"Soundstaging is a beautifully three-dimensional and solid. The dynamics are stunningly transient and fine dynamics are elegant and accurate - and with this performance, can claim to be one of the very best phonostages on the market"
Helmut Rohrwild - Hifi and Records
Ultra Low noise. All discrete transistor. Class-A performance The cartridge manufacturers choice.
MORE INFO >>
Hallo Sarah
The PS.40SE arrived safely and has been warming up for the last 2 days. I don’t think it needed to because already I can hear things I have never heard before with my Thales turntable. The sound now is mesmerising. The Lyra Kleos SL works so well with the PS.40RDT SE. I was a little worried because the output of the Lyra as you know is just 0.25mV. The Gryphon phono stage I had was a little noisy with the Lyra but this is silent with fantastic gain. Very very pleased with what I am now getting. I understand why you recommend VERY low output MCs and not medium to high outputs.
I am sure that the next few days will be even more remarkable for me. Thank you to team whest.
Thales Compact II turntable/ Thales Statement tonearm/ Lyra Kleos SL/ PS.40RDT SE
Phillipe Etienne – Stockholm Sweden
James and Sarah. I am sure this will be a first type of review for you here but I thought I would say why I am looking forward to getting my PS.30RDT SE (2021). My good friends Bernt and Georg bought to me their phono stages last week – PS.30RDT SE and a Audio Research PH9. Both were setup for 2 hours before we got to listening on my ZET1 turntable/ Groovemaster 10″ and Lyra Delos which I will be changing.
The Audio Research I have heard before in my system. I use a Graham Slee Accession MC which is OK but not great – read later on.
The Ps.30RDT SE was very new to me. We played the PH9 first against the Accession MC. As it should, the PH9 was very open and had a nice soundstage. Like the Graham Slee, the PH9 sounded like ‘hifi’ althouth the Graham Slee sounded like a toy, a starter type of phono stage.
But I must admit that every time I have heard the PH9 I have thought I would like to buy one.
The PS.30RDT SE was played next against the Graham Slee. 1 minute into playing the Graham Slee we decided not to play that again. The PS.30RDT SE was so far ahead of the Graham Slee it made us laugh. Then we put the PH9 on and still the PS.30RDT SE sounded far more detailed and open. We could also hear the instruments in a cleaner manner. We put the PH9 back on and we all noticed the sound stage got smaller but also more mushy/ congested.
So there we go. After a night of listening I decided quite firmly on the PS.30RDT SE without any reservations at all.
Now I just need to get it in my system when it arrives next week.
Transrotor ZET1/ Groovemaster 10″/ Lyra Delos (PS.30RDT SE and Audio Technica ART9XA soon)
Claude Mellier – Switzerland
WOW Guys.
Just got my TITAN Pro dialled in using my Lyra Etna SL on my TechDAS Air Force One Premium/ Breuer 8C MK2.
It is absolutely laughable just how good this combination is. I have been through so many over priced phono stages.
Audio Research, Manley, Boulder, Avid and a few others but the TITAN Pro clears a clear path across them all.
It is more insightful, far more musical and less ‘hifi’ across the whole band the TITAN Pro sounds far more like what I’d expect
the TechDAS to sound like. I’m really looking forward to the new Flagship model when you release that.
TechDAS Airforce One Premium/ Breuer 8C MkII/ Lyra Etna SL/ TITAN Pro
Ross DeVine – Hirslanden Switzerland
Hi all. Well.. our Mk1 web store is now open. We also have in stock the incredible range of Audio Technica cartridges at incredible prices. We’ll be adding more products over the next coming weeks and months. The ex-demo and B-graded products all have a 5 year warranty and are mostly current specification. So if […]
MORE INFO >>The classic whestTWO.2 phono stage will hit serial number #3000 very soon. This is a milestone for us as the original whestTWO got to 2500 before we discontinued it. The great thing about the whestTWO.2 phonostage is that it can be used with ANY low output MC to any MM or MI cartridge. What we […]
MORE INFO >>It’s been non-stop here but we haven’t forgotten to update out B-graded/ Ex-demo deals page. Check it out….but remember that if you can’t find what you are looking for just email us. What we do have which are RARE are 2 beautiful ex-demo whestTWO.2 Discrete phono stages. These are the new all Class-A versions of […]
MORE INFO >>4 totally matched channels
Audio performance exceeding current RIAA standards used throughout the pro-audio industry
Enabling high-end audio performance even at low 128kbs. Perfect for streaming audio over low bit rate devices
Ultra low noise circuitry for use with high bit rate digital – maximising 120dB dynamic range at 24bits
Internally configurable for gain and load. MM 40dB or MC 55dB 65dB
Gain and load can be set to any value prior to leaving the factory
All internal audio channels are matched to within 1% of each other
For use with either one or two WPSU (whestTWO power supply) power supply units for higher-end audio performance
Like all of the Whest Audio designs, the whestTWO.2 has been designed for use primarily for MC (moving coil) use. This means that to obtain the lowest possible noise levels and highest resolution, we recommend the use of medium to low output MC cartridges.
