Dr Robert Roux
             Concert Pianist


      click above for Bio & Performances



Dr. Robert Roux
Chair, Keyboard Department
Shepherd School of Music
Rice University

Amplifier: Moscode 401HR

Dear Mr. Kaye,

I am a concert pianist, chair of the piano department at Rice University, and a lifelong audiophile. To say I have been ecstatic about my purchase of the new Moscode 401 is an understatement. Thank you so very much for providing me with an amplifier that:

1. Sounds like the music I hear live every day of my life.
2. Doesn't take up the whole house.
3. Is reliable and free of hassles.
4. Provides the emotional involvement with the music, even with digital, that used to be typical even in average systems back in the tube days.
5. Has all of the sonic beauty with none of the weaknesses or limitations of the vast majority of tube amps, past or present. I should know, because I have owned quite a few of them over the years!

For all of the above, I am most grateful to you. I am sure that many other satisfied customers will feel the same.

Sincerely,

Dr. Robert Roux
Chair, Keyboard Department
Shepherd School of Music, Rice University

 


 

 

An Amp Comparison:
Moscode 401HR & Dodd 120's


George Honnenger

Location:   USA
Amplifier: Moscode 401HR
October 26, 2006


I know it took a long time for me to write about these two amps, but I wanted to make sure I spent enough time with each and didn't rush out any comments. There was also another amp in the equation (BAT VK-600SE) that I will talk about in a different thread. For this one I kept it to the Moscode 401HR and Dodd 120's.

Starring:

• Dodd 120 Tube Monoblocks
• Moscode 401HR Hybrid Stereo Amplifier

Co-Starring:

• Salk Sound HT3’s (stock)
• Tact 2.2x (modified by Aberdeen Components)
• Squeeze Box 2 (modified by Bolder Cable)
   Ultimate II PS (Bolder Cable)
   Summit DC Cable (Bolder Cable)
• Running Springs Audio Haley Power Conditioner
• Monster AVS 2000 Power generator
• VH Audio Symmetry balanced ic’s (analog)
• VH Audio Cryo’d Pulsar
   w/Silver NextGen connectors (digital)
• VH Audio AirSine power cord (on the Haley)
• Black Sand Silver Max IV power cords
   (on amps and Ultimate II Power Supply)
• SupraSword Ultra LoRad power cord (on the TacT 2.2x)

If you are the type that wants to know right away what I thought and don’t want to wade through my ramblings, here is my preference:

1. Moscode 401HR
2. Dodd 120’s

Both amps were excellent and I could live with either in my system. The differences between them might seem very pronounced below, but in reality they aren’t night and day differences.

At this level of performance, you are really looking for system synergy and personal preferences. In my case, I just connected with the Moscode more than the Dodd amps. If you had both amps in your room, it is very likely you could come up with a different order and for different reasons. Please keep in mind that there are no absolutes here and no right or wrong opinions. That being said, on to my thoughts on each contender…


Dodd 120 Monoblocks
Upgraded tubes (SED EL34 tubes + GE 7044)
and Black Sand Silver Max IV power cords

The Dodd amps don’t sound like your father’s tube amp….they are very well balanced from top to bottom and easily drove my 85db sensitive Salk HT3’s. The Dodd amps produced a very holographic and well defined sound stage that had good depth and presence. These amps have a good transient response and produce a nice toe tapping type of pace. Midrange was neither sterile nor overly rich – pretty darn neutral is what I would call them. The top end was well defined without being exaggerated or worse, rolled off. Dynamics were better than many back busting solid states amps I have owned.

Overall, I would call the Dodd 120’s a well designed and well balanced amp that is neutral in character. Those looking for a romantic or colored tube sound should look elsewhere. The Dodd’s do equally well at Ben Harper, John Coltrane, or Eva Cassidy. Want to throw some Wagner or Beethoven at them, not an issue as long as you kept the volume in check.

So are the Dodd 120’s the number one choice for me in my system? Nope. I would rank them third in my little shootout. Here are some of my nitpicks:

• Background not as black as the Moscode which led to:
- Didn’t provide the ultimate in detail and resolution (for example, sometimes background vocals would blend in too much with the lead singer on cd’s by Tori Amos
- Didn’t provide all the shadings, texture, and nuances of the music that the other two amps did (this was really apparent on percussion instruments such as piano, drums, and bongos and strings).

• While the midrange was clear and neutral, it didn’t grab and hold on to me. Female voices had good tonality, but not the sexiness or soul that I wanted.

• The Dodd amps could get a little glassy and hard when pushed at higher volumes or with very complex music.

