Authorized dealers for ModWright Instruments LS 99 Balanced Tube PreAmplifier

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)
Altitudo Audio — online and in-store — Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (website)
Audio Extreme — in-store — Kowloon, China (website)
Dr Vinyl — in-store — Middle River, Maryland, United States (website)
Elite Audio UK — online and in-store — Pittenweem, Escocia, United Kingdom (website)
fern roby — online and in-store — Richmond, Virginia, United States (website)
Hearken Audio — online and in-store — Kitchener, Ontario, Canada (website)
HIFI SOLUTION — in-store — Chandon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France (website)

and 11 more verified dealers

ModWright Instruments LS 99 Balanced Tube PreAmplifier #1

ModWright Instruments LS 99 Balanced Tube PreAmplifier variant 1

ModWright Instruments LS 99 Balanced Tube PreAmplifier

Name: ModWright Instruments LS 99 Balanced Tube PreAmplifier
Brand: ModWright Instruments
SKU: ls-99-balanced-tube-preamplifier
Rating: 90 (10 reviews)

View at ModWright Instruments

Specifications 9 reviews & sources

90/100

Rating for LS 99 Balanced Tube PreAmplifier

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.

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.

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What Reviewers Are Saying

"the ls99 was just letting this music inhabit my space"

— Audiophiliac

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.

Reviews & Sources

Professional reviews and sources for this product's Watt'n Potatoes analysis.

Forum Mentions

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Specifications

Gain: 11dB
Frequency Response: 20Hz – 150Khz flat
Input Impedance: 30K
Output Impedance: 100 ohm
Noise Floor: -110dB (unweighted)
Dimensions: Preamp = 10.5”W x 4.5”H x 12”D. (Depth includes 1.25” knobs and .75” RCA’s. Height does not include exposed tubes. Overall height varies by tube mfr) Dimensions: External Supply = 7”W x 9”D x 3”H
Weight: Preamp = 17 lbs. External Supply = 11 lbs.
Combined Shipping Weight: 33 lbs
Umbilical: (1) 4 ft. umbilical with 8-pin Switchcraft connectors

Balanced Output

Manufacturer's Description — ModWright Instruments

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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Authorized dealers for ModWright Instruments LS 99 Balanced Tube PreAmplifier

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)
Altitudo Audio — online and in-store — Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (website)
Audio Extreme — in-store — Kowloon, China (website)
Dr Vinyl — in-store — Middle River, Maryland, United States (website)
Elite Audio UK — online and in-store — Pittenweem, Escocia, United Kingdom (website)
fern roby — online and in-store — Richmond, Virginia, United States (website)
Hearken Audio — online and in-store — Kitchener, Ontario, Canada (website)
HIFI SOLUTION — in-store — Chandon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France (website)