Has anyone compared the MW PH9 to a Zesto PS1 or a 1.2?
WhestTHREE signature phono pre vs. ModWright PH 9.0X
I've mostly got my phono preamp upgrade down to a shortlist shootout choice between the WhestTHREE and the ModWright PH 9.0X. They're pretty much at the same price point (the MW is ~$300 more than the whest, give or take).
What I listen to mostly: Jazz & Jazz Fusion primarily (I do have things from many other genres, but want to tune my system to Jazz since that's 95% of my listening on vinyl).
What I like: wide soundstage, incredible mid-range, detail, some warmth
What I don't like: clinical!
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There are a lot of passionate Whest owners out there all over forums raving about them, but I've also seen people mention that they can be a little on the clinical side.
The modwright has less hands-on info out there that I could find, but the few things I could find review it very highly.
If owners of either could comment on their experience and some objective pros / cons of either, it would be helpful!
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I did have someone recommend the Gold note PH10 to me some time ago, and while it is at a lower price point, I've seen a lot of mixed reviews.
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@mmcgill829 I upgraded from the SL to the Unami Blue and quite enjoy that combo. In the last few months, I’ve gone big on my vinyl in both systems. The Blue was a big step up from the SL when using the MW’s MC stage. In the main system, I added a Kuzma Stabi R and 4PT11 arm with the Blue. I moved my VPI with the SL to the second system (Leben) and added the Leben RS30EQ stage with a Cinemag 1254 SUT. I compared that phono setup with the ModWright using the Hana SL. The MW won out via its MC stage, but the Leben effectively tied with the MW when using the MM stage combined with the SUT on both. I have not done a comparison in my main system of the MW vs Leben/SUT using the Unami. In my comparison, the MW was quieter than the Leben/SUT combo. And the Unami Blue was quieter than the SL. Lastly, the Kuzma was immensely quieter than the VPI. I’m thrilled with the MW as it has kept up with my upgrades of cartridge and table. Lastly, my interconnects are all Acoustic Zen: Absolute Copper in my main setup and Silver Reference in my Leben setup. |
@davehg Thanks for the update and great info! I still havent decided on whether to go for an umami red or etsuro cobalt. My hesitancy around it is mostly because I have trouble justifying paying big bucks on a cartridge that will just have to get replaced in a year or two of use. The 4-6k price tags on these is a bit hard to swallow with this in mind. We'll see! I've been a bit distracted lately with getting my digital front end set up - and since October of last year I've replaced my speakers, amplification, added an entire digital set (streamer + dac), and am working on replacing cables. yeesh! |
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