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An evening with the Whest PS.30RDT Special Edition

Well last night I had a great listening session with a few audiophile friends, all of which are anti-forum types...don't blame them!

Anyway, a couple asked me if it would be OK to bring over their own phono stages along for the ride.

'What the heck' I thought, go on then BUT be prepared for a slaughter...which is what I was thinking. Didn't do that classic Homer thing and say what I was thinking!

Anyway, I switched off the Whest PS.30RDT Special Edition in the morning to keep the playing field as even as I could.
The units coming over were going to be off for an hour at least before playing.

7.30pm... a knock at the door and in comes a 2008 ASR Basis Exclusive - nice. Not worried as I have heard one of these before and thought the Whest was way ahead.

7.46 'Knock Knock' - in comes a Boulder 1008. I think a bead of sweat might have trickled down my forehead but hey that's what the evening was going to be about 'Rumble in the Jungle' well more 'the City'.

We powered up the 3 units for about an hour or so and launched into some great.... wine. You thought I was going to say sounds! That came in about 15mins later.

First on - Kate Bush Lionheart - Kashka for Baghdad.
The ASR was first on. Really Nice, musical detailed although Kate Bush sounded a bit 'thin' - lacking in absolute body but overall a really really good sound.
The 1008. It was really quite different. Fuller but slower. We all agreed that it would have been better to have the speed of the ASR with the presentation of the 1008.

The Boulder 1008 soundstage was nice but not like what we all heard next - my trusted Whest PS.30RDT Special Edition. If any of you have ever heard this track - 'flipping hell'!!
The Whest was is a very different league. Not small at all. Where to start. First of all the other guys decided to sell their units after this first track and this is why.

The Whest pulls out stuff from the vinyl that the other 2 units just hinted at. Paddy Bush (Kate's Bro) plays percussion on this track and you can hear what each percussion instrument is made from, but also the instruments have a dimension to them which is 'freaky'.

The rhythms in this track seem very basic on the other 2 units. The Whest pulls out the individual rhythms to enable you to hear the makeup of the track - rhythmically. OUTSTANDING!!

Kate's vocal is fantastic through the Whest. Not too full, or too thin but like Goldie Locks says: 'Just right'. BUT you can also hear her 'manner', the Kate Bush personality which is captured on the vinyl BUT completely missed with the 1008 and ASR.

Not normally my cup to tea BUT here goes: Yellow Jackets - The Hornet. Track name: It's almost gone.

By this time we were well into the evening and although I was smiling I could see my audiophile buddies thinking how to finance a purchase without the 'other half' thinking about divorce.

So, Yellow Jackets goes on and it's the turn of the Whest to play. I've just bought this LP on ebay this morning because my trusted Whest has again opened my eyes to a sub-genre that I would normally not consider.

Don't get me wrong, I love Jazz, but 80's Digital Warner...not normally me. Everything about this LP, every track went down like an excellent glass of wine, champagne or lager (tick which you prefer).

The Whest bought out stuff that the other 2 just couldn't see! The 1008 and ASR were blind to the emotional content of whole thing.

Well after the Whest it was really down hill - all the way. The speed, soundstage, imaging, pace, rhythm, space, imaging, pace, speed, soundstage, rhythm and oh did I mention speed seemed to collapse with the other 2 units.

Great phonostages but that is about as far as the other 2 units go. If these are phonostages then you cannot put the Whest in that category. The other guys were so dumb-struck that the differences could be so large.

The ASR and 1008 play what is on the needle, the Whest plays what's in the groove!

The evening continued and I was offered $$$$$ for my Whest as these guys already knew about my plans to get the Whest MC REF V -NEXT WEEK. But Boy...am I keeping my PS.30RDT Special Edition. It is too good to give up. The performance level is simply breathtaking.

Going from Phoebe Snow to Miles, and from EMI to CTI, the Whest outperformed the 2 other units in every area and I mean EVERY AREA. I have never seen 4 audiophiles behave in such a way - well I tell a lie, show any of these other guys a hi-rez image of a Bullet plug and it's like they are staring into the eyes of heaven.

We finished up listening to the 'Round Midnight' Soundtrack written by Herbie Hancock. Great finishing LP and shows the genius that is Herbie Hancock. This LP also enabled us to take some time out to gloat, cry and sob. I'm one of them - any ideas which one?





dcarol
Ag insider logo xs@2x
rauliruegas
13,103 posts
 
Dear LewM. I overall agree with you. Yes, it will be really interesting to " see " inside both Whest's.

I email them asking for specs and their answer was not something that could reflect everything they posted in the internet site.

This is what J. Henriot email me:

+++++ " I have attached a copy of the specification sheet for the 30 Series components. The figures are pretty much the same for all 3 products in the range BUT the audio resolution is COMPLETELY different.
The noise figures are again as low as the PS.30RDT SE but using completely different electronics.

