Since nobody else responded, I'll give you my "opinion." Over a period of maybe 15 years, I owned the Cat Sig. Mk.1, Mk.2, Mk.3, Ultimate 1, and finally Ultimate 2. I guess I'm qualified to comment on the CAT!
For the money, a CAT is hard to beat. Even the phono stage is decent for the extra few bucks. It's big, open, transparent, extended, dynamic, detailed, and lots of air. I used them with Symphonic Line RG-1, RG-7, RG-4's(all SS) then CJ Premier 12's, VTL 250's, and finally Atma-Sphere MA-1's. All the CAT's worked flawlessly with every amp I mated them with. I never, ever had any problems, but did have many pleasant conversations with Ken Stevens who was always accessible and very friendly.
I still have the Atma-Sphere MA-1's which are now mated to their MP-1 w/phono. At almost 3 times the price of my last CAT, it's in a different league, but I still have fond memories of all those CAT's and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone.
As for Modwright, I know Dan casually from spending lots of time in his rooms at CES and RMAF. I've owned his Modwright/Sony 5400 for a couple years now and can finally listen to digital without getting bored, or worse yet, a headache. My buddy owns his Modwright/Oppo 95 and loves it.
I can't say for certain but if there's anything to the notion of a "house sound", I'll speculate that the Modwright LS 36.5 will be a bit warmer and fuller than the CAT, which to my ears and depending on source, could sometimes sound a bit leaner and cleaner than reality.
A couple final points, unless you're running really long interconnects(which the CAT can certainly handle), I wouldn't worry about XLR's vs RCA's. Also, if you go with a CAT, I wouldn't waste any time replacing the factory tubes with NOS; the Sovtek 6922 absolutely sucks.
For the money, a CAT is hard to beat. Even the phono stage is decent for the extra few bucks. It's big, open, transparent, extended, dynamic, detailed, and lots of air. I used them with Symphonic Line RG-1, RG-7, RG-4's(all SS) then CJ Premier 12's, VTL 250's, and finally Atma-Sphere MA-1's. All the CAT's worked flawlessly with every amp I mated them with. I never, ever had any problems, but did have many pleasant conversations with Ken Stevens who was always accessible and very friendly.
I still have the Atma-Sphere MA-1's which are now mated to their MP-1 w/phono. At almost 3 times the price of my last CAT, it's in a different league, but I still have fond memories of all those CAT's and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone.
As for Modwright, I know Dan casually from spending lots of time in his rooms at CES and RMAF. I've owned his Modwright/Sony 5400 for a couple years now and can finally listen to digital without getting bored, or worse yet, a headache. My buddy owns his Modwright/Oppo 95 and loves it.
I can't say for certain but if there's anything to the notion of a "house sound", I'll speculate that the Modwright LS 36.5 will be a bit warmer and fuller than the CAT, which to my ears and depending on source, could sometimes sound a bit leaner and cleaner than reality.
A couple final points, unless you're running really long interconnects(which the CAT can certainly handle), I wouldn't worry about XLR's vs RCA's. Also, if you go with a CAT, I wouldn't waste any time replacing the factory tubes with NOS; the Sovtek 6922 absolutely sucks.