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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

Showing 4 responses by dcarol

dcarol OP
62 posts
 
Auxetophone, I think if you look the the chassis of the ARC, Conrad Johnson, Manley and many others you'll find they are just a simple folded steel or aluminium affair like the old NAD 3020. The Whest 30 chassis is a bit more complex than you might think as it is a hand-welded CAD designed chassis and is done that way for strength to allow the internal suspension to work properly. My mates Asthetix Rhea chassis is just a folded bit of aluminium or steel but has a fancy front panel.

Going down the 'boutique component spec' parts is always a dangerous thing. Over the years many companies have failed in giving us decent sounds even though their units are full of boutique. Personally I just trust my ears.

Before I went down the Whest route I owned a Trichord Diablo phonostage which used quite a few 'audiophile graded' components and the Whest PS.20 I heard against it still managed to better it by a mile!

'Boutique' does not make for a better sound....a great design makes for a great sound!

There is far too much crap and hype in this industry and trying to find the real gems seems to be getting harder.

One just needs to look at the whole interconnect/ cable industry and what can be had on ebay or DIYers. What do you do...go with a $2000 per metre IC because it's made with a material only seen on Jupiter and has won 5 awards or go with something that is independently recommended by 150 people that have nothing to do with audio industry and only costs $200.

I would listen to both BUT I've yet to hear a $2000 cable that is actually worth $2000!
dcarol OP
62 posts
 
Yes Raul

Very true.

The new ASR model uses the same IC chips that are used in the entry level whestTWO! I had a look at the interior of the ASR Basis Exclusive 2010 online, and my collegues 4 year old whestTWO which costs about $1000. The ASR uses 2 of these IC chips per channel. The IC chip is called a THAT 1510p and only costs...$3.00!!!!

If Whest are ONLY prepared to use that chip in their entry level product then what does that say about ASR!

NOW that is a rip!
dcarol OP
62 posts
 
Lewn: 'I would think that your own phono stage, with an outboard power supply and separate discrete "tuned" circuits for MM and MC, is a better "buy" than either of the top two Whest phono stages. (I have heard none of these, as you know.)'

On what grounds? If you have never heard any of them how can you say or even imagine one is better than the other ;) It just does not make any sense. It's the sort of comment that a hifi dealer would come out with... You're not a hifi dealer are you ?:)

It's a bit like saying that V12 engines are better than V8s.

Just like driving a car tells you which is better, listening to the products will tell you which is better. As for relying on what a reviewer says - I think we've all been there before!

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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