Although our noise specs are extremely low, these do not tell you anything about the resolution performance of the products which is why we have ommited them from the site. " +++++

RIAA curve accuracy: 17Hz – 20.5Khz +/- 0.2dB or better
Frequency response: 5Hz – 62Khz +/- 1.0dB
Working band: 15Hz – 60Khz
MM Gain: 40dB @ 47Kohm
MC Gain 50dB - 72dB to suit all 0.15 – 2.5mV cartridges
Cartridge Loading 50ohm - 47Kohm in 6 steps
THD+N: 0.002%
Connections: Unbalanced RCA, Impedance Balanced on 3-XLR.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

what really disappoint me after all that " bla, bla, bla, " in its site is that RIAA deviation that for the prices and what said it in that site is " unjustified " because has a swing of 0.4db ( and that " or better " that they writed has no sense: that could means that the quality control on the execution of that design is not " uniform ". ), IMHO extremely high taking in count that the units are dedicated phono stages.
In this regard we are waiting at least 0.1db but 0.4db tell us about severe colorations over the RIAA frequency curve: we have to remember here that due that the RIAA eq. is a curve any discrete/single deviation on frequency affect almost three octaves.

Other two subjects is that there is no noise spec and the frequency band is to short for a well designed SS phono stage.

I never heard the Reference or the Dcarol unit so I can't say for sure about its quality level performance. That beats ASR or the 1008 is a sign but we have to take in count here that either of these competitors ( on phono stages. ) IMHO are not at the top of the " bunch ".

Dcarol, good that you are really satisfied.

regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.

lewm
13,258 posts
 
Dear DCarol, Keep your shirt on. I was just thinking out loud, as one does during a face to face conversation. I did concede that I had not heard either the Whest products or Raul's phonolinepreamp; I was only comparing the known features of the two products in relation to their cost. I don't believe I referenced any review articles, and you would be right to criticize me if I did; I just went to the Whest website to find out about their products, and I found very little in the way of useful facts that could inform a knowledgeable audiophile. I apologize for my blather, anyway.

V12s ARE better than V8s, if both engines are in a Ferrari.
blue_starfish
16 posts
 
My maiden post at Audiogon.

I am blessed to have owned a MC V for 3 weeks now, and I must concur that it is an upgrade over my previous phono which was an ASR Basis Exclusive. But then, the MC V is double the price so it should be a big upgrade.

The MC V is dead quiet, has explosive dynamic headroom and leading edges. But to me, the best part of the MC V is it being hyper-detailed but not analytical. It manages to play music as a whole, yet is so detailed that I can now hear HOW the note was produced, and not just the note. It does rhythms and large scale music pieces beautifully esp brass instruments.

The MC V is made to order with gain and impedences tailored to your specs. Expect a long wait, but it will be worth the wait. Patiently run-in for 70 hrs before it starts to sounds superb.

dctom
111 posts
 
Yes the whest do seem quite minimal for the price. How ever the ref V is cheeper in the US than the UK. It is £10000 in the UK, that is $15000 at least in anyone money.I believe this model is around $12.k in the states.
dcarol OP
62 posts
 
Well since my GREAT evening in with the Whest PS.30RDT Special Edition I decided to put in into my second system and have upgraded to the Whest top-of-the-line MC REF V MK4. I've read some fantastic things about it and very briefly heard one but had a chance to borrow one for 3 evenings after which I bought one... I had to - read on.

I was quite shocked on the difference between it and the absolutely brilliant PS.30RDT SE. The MC REF V MK4 is in a very different ball-park. In fact it is by far the best I have heard, and I have heard plenty in my system.

I don't really know where to start but suffice to say that my vinyl playback system is at a level that I cannot believe sometimes. I mean it does things that makes me cry and laugh at the same time. It is dynamic and explosive like nothing I have ever ever heard. I will write a small review at some point but I know for sure that I am at the end of my vinyl quest. YES, I am there REALLY!

The high frequency is silky smooth, see-through and ultra detailed. The hf area contains plenty of harmonics that I have NEVER heard before. The mid-band is near transparent with a life-like quality, solidity which is dimensionally so correct that it can/does throw you sometimes. It does not sound like vinyl or audio but music with precision. It's really hard to explain but you lose that feeling of playback system and end up with music. I don't care about interconnects and mains cables as the MC REF V MK4 transends all of that 'stuff' which is so secondary to music. The bass is without a doubt the very best I have heard from my TT setup. The bass is pin-point accurate, deep, pitch perfect and has that 'chest-thump' when needed that phonostages never seem to do properly. Yes, some phonostages produce good bass but it's either flabby or you can't pin-point where the bass is coming from. With the MC REF V MK4 you can hear where everything is coming from because there is so much space around the instruments you feel you are sitting in the performance.

Blue-starfish was right about the qualities of the MC REF V. It is utterly quiet, explosive in dynamics, detailed beyond what you might think vinyl is capable of - in fact it takes vinyl to another level, no make that 5 levels.

Yes, it is basic in terms of facilities but then what do you want? Knobs and stuff to detract you from that lack of audio quality OR pure audio quality without the crap that others put on to bump up the price?

The PS.30RDT Special Edition is a great design. Simple, understated and minimalistic. The gain and load underneath and that is it.

The MC REF V MK4 is the same. You get 2 mono channels. Both are matched and contain everything to get that channel working. There is PLENTY inside one of those boxes to the point that there really isn't that much space to put anything else in. What is amazing is listening to one channel of the MC REF V MK4... it is better than 2 channels of anything else I have heard! It sounds silly but it is quite striking just how much the MC REF V Mk4 resolves.

And as for the price...it's £9990 in the UK and some dealers in the US are selling it for $20,000!

At £9990 it is the biggest audio bargain going since the NAD 3020 :))

The MC REF V MK4 is for me so far ahead of the game it makes others look totally overpriced.

I have a major listening session coming up with a couple of friends who are going to bring some 'stuff' with them to compare - should be a fun evening

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