many car: Shelter 9000, LPS, X40, Meastro V2, Red Rondo.
Whest Audio PS.30RDT Special Edition
My new phono stage has landed and it’s incredible!
How I arrived here…
In November of last year, after a two-year hiatus, I returned to analog and acquired a new VPI Prime X with Hana ML and a new Whest Two.2 phono from music direct. I liked the setup so much that I upgraded to Hana Umami Blue and sold my 100hr old ML.
I kept pushing the envelope and picked up a mint Lab12 Melto2 tube phono stage. However, after some tube rolling and living with the Melto2 for few weeks I kept coming back to my Whest. It just spoke to me the way Melto2 could not. So I sold the Lab12 and contacted James Henriot at Whest Audio about upgrading to Two.2 Discrete. But James gave me an offer I couldn’t refuse. I traded the Two.2 towards the brand new 30RDT SE.
I won’t lie. Couple of weeks leading to this day I was nervous. Did I make the right choice? Will the 30 be too much in my system with Umami Blue? Will it be too analytical, too digital sounding?
All my doubts vanished the moment I hooked up the new 30 and dropped the needle on Sonny Rollins “Saxophone Colossus”. Where is the surface noise? What’s going on here? Who said Sonny died? He’s in my room, standing there performing.
I have never thought, or imagined, that a solid state phono stage can combine the warmth, vividness and openness of tube sound with modern transparency and virtually nonexistent noise floor. Record after record…The Doors, Steely Dan, Etic Clapton…it stays composed..silky smooth delivery, airy, textured and rich tones, vocals are honey with zero artifacts or unnatural sibilance, presenting singers as they are performing live and unplugged. Such a natural liquid flow of music with huge soundstage and tremendous precision at any volume without any sort of fatigue. I’m just taken by a complete surprise here.
James says allow 3-5 days of just on time. It’s a full Class-A circuit. I have no plans to power it down. I need to work out a plan to not get sleep deprived!
Can’t imagine it can improve with more hours. I need to curb my enthusiasm but it’s hard to do. Hehehe
I am using XLRs on the Whest - smart folks at boulder decided not to include RCA inputs on the 866 integrated. Luckily Whest features XLR outs.
Kimber Carbon interconnects (phono and line), Kimber PK14 Ascent power cord
Just wanted to share my thoughts.
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- 19 posts total
Interesting. I only have about 60hrs of on time on my 30 and and about 1.5-2hrs out of it is play. It sounds ridiculously good. I was actually shocked. I remember my Whest Two.2 sounded very artificial in the beginning and took several weeks but mellowed out nicely. I only used 2 cartridges - Hana ML and Umami Blue with the Two.2. My Blue is still new as well. Probably around 60hrs on it. |
I’m listening to Bill Evans “You Must Believe In Spring” (Craft Recordings, 45 RPM) as I type this, and my initial assessment stands. It’s gotten slightly warmer maybe in the last 60 something hours. But this record is perfect for gauging timbral accuracy if instruments. Piano is usually difficult to record and reproduce. It has just the right amount of presence and each note has weight harmonic overtones. Cymbals have brass metallic shimmer. Bass is textured and natural. It is so quiet and clean that it might give off an impression that a CD is playing. But that’s just from the noise level perspective. Nothing digital or electronic in its sound. |
From Whest Audio site…
@mard it’s very possible my new 30 sounds nothing like your 10 year old one. |
I don’t know what your gear is. Usually, the gain and loading in phono preamp is all you need. Once you set them correctly, you are good to go. Some cartridges may benefit from slightly different dail. Here are some Gain guidelines for Whest 30RDT SE: - For Cartridges, 0.18mV to 0.3mV: set gain to: 65dB. But listen first in case these settings overload your preamp. IF you find that it sounds distorted, then drop the gain setting from 65dB to 60dB, for example. For load: set according to manufacturer’s recommendation. Not sure about synergy’s importance, these phonos are universal. W is a very small company with a very high price tag. Not many lab tests except a few and they show a failure design. We did find some imperfections in the hardware build-up. Some of these have great concern. Many consider its design at an amateur level. I suggest trying a reputable/reliable company, such as Pro-Ject or Cambridge. Many consider Pro-Ject to be a benchmark reference sound for all Phonos. A popular example: Phono Box SEII (2009). You could try checking out the Vinyl Engine forum, very dedicated. |
- 19 posts total