The AMP-2/PRE-T1 did not sound like traditional solid state at all. There was no grain, no pinched highs, no slight truncation of air and space, nothing that would suggest the presence of silicon. On the other hand, this trio did not sound euphonic like some tube amps either. No spreading of thick treacle here. If Zen Buddhists designed audio gear, it would sound like the AMP-2/PRE-T1 combo; pure, clear, focused with a near fanatical pursuit of spiritual enlightenment, or in this case, musical truth. Paul Candy, 6moons.com, December 2003 |
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| Channel Island Audio "... Dusty has hit a home run with this humble little DAC. On it's own, what it lacks in ultimate resolve and bass excavation is made up for in its splendid timber and overall balance.Add the VAC-1, and you find yourself with one of the best digital bargains out there today, to these ears. This combo is musically involving and, depending on your hot buttons and biases, will give the likes of the entry Assemblage DAC 2.6 and MSB Link DAC III some stiff competition, besting each in a number of categories. Is it a giant killer? No, of course not. Is it one heck of a good deal? You can bet the farm on that. That is one guarantee you will find common to any product associated with Dusty's name. In my opinion, the VDA-1 is one VERY natural sounding and involving device that you can afford. It is a real musical treat and should be high on the list for the first time digi-phile, the older CD player up-grader or the budget conscious. This DAC will also make great music in a second system for you well heeled 'philes who want to equip yet another system. Dusty has done it again, and you get the benefits in spades..." Greg Weaver, StereoTimes, January 6, 2003 "...the VPC-1 is a much different design than the AU/RA. First, it uses a continuous wiper in the potentiometer, meaning that regardless of the volume setting, the number of solder joints in the circuit does not change. It is not stepped, meaning that you cannot easily come back to exactly the same setting once you turn the volume control knob. There are no capacitors in the input or output circuit, which means the impedance changes directly with the volume setting. However, some people rail at the thought of adding capacitors to the signal path. The inside of the VPC-1 shows a very simple layout... Being a purist, if I were to buy one vs. the other, I would opt for the VPC-1 because I don't like having anything in the signal path that is not absolutely necessary, and the capacitors in the D7A fall into that category, for me. I also prefer a tight bass, which the VPC-1 has...." John E. Johnson Jr., February, 2002, Home Theater High Fidelity |
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| Denon |
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"...And in listening to the cymbals on "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", all manner of inner details, subtle articulations and harmonic distinctions were present that added to the liveness and involvement of the recorded experience: The melodic quality of fundamentals; the lingering spread of subtle dissipation of overtones into a black background; a certain shimmer and aura to the acoustic - the Denon rendered all these details with telling intimacy and without adding any of its own signature to the sound... The percussive snap of the hammers on the piano strings, the inner details in terms of overtones and the dynamic nuances of Charlap's touch were also convincingly portrayed. Likewise the weight and presence of Peter Washington's bass, and those harmonic details in the transients that define the leading edge of his attack, and which speak convincingly to a listener who has heard this musician live; as if to say, "Ah, that's Peter Washington." I was impressed by the Denon's linearity and lack of coloration. It has a nice sense of ease and musical veracity, a non-fatiguing top end, a solid, honest foundation of bass and a clear open midrange that offers believable resolution on all of the standard and high-rez disc formats in both stereo and 5.1 surround sound modes, for eighteen hundred bucks. I wish I could report back to you on A/B comparisons with the stock Denon, but that is not how this aural encounter was structured. Nevertheless, taken purely on its own merits and as an aspirant in the under-$2000 digital derby, this versatile source component offers consumers an authentic entree into the realms of HighEnd audio-video resolution without breaking the bank. It is thus well worth serious consideration and a careful audition. This is an eminently musical, unobtrusive, dependable source component. I enjoyed using it in my reference system and I'd happily recommend it to those tweaks and freaks on the prowl for a relatively cost-effective way of justifying their initial forays into the brave new world of DVD/SACD audio and video software..." Chip Stern, March 2004, 6moons.com |
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Jolida |
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"...the Level 1 mod on the JD-100 is exclusive to Walter Liedermann of The Graham Company in Roswell/GA... Should you blackmail Santa into getting you one if you promise not to rat on his squeaky wheels?... In case it matters, I twisted Walter Liedermann's arm. My trusty -- but oh-so-long-in-the-tooth -- Denon DCD 1560 finally began skipping on all CDs like a smooth flint stone jumps the water. Since I had to replace it literally any day now lest my living room system go mute; and since this JD-100 fit its bill to such a "T"... it's gonna stay..." Srajan Ebaen, December, 2002, 6moons.com "... the introduction of the JD-100A is far more than just "another CD player". In my opinion, it heralds a new era for Jolida, that of a serious contender in the high end digital arena, while remaining true to the company's high value for the dollar mission. Additionally, I feel that the JD-100A