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Whest Phono Stages

Having owned several phono stages starting with a more entry level Clear Audio unit (which I actually think is still very nice) and moving up the rungs of the ladder to other offerings; I started to research something which would perform in all of the aspects of what I want. I entered into a long exchange with a friend of mine who has had or used far more phono preamps than I have and he told me that in his opinion the Whest Titan Pro delivered more to his ears than anything else he’s heard. He did not own this unit, it was far outside of his reach cost-wise ($12K); however a friend of his owned it and allowed him to use it for a period of time. He has used tube and solid stage preamps, so he has experience with multiple formats of presentation.

This opinion started my extensive reading from users of the various Whest phono stages and what I was finding is that most Whest users not only stay with Whest, they usually upgrade into newer and more expensive Whest products. Since there are no audio dealers that I am able to go to in order to audition a Whest as they are sold in the US directly from Whest in London, I decided to simply find a used one and find out how it performs for me in my system. I was open to any of the mid level Whest phono stages as all of them are on the expensive side and I didn’t wish to spend the money required to buy something like the Titan Pro, so I kept an eye on what was showing up on the used market. I also spent a fair amount of time exchanging e mails with James Henriot on the differences between the products and what I would get in performance as I was to move up the line. My take away is that all Whest phono stages share elements of the top of the line products like the Titan Pro or the Reference V dual independent mono stages. The more the cost, the more the refinement and specialty elements such as suspension chassis to isolate the internal electronics from vibrations or more discreet hand matched components. It’s all about how much you are willing to pay to get to a new level to dig out the information cut into the vinyl.

Several months ago I found a very lightly used, almost new Whest Three Signature which is a main phono stage chassis with an external dual mono power supply and I bought it. I was shocked at how heavy the power supply is! This small chassis with the toroid transformer must weigh 5 pounds. The construction of both chassis units is really quite outstanding with a beautiful front panel and dual specially made XLR cables which run from the power supply to the main preamp.

The performance of this mid range phono stage ($4K new) is simply amazing. The details it digs out with tremendous dynamic output; it just puts to shame the other preamps I have used over the past two years. I can see why people who use Whest phono stages rave about them.

So now what do I do? Am I to stay with this Whest Three Signature from here forward and be very content? Or what is next? OK, next...... I just ordered a brand new NOS build Whest 2019 version PS.30 RDT SE using the front end components from the new PS.40 RDT series, Clarity caps, zero floating voltage, full chassis suspension, new heavier toroid dual high voltage/current transformers, full discrete bipolar PS.40 matched input section... .etc, etc. James said this 2019 version is a very different animal than all previous PS.30 RDT SE’s. I will have an opportunity shortly to test this against my fully broken in Whest Three.... can’t wait! With the Three  as good as it is, I am very hopeful that I’ll be in for a super treat. I just hope that I am not going to end up spending to get a Titan Pro by year end.....
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lohanimal
659 posts
 
I reviewed the 0.20 over 10 years ago - it sounds great still although I know that the game has moved on since then. I thought it was so much better than the Tom Evans Groove - more body, depth of field and a lot more. I have since acquired the Vendetta SCP 2B and it's a lot more organic and 'more-ish'. 
I hasten to add that the Whest is not voiced cold.
slimpikins5's avatar
slimpikins5 OP
191 posts
 
lohanimal, 

What do you mean by 'the Whest is not voiced cold' ?


lohanimal
659 posts
 
@slimpikins5
Well in relative terms lets say the Klimo Viv is on the warm end of a scale say a 10 - an EAR 834P at 9  the Conrad Johnson EF1 and Vendetta SCP2A at 5, the Whest at 4 and Tom Evans Groove at 9  the Dynavector P75 at 1.
I guess that's my most logical and straightforward way of explaining it. That's at least to my ears in my system - please bear in mind that the comparisons I made were with Yamaha NS 1000M speakers, Lavardin IT amp, and a shelter 501 cartridge on an Amazon model one turntable. 
The Whest had a lot more body than the Tom Evans and was far more relaxing and listenable to me - as such I can't say it is voiced cold. 
It's an excellent phono stage
slimpikins5's avatar
slimpikins5 OP
191 posts
 
Ah, OK.... Let’s call your observation of the Whest as more neutral to your hearing. I would agree with you. I don’t find it pushes either end of the spectrum; it does it all just right.

I’ll be receiving my new custom built PS.30 RDT SE 2019 tomorrow according to the tracking information. My plan is to plug it in, let it run on power for most of the day to warm up things and then start my comparison to the Whest Three Signature I have had in the ’on’ state for several months. This should be interesting not because it’s a new RDT SE with the 40 series input stage and all of the other 40 series updates, but because James modified the input to 20 pf vs. the standard 91 pf (which my Three has) and he added an additional gain setting at 46 db to the standard 43 db in the RDT SE series for MM use. The Three has both 43 db and 46 db and I found the 46 db was dialed in with my system. So the new RDT SE will have the added 46 db gain plus a 20 pf input capacitance to enable me to hit 150 pf total capacitance with my interconnects and tone arm wiring added to the input of the RDT SE which will match the specification of the AT20ss cartridge. If I need more capacitance, I can make adjustments by using other cable lengths. I am using a .7 meter cable currently which is at 120 pf. It is expected that the lower capacitance will smooth out the upper end even more than it is now.

A smoother upper end in conjunction with the enhanced resolving power of the RDT SE will hopefully work out nicely.
slimpikins5's avatar
slimpikins5 OP
191 posts
 
It arrived in UPS yesterday afternoon.   I said I was going to let it warm up, but I just had to try it cold out of the box.  It was excellent with no warm up, but honestly after using this new PS.30 RDT SE 2019 for the past 28 hours of power on time, its really changed.  The dynamic power has increased to the point that I had to reduce the main volume level by 3 db as it was almost over powering my room.

Amazing detail and resolution. I can hear what was before there, but not with such articulation.  What sounded like an instrument of some sort on one cut I have heard so many times, is now resolved to hearing that the sound was actually a background singer, not an instrument.  

Another interesting observation is how many recordings have bass which has imaging.  The bass actually moves around the room vs. just being non directional tight bass.  The bass is so tight and defined, I can actually hear the player playing the instrument.

The change to 20 pf input vs. the 91 pf standard set up is pleasantly allowing my AT20ss to produce the smoothest detailed upper ranges.  That was a great call on James' part.

This phono stage just makes me want to keep putting more music on and not retire for the evening!  At this point, I  cannot imagine what Whest Titan Pro would be like.
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