Modwright PH 9.0 Tube Phono Stage

ModWright PH 9.0 / PH 9.0X / PH 9.0XT Tube Phono Stage

Reference DNA. Compact Form. Three Levels of Performance.

The PH 9.0 began with a question: how much of the Reference PH 150 could be delivered in a smaller, more accessible package? The answer turned out to be most of it — the Lundahl MC step-up transformers, the front-panel loading and gain controls, the external power supply, the tube circuit architecture, and the fundamental design philosophy that a phono stage should be quiet, musical, and flexible enough to serve any cartridge and any analog rig.

The result is one of the most reviewed and most praised phono stages ModWright has produced. It has won group tests, earned five-star ratings, and generated the kind of unsolicited customer feedback that is difficult to manufacture: people write in to say it sounds holographic, that bass reaches way down, that they played it for their family and nobody wanted to leave the room.

We've heard it. They're not wrong.

The PH 9.0 is available in three versions — base, X, and XT — each building on the last with circuit upgrades borrowed directly from the Reference PH 150. Any unit can be upgraded at any time.

The Design — PH 150 DNA in a Compact Chassis

The PH 9.0 chassis measures 10″W × 10″D × 4″H. The external power supply is smaller still, connects via a 6-foot 4-pin XLR umbilical, and has no controls — it can be tucked out of sight anywhere that's convenient. The phono stage itself sits where it needs to be, compact enough to fit cleanly into any equipment rack without claiming the real estate of a full-width component.

Inside, the signal path is built around two 6C45 tubes for amplification and two 6922 tubes — with the full range of compatible substitutes available for rolling — giving the PH 9.0 a four-tube complement with distinct functional roles. Lundahl MC step-up transformers handle the initial gain for MC cartridges, providing the low-noise, high-quality signal handoff that moving coil cartridges demand.

Separate MM and MC inputs on the rear panel mean there is no switching in the signal path between phono sources. A front-panel Mono/Stereo toggle is located on the rear panel for mono disc playback.

Loading and gain adjustment happen from the front panel, without opening the unit or accessing rear-panel switches. MC loading is selectable at 10, 20, 50, 100, 250, and 470 ohms. Gain for both MM and MC is adjustable in 6dB steps — 0, -6dB, -12dB — allowing the PH 9.0 to be matched precisely to the output level of the cartridge and the input sensitivity of the preamplifier. This is the kind of front-panel flexibility that makes the difference between a phono stage that works for one cartridge and one that can serve an evolving analog system.

The Three Versions

PH 9.0 — The Base

The foundation of the line. Tube amplification, Lundahl MC step-up transformers, front-panel loading and gain control, external solid-state rectified power supply. Single-ended RCA outputs standard; balanced XLR outputs available as a transformer-coupled add-cost option. This is the version that earned five stars from HiFi Choice and a group test win.

PH 9.0X — Lundahl 1660S Output Transformers

The X upgrade adds a pair of Lundahl LL1660S gapped output transformers — the same type used in SET tube amplifiers — to the output stage. Their addition also eliminates a pair of chokes and coupling capacitors from the signal path. Less is in the way of the signal; what remains is a circuit considerably closer to the PH 150's architecture.

Dan Wright's description of the sonic result is direct: better bottom end, more weight and authority, improved resolution and detail, and a more expansive soundstage. The improvement is obvious and significant enough that it warranted offering as a standalone upgrade rather than folding it into the base design. The PH 9.0X can be purchased as such from the outset, or any base PH 9.0 can be upgraded to X level at any time.

PH 9.0XT — Tube Rectified Power Supply

The XT adds tube rectification to the external power supply, along with a further high-voltage pre-regulation stage — again drawn directly from the Reference PH 150 design. Tube rectification has a distinct quality in power supply design: the current delivery is softer and more natural than solid-state rectification, and its effect on the signal stage is audible.

The result is a bigger, broader soundstage, more body and presence throughout the frequency range, and a more holographic quality to the music. This is why most ModWright preamplifiers use tube rectification. The XT brings that philosophy to the phono stage. As with the X upgrade, any PH 9.0 or PH 9.0X can be upgraded to XT level at any time.

Press Recognition

HiFi Choice — 5 Stars / Group Test Winner The PH 9.0 received five stars and won the group test against competing phono stages in the same price range.

Elite Audio UK — Product of the Year Watch the video

Part Time Audiophile — PH 9.0X Follow-Up Review Grover Neville reviewed the X upgrade specifically, covering the circuit changes and sonic benefits in depth. Read the review

Positive Feedback Read the review

StereoNet UK Read the review

Audiophilia Reviewed alongside the Pure Fidelity turntable and Kiseki Purple Heart cartridge. Read the review

Steve Guttenberg / The Audiophiliac (CNET & YouTube) Read the CNET piece

Specifications

Questions about which version is right for your cartridge and system, or about the upgrade path from base to X or XT? We're happy to help you work through it.