will prove to be formidable competition for its competitors. Not only will the JD-100A stay as a part of my reference system, but for the first time in years, I can truly say I am happy, even thrilled, with my CD player..." Nels Ferré, TNT-Audio, 2002 "... Surveying the scene of 300B amps I know about, the Jolida JD300B Level-2 is clearly fabulous value considering its build quality, functionality and extremely low self-noise. Its resolving power should be well suited for the kind of financially matched front-ends that are likely to become its mates. The very non-finnicky, wide-angle remote worked flawlessly. Its inclusion predicts far more open doors for this affable 300B integrated than were this feature missing. It has, after all and rightly so, become nearly de rigeur in the real world. Listeners who sympathize with my expressed sonic biases are advised to experiment with intrinsically fast and neutral -- or even slightly lean -- cables. They'll balance against the amp's obvious body and density. Those listeners who adore 300Bs for what they do with such particular panache will love the Jolida as is. Because of its numerous inputs, you can build a rather complex system around it... In the $2.5 - 3.5K range, the options for integrateds are larger than ever, both for solid-state and tubes. But as soon as you narrow down the tube choices to 300Bs, things get rather skinny. Demand remote control to boot and they become outright barren. If this budget range is you as is a lustful Jones for this 'king of triodes', today's custom-modified Jolida -- or perhaps even its stock version -- finally give you something to play with. And once you have played with it, you might call it exactly what you had been looking for all along..." Srajan Ebaen, February 2004, 6moons.com |
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| Music Hall |
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"...The only remaining audible difference between the Fog and MMF-25? The Cairn's airier top-end. The moral of this finding? For $930 plus freight (a $180 upcharge over the $750 fee for the standard Level 1 mod) Underwood HiFi sells a CD player that handily outperforms the Cairn when operated single-ended as many people without XLR preamp sockets will. For the same $930, you can acquire a player that competes fair and square against the $1,695 Cairn even when the latter goes balanced. You even gain a coaxial digital output in the bargain..." Srajan Ebaen, April 2003, 6moons.com "...The Level-1 Maverick appears to be a terrific buy. It has full bandwidth delivery without sounding dry or sterile; excels at mining the pits and strata from CDs and SACDs in a musically captivating and invigorating fashion; and has given me much enjoyment. Apart from a couple of initial hiccups, the underwhelming display legibility and essentialness of the remote to access certain features, it gets an enthusiastic thumbs up. Although the Maverick is positioned as primarily a SACD player, its CD playback is so righteous that you should consider it regardless of its SACD capability. Although I ultimately didn't care for its upsampling, that's readily defeated and might strike you differently. To a penny-pinching, frugal 'phile like me, purchasing a hot-rodded unit like the Level-1 Maverick makes a ton of sense. I doubt any manufacturer could offer such premium internal quality parts and sound for $1990. Two grand, anybody, to get an ailing audiophile back on the straight and narrow?..." Paul Candy, October 2003, 6moons.com |
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Quad |
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"...Refreshingly, both Quad and Liederman eschew braggadocio by not representing the Level-1 QC 24 as a giant-killer (Quad even states as much in their manual). Rather, its raison d'être is to make things just slightly uncomfortable for more expensive products... Simply put, the Level-1 QC 24 impressed me as a strong performer that only the most demanding listener -- who had better be ready to shell out the long green in said pursuit -- will find fault with. Its greatest strength is its linearity. From top to bottom, the Twenty Four Level-1 Mod is remarkably colorless and transparent. Dynamic and fundamentally honest, it gives you the lion's share of the unadorned truth. It just won't gussy it up in quite the highly polished manner that more accomplished (read expensive) preamplifiers may. For the listener on a budget looking for musical truth, the Level-1 QC 24 is a great place to start the hunt. I'll bet that plenty of listeners will end it there too..." |
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| Shanling |
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| "...I pressed my luck. In his opinion, how did the Zanden hold up against the latest and greatest number crunching assaults from the inventors of the RingDAC and Mr. DSD himself, Ed "the man" Meitner? Nadel grinned and reassured me that, though going about things in exactly the way I had come to identify and cherish, Yamada-San's recipe was indeed still "right up there", directly competitive with these other makes. For what that's worth, it suggests that by inference, the T200 Level-1+ player must be included on this list - and clearly ahead of the MkIII when mated to my transport and digital cable without the AR2000. Bloody impressive. And remember, this is for RedBook performance! In any comparison with the Zanden, that's all you may consider. Today's one-box player is thus a no-compromise CD player. It happens to also do SACD; give you two personalities for each; and all of that probably for 1/3th to 1/5th the price of the two/three box competition if you factor their associated necessity for stand-alone high-quality transports. In its one-box category, there are the Nuvista and Trivista pieces to consider. Any which way you slice it, rarefied company indeed. Srajan Ebaen, August 2003, 6moons.com "... The combination of her vocal quality