• They didn’t make me suspend my disbelief enough. Sometimes I could close my eyes and feel like whoever was in front of me, but not as much as with the other amps.

Moscode 401HR
Stock tubes and Black Sand Silver Max IV power cord

The easiest way for me to sum up my experience with the Moscode is that is made me want to keep it in the system more than the Dodd amps.

So why did the Moscode connect with me?

Simply put, it did everything the Dodd amps did, just better. It had a much blacker background which led to improved detail, resolution, and dynamics. Little details and nuances were more apparent and obvious. Notes and voices had better separation and didn’t blur at times like they did with Dodd. I also thought that the Moscode had a bigger and more open sound. Nothing that was artificially big or blown up, but rather that the Moscode was able to nail the scale of the piece being played while the Dodd came up a little short.

The Moscode had stronger and deeper bass, which created a better foundation for the music. With this foundation, the music seemed to be richer and harmonically complete. It’s not like the Dodd amps were thread bare or thin in anyway, it’s just that the Moscode did it better. The bass also had more texture and substance to it. You not only heard the individual notes better, but you heard the body of the instrument and the hall. I just couldn’t get this from the Dodd amps.

The Moscode amp also sounded more effortless in its presentation when compared to the Dodd. I was never able to make the Moscode sound like it was running out of steam or going to place it didn’t want to go to. The Moscode also held the edge in sounding faster and with a snap and pace to it that the Dodd amps just couldn’t quite match.

Overall I am extremely happy with the Moscode amp. When Wes Philips said the Moscode 401HR “sounds right to me” I totally get what he means. The Moscode sounds right to me and I think it would probably sound right to a lot of people out there. The good news is that it is easy to find out for yourself if the 401HR is the right amp for your system. Moscode offers a 33 1/3 day audition period and will pay shipping both ways.

Judging from what I have heard during my audition, I now understand why there aren’t too many people who send it back. I know that I won’t be.

- George

 

 


 

 

Michael Healy
Location:   USA
Amplifier: Moscode 401HR

George,

Just wanted to drop you a note saying that I'm extremely happy with the amp. Definitely one of the best purchases I've made in my 36 year audio odyssey. One drawback to the purchase is that I'm spending way more time listening to my system then I should be during the summer.

The only item, and a minor one at that, is I wish that the front panel light turned off when powered down. I hate to think of looking for replacement bulbs.

One question though: what exactly is a 6H30IP? I'm familiar with the 6H30 but not the IP suffix.

Keep up the good work, and thanks for a great product. You should be proud.

Michael Healy


George Kaye Responds:

Michael,

Thank you so much for your kind words. I like getting people hooked on music one way or the other. I’m a music pusher.

The lighting for the front panel is made up of LEDS which will probably live longer than either of us.

The tube is a 6H30Pi as in 3.1415 or the circumference divided by the diameter or as in pizza. It is a very linear Russian tube that is capable of wide voltage swings with very low distortion. Not many tube amps can do 200 watts at .05% THD with only 10 db of negative feedback.

Glad you like it.

George
Chief Engineer, Moscode

 



Meet Harald of the Moscode Owners Club
Moscode Owners Club

 

Harald L
Location:   Delfgauw, Netherlands
Amplifier: Moscode 401HR

Hello George!

The amplifier works very well, indeed.

I must say I like the sound of it right out of the box. It produces a very warm sound, with much depth, a straight-on bass and open high frequencies, even at very low volumes. Midrange frequencies, like percussion instruments, are also nicely presented. I never adjust the bass and treble control on the preamplifier (they are always positioned flat) and I never use the loudness compensation.

Listening with the 401HR to CDs I know very well, "things" were brought to my attention that I have not heard before when I used the Moscode 300.

I am very enthusiastic over the sound of the 401HR! (By the way, the looks of it are also very nice.) So what will I be when it has opened up and is performing its best?

I guess I will be lyrical over it.

I have forgotten to mention another improvement of the 401HR in comparison to the 300. It has nothing to do with the sound of the amplifier but it is important enough to mention to you. When the 300 is switched off a loud click/bang is heard through the speakers. When the 401 HR is switched off there is only the sound of silence.

There is no need to thank me for believing in Moscode. I believe in great/good products and that is what Moscodes amplifiers are!

I can only say I am very pleased with the 401 HR!

Harald
The Netherlands

MOSCODE OWNER SYSTEM

See Harald's System via the Moscode Owners Club

It's risk free at Moscode!  Call to arrange your audition today!
i-vol.com Send email to Moscode!  We look forward to hearing from you!