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.....
128x128slimpikins5
@Three EP
If you are fortunate, you may find a used Whest out there to run for a while... I'd suggest the Whest Two as it won't kill you on price.  Don't expect it to perform like the upper level Whest preamps, but it will definitely play like them and that will tell you a lot in terms of whether you like what you hear or not.

I did the same thing; I picked up the Whest Three Signature through a guy who wanted to get into vinyl so badly that he bought a pretty high end set up to try it out.  He decided very quickly that he didn't like all of the hands on work involved with records and  went back to digital format.  I picked up the Whest Three at a good price and it wasn't even broken in.  I used it for three months and fell in love with it.  I had it in parallel with several other preamps so it gave me a good reference point for comparison.  That drove me to James at Whest to have a customized latest configuration 30 series built using much of the 40 series internals packed into the 30 left over case work.  It came in and sounded very much like my Three SE except it took things up to an even higher performance point.

If you get into a Whest Two, you'll be able to test drive what they are about; if you are pleased, you sell it and most likely break even and then order in an upper level Whest for obviously a lot more money, but you know what you are getting.... no surprises.   If you don't like it, you still sell it and most likely break even.   You win either way.
Slim, I have been using tube gear since the late 1970s. I’ve also built and repaired tube equipment.  I own a Hickok tube tester. I have never ever had a tube fail due to loss of vacuum, although it can happen with mishandling I guess. The major way that tubes fail is very gradual over a period of years as they lose transconductance. This is because the cathode simply wears out and eventually fails to emit electrons to the anode. This is an inevitable consequence of use.
Lew, I was not trying to imply that loss of vacuum in tubes happens quickly, I was only saying that it can happen gradually over time, as in years. But it does happen and the internals of the tubes do also alter with time due to heat as tubes get very hot like a light bulb. I have used tube testers also as you have and there is a reason we had those; it’s because we had to test the tubes for being in specification. If power amplifier tubes are driven too hard, the plates will melt, or they will warp simply with extended use.

I had a ceramic GU74B go out of spec slightly a few years ago in an Acom 2000A linear amplifier. I knew something was up as the stack temperature on the cooling was changing. I had a 3 to 5 degree temperature differential between the two tube pair. The more the amp was driven, the higher the differential and I didn’t like that as it meant one tube was doing more of the work to make output which would eventually cause it to fail (and these ceramic tetrodes are very expensive). My friend who was the US importer for this piece of gear drove up for a visit from Boston with a box of new GU74B’s; we swapped the tubes around for an hour until we found two which were very well matched and then did a realignment of the screen current to dial things in. Now the two tubes run within a degree of each other under most all conditions, even when driving the output to 2.5KW.

As I have said, I have enough issues with tubes and when I run my audio system, I would rather not be dealing with them. I much prefer high efficiency SS amps and preamps..... I love my pair of Anthem M1 monoblocks in proprietary Class D. They make no heat, are super quiet, have immense power at 2000 watts per channel and more depending on the load, liquid cooling on the output devices and they are silky smooth on upper end unlike some class D’s I have used. Anthem has their own class D circuitry which is patented; they do not use any of the standard D modules which most of the other Class D amps use. I have a Parasound Halo A51 which runs in Class A and A/b which is a very nice amp, but next to these M1’s, there just isn’t any contest. The M1’s blow the Parasound Halo out of the contest in performance.

Having 2000 watts per channel in an audio system is something which is truly wonderful. The headroom is outstanding, no distortion at all, no clipping and outstanding dynamic range/power. When I first installed my M1 pair and fired it up, it was jaw dropping. My friends at Axiom Audio (the guys who build Bryston’s speakers) keep trying to get me to bring in a pair of the Bryston 28B3 monster mono blocks.... I would love to as they run around 2000 watts each into 4 ohms, but I cannot justify the cost of the amps and question how much better they could be vs. the M1’s. If someone wants to lend me a pair to test for comparison, I’ll be happy to :)
I suppose this is another data point to suggest the Whest line perhaps isn't for me.  The Anthem M1 sound definitely isn't for me - I know plenty of folks like them and that's why we all have choices but to my ears they are less than neutral, clean, and dry but very powerful - perhaps almost best in a HT application.  If Whest appeals to the same market that enjoys these high powered Class D amps then I'm virtually certain that Whest wont work to my priorities and in my system.  This thread has been incredibly helpful and it's awesome knowing people love their equipment.  Sonic bliss is the goal after all!
Three EP,

May I ask if you have actually heard the M1 mono blocks or are you basing your experience on some other Class D amp?   The reason I ask, I know of almost no dealers who have M1's in stock due to the very high cost of them.  I bought my pair without having ever heard them, I just took a chance as I got a great deal on them.   I knew that I would not be hurt had I not liked them.  But what I found is that they are amazing units.

My brother is a professional video producer and he also worked with major national rock bands in the past.  He told me that my system is the closest he has heard to a true live performance.  BTW, he is a tube guy!
He also said that my Whest phono stage was the best he has heard.