ModWright PH 150 Reference Tube Phono Stage

A great cartridge deserves a phono stage that lets you hear exactly what it can do. The PH 150 is Dan Wright's reference design, and it puts every setting that matters on the front panel: gain, moving coil loading, moving magnet capacitance, even mono. Change any of them while the record plays, and tune your cartridge by ear in real time.

It's also the design the entire PH 9.0 family is built from. The 9.0X and 9.0XT upgrades exist to bring the smaller phono stage closer to this one.

Every setting at your fingertips. Every detail in the groove.

The Design

Each channel runs a 6C45 triode and a 6922 dual triode, tubes chosen for high gain and low noise. The first gain stage pairs the 6C45 with a JFET in a hybrid circuit, the second gain stage is choke-loaded, and the 6922 output buffer drives a Lundahl gapped output transformer directly. That transformer output is the heart of the PH 150's sound, and it's the very stage ModWright borrowed for the PH 9.0X upgrade. It also gives the PH 150 true balanced XLR outputs and a low output impedance that drives any preamp with ease.

Gain reaches 72dB for moving coil and 57dB for moving magnet, enough for the lowest-output cartridges, with a front-panel control that trims it by 6dB or 12dB. Moving coil loading offers six resistance settings from 10 ohms to 1K. Moving magnet runs at 47K, with six capacitance settings from 0 to 680pF. The input selector includes a mute position, so switching stays silent.

Power comes from the separate PS 150 solid-state supply, joined by a four-foot umbilical so you can place it well away from the phono circuit for the lowest possible noise.

How It Sounds

Reviewers describe a phono stage that delivers what people love about tubes with uncommon precision. In The Absolute Sound, Greg Weaver heard voices, horns, pianos, and strings come through pure and tonally true, resolved with almost no sense of strain, over a treble that stayed clean and finely detailed. Hi-Fi+ heard tube character delivered with real precision, along with excellent timing and voices that sounded remarkably lifelike.

The most useful comparison comes from Greg Weaver, who owns a PH 150 and later reviewed the PH 9.0 for Positive Feedback. He found the PH 150's treble more refined and more extended, with more of the air and graceful ease that let notes decay naturally, and its soundstage more resolute and transparent. He also found the gap smaller than the price difference suggests, which is exactly why ModWright offers the PH 9.0 as a path that can lead here.

Connections and Controls

• One pair of RCA inputs for moving magnet and one pair for moving coil.
• RCA and fully balanced XLR outputs, chosen with a rear toggle.
• Front panel: input selector (MM, mute, MC), gain (0, -6, -12dB), MM capacitance, MC resistance, mono button, and power.
• Rear panel: absolute phase toggle, RCA/XLR toggle, and a ground lug for your turntable's ground wire.

Where It Fits

The PH 150 is the top of ModWright's analog line, for listeners who want every adjustment within reach and the reference circuit in full. Compared with the PH 9.0 family, it adds front-panel capacitance loading for moving magnet cartridges, a wider moving coil loading range up to 1K, the most gain in the lineup, a front-panel mono button, and an absolute phase switch. It's a natural partner for ModWright's balanced LS 300 and LS 99 preamps.

If you own several cartridges, or love swapping them, the PH 150 makes each change easy. Set the gain, set the load, and listen. ModWright describes its PH 9.0 line as an upgrade path that can ultimately lead to the PH 150 as a system grows in resolution and refinement, so this is the destination as well as the reference.

Every PH 150 is designed and handcrafted in Amboy, Washington, and carries a five-year parts and labor warranty when purchased from an authorized ModWright dealer like us.

Press Recognition

• Stereophile, Analog Corner #251, Michael Fremer. Fremer found the PH 150 met or surpassed every requirement he sets for a phono stage, praised its convenience and configurability (including the mono button), and called it impeccably designed and built, combining the sound tube lovers prefer with features every vinyl fan wants. Read the review at Stereophile
• The Absolute Sound (Issue 263, July 2016), Greg Weaver. In a review titled "Hybrid Delight," Weaver heard pure, tonally accurate sound with resolution that came almost without effort. He was impressed enough to buy one for himself. Read the review at The Absolute Sound
• Hi-Fi+ (Issue 127, 2015), Jason Kennedy. Kennedy heard a tube phono stage with unusual precision that still delivers the qualities people buy tubes for, plus fine timing and lifelike vocals. Read the review at Hi-Fi+

Deciding between the PH 150 and a PH 9.0XT, or matching a phono stage to your cartridge? Give us a call. We'll help you get it right.

Specifications

• Type: Tube MM/MC phono stage, two-chassis design
• Tube complement: 2 x 6C45, 2 x 6922 (6DJ8/7308 compatible)
• Circuit: Choke-loaded second gain stage; 6922 buffer direct-coupled to Lundahl gapped output transformers
• MC gain: 72dB maximum
• MM gain: 57dB maximum
• Gain trim: 0, -6, -12dB, front panel
• MC loading: 10, 50, 100, 200, 500 ohms, 1K, front panel
• MM loading: 47k ohms, with capacitance of 0, 100, 220, 330, 470, 680pF, front panel
• Frequency response: 20Hz to 20kHz (±0.2dB)
• Inputs: 1 pair RCA MM, 1 pair RCA MC
• Outputs: 1 pair RCA, 1 pair fully balanced XLR (selected by rear toggle)
• Other features: Front-panel mono button, rear absolute phase toggle, ground lug, 25-second mute on startup
• Power supply: PS 150, outboard solid-state, 4 ft umbilical with 8-pin locking connectors
• Dimensions: PH 150 17" W x 12" D x 5" H; PS 150 10.5" W x 8.5" D x 5" H
• Weight: PH 150 19 lbs; PS 150 15 lbs
• Finishes: Silver, Black
• Warranty: 5 years parts and labor from an authorized dealer, non-transferable
• Designed and handcrafted: Amboy, Washington, USA