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ModWright Instruments LS 99 Balanced Tube PreAmplifier
LS 99 Balanced Tube PreAmplifier
Dan’s Design Basis
Based on the LS 300, our Reference Flagship balanced tube preamp, the LS 99 uses the same transformer coupled input and output topology, tube rectified, and SS regulated power supplies with (2) 6922 driver tubes. The power supply is outboard, but not dual mono, like the LS 300. In keeping with the ‘9’ series of products, we took the best elements of our Reference design and built them into a more compact, simple, and elegant enclosure. This allows us to keep 95% of the sonics of the Reference product and reduce the price by nearly $5,000. I am quite pleased with the result.
FEATURES
(2) XLR Fully Balanced Inputs. (3) RCA Inputs. (1) RCA HT/BP (Home Theater Bypass Input). (2) XLR Fully Balanced Outputs. (2) RCA Outputs. Dual Remote 12V Trigger Outputs. Remote Control: Volume, mute and trigger outputs. Tube Output: 6922/6DJ8/7308/E88CC Tube Rectified: 5AR4/GZ34 and Equivalents. Pure Class A. External Power Supply.
Proudly hand crafted in the U.S.A.
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Professional Reviews 90/100
Deliciously Crispy
Sound Quality
93/100
Build Quality
94/100
Features Connectivity
87/100
Value for Money
83/100
The LS 99 Balanced Tube PreAmplifier brings dimensional realism, rich tonal body, and a remarkably quiet tube presentation to serious analogue systems. Audiophiliac found it open, spacious, and vividly human-sounding, with bass lines carrying more physical gusto. Balanced and RCA connections, dual outputs, and home-theater pass-through complement its meticulous two-chassis build.
What Reviewers Are Saying
Pros
Delivers spacious, dimensional imaging with convincing presence and a strong sense of performers inhabiting the room.
Adds soulful tonal body, texture, and more palpable bass drive without sounding soft or blurred.
Exceptionally quiet for a tube preamplifier, with no apparent hiss, noise, or rumble in the review system.
First-rate, meticulous build with flexible XLR/RCA I/O, dual outputs, and home-theater pass-through.
&
Cons
The lightweight plastic remote feels out of keeping with the preamplifier’s high-end build quality.
Its warm, full-bodied character may not suit listeners seeking ultimate neutrality or the tightest bass control.
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 93/100
The LS 99 is described as a notably quiet, dimensional tube preamp that brings body, texture and a strong sense of presence without turning soft or blurred. Its presentation favors soulful tonal density and expansive spatial realism over the comparatively flatter, more withdrawn sound heard from the solid-state comparison.
Transparency Resolution
92/100
The reviewer stresses that the LS 99 does not soften, blur or make music sound mushy, while also calling it very quiet for a tube design. Compared with the solid-state preamp, it was described as more open and more complete in dimensional substance, even if the solid-state unit sounded marginally tighter in the bass.
Tonal Balance Musicality
94/100
The LS 99 was praised for adding body, flesh-and-blood presence, soul and texture to recordings. Its tube character is portrayed as musically enriching rather than syrupy, with bass lines gaining palpable throb and gusto.
Dynamics
91/100
The reviewer heard bass lines bounding from the speakers with greater gusto and described the music as more physically alive in the room. There is less direct discussion of large-scale dynamic swings, but the account strongly supports a lively, energized presentation.
Soundstage Imaging
94/100
Spatial performance is a major strength in the review: sounds behind the vocalist were presented as convincingly occupying their own space, and the LS 99 was said to place the listener there. Against the solid-state comparison, it sounded more spacious, open and dimensionally present.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
94/100
The reviewer calls the LS 99's build quality first-rate and meticulous, describing the preamp itself as genuinely high-end. A five-year warranty further supports the impression of a carefully made, confidence-inspiring component.
Features Connectivity
87/100
The LS 99 offers two XLR and two RCA input pairs, plus a dedicated home-theater pass-through input. Two pairs each of XLR and RCA outputs make it practical for bi-amping or feeding multiple subwoofers, though the review does not mention conveniences such as remote control, onboard phono or a DAC.
Value for Money
83/100
At $6,500, the reviewer plainly characterizes the LS 99 as expensive. ModWright positions it as delivering 95% of the performance of the higher-tier LS 300, but the review does not independently make a strong value-for-money claim or compare it directly with similarly priced alternatives.
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- The Music Room — online and in-store — Erie, Colorado, United States (website)
- Absolute Hi End — in-store — Ormond, Victoria, Australia (website)
- Alen Audio — in-store — Extramurs, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain (website)
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- Hearken Audio — online and in-store — Kitchener, Ontario, Canada (website)
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