and piano playing had a natural sound that made me feel as if I were in a smoky jazz club somewhere. It had a level of naturalness I've never heard in my listening room before, one that my reference player, the Sony DVP-NS999ES or Arcam FMJ CD23, can only dream of achieving... the Shanling CD-T100 with the Level 1 Modification delivered impact, pace and powerful bass response rivaling any solid state CD player I've heard in my system. Eminem and Steven Tyler's voices had clarity and a level of smoothness that neither of my other players were able to achieve..." Augie Bettencourt, May 2003, Audio Revolution "... With pre-delivered and to-die-for build quality, the Shanling T-100 Level 1 Mod machine becomes a high pedigree beaut all around... Mark my words - overlooking it as just another pretty face then would be a big (and likely very costly) mistake. Disregard its 24/96 upsampling and be prepared for a very smooth, "non-digital" sound that does all the audiophile things you expect. Far more importantly, it allows you to forget about them to get intimate with the music and relish in it, the audiophile judge disbarred from the district... were you to assign percentage points and call the Cairn/Jolida as occupying opposite poles in the high 80s range, the Cairn with a slight lead, the Shanling would belong into the 93 band, with the Zanden sans ultra transport occupying the 95 marker as the best Redbook I've yet heard. Each measely point in these rarefied strata is obtained at great cost..." Srajan Ebaen, April 2003, 6moons.com "... To say that the Shanling SCD-T200 Level-1 player was attractive would be a massive understatement. With its high-tech appearance, utilization of superior parts and materials, exquisite attention fit and finish, the Shanling is simply a stunning piece of artwork. It commanded attention from everyone who was within eyesight of this component, but this would be irrelevant without its stellar performance to match its aesthetics. With both SACDs and Redbook CDs, the SCD-T200 is a reference quality performer. SACDs simply sound awesome, lending the music a sense of realism and palpability that is enthralling. On conventional CDs, the performance is equally if not more impressive, considering the confines of the format. The Shanling's ability to extract the most out of a 16bit/44.1kHz source is extraordinary, giving new life to much of my CD collection. The SCD-T200 also gives the user welcome flexibility with two output stages, vacuum tube and solid-state, each with its own strengths and characteristics. By utilizing the volume control on the excellent remote, I was able to obtain world-class performance by directly connecting the player to a stereo amplifier. Its sonic strengths are many, with the only major caveat being that you are unable to play multi-channel SACDs or any DVD-Audio discs. For those who are normally wary of purchasing modified electronics, rest assured that this is a covered by a 1 year factory warranty mod with a one-year warranty. And though it may not accommodate every silver disc you own, what it does play is extremely satisfying and fulfilling. This player's superior performance, combined with its stellar appearance, is an absolute knockout. Coupling this with undeniable pride of ownership, the Shanling SCD-T200 Level-1 SACD/CD player is a worthy candidate for anyone seeking to assemble the ultimate two-channel SACD/CD playback system..." Thomas Garcia, January 2004, Audio Revolution |
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| Unison Research |
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"... I will honestly confess that I've never yet cranked an amp to levels as uninhibited as the Level-2 Unico without being troubled by distortion. The amp was so clean and controlled that listener fatigue never became an issue. This was quite an incredible experience! The Level-2 had no difficulty with any musical genre or volume I chose to throw at it. It became child's play to identify the slightest system change effects such as a cable or support footer substitution. Not only was this a great analytical tool, it was a thoroughly involving, musical piece of kit with terrific immediacy and presence. Frankly, given the mere $400 cost difference, I was completely taken aback by the superiority of the Level-2 over the Level-1. I can only guess at the differences compared to the stocker. If I were contemplating upgrading an existing model or purchasing a modded unit, I'd spring for the Level-2. At only $2,295, Walter and Chris believe the Level-2 Unico bests the likes of the BAT or Mark Levinson integrated amps. I suspect a great deal of the noted sonic differences were due to the substitution of the stock opamps in the amplifier driver stage since greater resolution and high-frequency extension are two of the claimed characteristics of Burr-Brown's OPA-627..." Paul Candy, December 2003, 6moons.com |
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| ModWright Modifications The following review demonstrates nicely how the upgrades of Dan Wright perform. We use him for our custom Signature mod for the Monolithic Sound PS- while Chris Johnson of the PartsConneXion performs our in-house Pioneer mod. |
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"... In terms of DVD player performance, this ridiculously low priced machine compares to some very highly thought of devices. In terms of its home theatre performance, it strikes remarkable close to, and perhaps equals, the $1500 long-time Sony standard, the DVP-S9000ES. I'm not talking about features or looks or whistles and bells. Just in terms of raw picture and sound quality. Video and Audio out were that good, to my examination. About the only player I've seen that I think has any real superiority over Dan's modified Pioneer is the Pioneer Elite DV-09, and it sells for well over two grand..." Greg Weaver, December 26, 2001, StereoTimes |
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