During its development we used the following cartridges:
Ortofon MC Anna, Denon DL 304 (0.18mv), EMT JSD6 (0.18mv), Lyra Delos (0.6mV) and the Dynavector XV1-T (0.35mV) for much of the listening tests and noise measurements.
High REZ MM phono stage
Because of the ‘impressive’ neutrality of the whestTHREE Signature and the smaller sibling whestTWO.2 in MC mode, we know that absolutely ANY high-end high performance MC cartridge can be used. For MM (moving magnet) use, the input capacitance has been trimmed to give the flattest response curve for many of the new breed of high-performance moving magnets and moving irons on the market today. Unheard of at this price range, the whestTHREE Signature phonostage employs an ‘elevated power rail’ section which gives far greater dynamic performance as well as lower noise specs for ‘earth shattering’ micro detail resolving power. Vinyl playback never sounded so good at this price level.
For listening in MM mode we used the Ortofon 2M RED and Black, Goldring 2500, Grado Reference 1 Phono and Audio Technica AT440 MLA and AT95E, Rega Exact and the Roksan Corus Silver
Class-A output stage
Like all Whest Audio phono stages, the whestTWO.2 also employs a fully discrete transistor Class-A high output current output stage. This coupled with the high performance/ high voltage power supply will give you a level of musical performance you thought was only possible well outside this price range.
Balanced outputs
The whestTWO.2 comes as standard fitted with true balanced outputs which are fed from the output of the Class-A stage. While most manufacturers are content with using a 2.00 EUR IC chip to perform the balancing process and degrading the signal in the process, the whestTWO.2 processes the signal exactly like many high-end microphones and mixing desks…this means a perfect balanced feed if you are using long signal lines.
Loading options
The whestTWO.2 is equipped with 6 resistive load and 6 gain options for maximum flexibility with the wide range of cartridges available today.
The resistive load options are 100, 220, 470, 1k, 15k and 47k ohms.
MM gain is covered by 43dB. High output MC is covered by 50dB, 55dB while the low output MC sets are 60dB, 65dB and 72dB.
The standard ‘shipped’ setup is 65dB/100ohms which will suite 95% of MC cartridges today. For the other 5% it is just a matter of removing 2 small M3 screws under the head unit which will give you full access to both channels load and gain switches.
The Power Supply
The high voltage power supply has been adopted and scaled down from the highly acclaimed whestTHREE Signature. The voltage rail voltages are higher than most phonostages 2-3 times its price. Why? Because if properly designed a high voltage design will translate into better dynamic contrasts, better imaging and far better noise performance from your vinyl front end. It’s good then that the power supply in the whestTWO.2 has a 12 year pedigree behind it.
Cabling
The whestTWO.2 comes with its own RCA-RCA 1.2m OFC Audiophile interconnect and 3.5mm Jack to RCA interconnects for connecting to your audio system and connecting to your computer system for high resolution transfers.
If you would like to know more about the whestTWO.2 and how it will perform with your current turntable setup then just drop us an email.
Like all of the Whest Audio designs, the whestTHREE Signature phono stage has been designed for use primarily for MC (moving coil) use. This means that to obtain the lowest possible noise levels and highest resolution, we recommend the use of low to medium output MC cartridges.
During the development of the whestTHREE Signature phonostage we used:
Ortofon MC ANNA (0.20mV), Denon DL 304 (0.18mv), EMT JSD6 (0.18mv), Lyra Delos (0.6mV) and the Dynavector XV1-T (0.35mV) for much of the listening tests and noise measurements.
High performance MM use for amazing vinyl experience
Because of the ‘impressive’ neutrality of the whestTHREE Signature in MC mode, we know that absolutely ANY high-end high performance MC cartridge can be used. For MM (moving magnet) use, the input capacitance has been trimmed to give the flatest response curve for many of the new breed of high-performance moving magnets and moving irons on the market today. In MM mode the whestTHREE signature will easily ‘see off’ the competition even if the competition is running a 1500 EUR MC cartridge. This is because apart from the trimmed input stage, the whestTHREE Signature also employs an ‘elevated power rail’ section unseen in a phono stage in this price range. This gives a greater dynamic performance as well as lower noise specs for ‘earth shattering’ micro detail resolving power. Given a great MM cartridge the whestTHREE is spectacular.
For listening in MM mode we used the Ortofon 2M Black, Goldring 2500, Grado Reference 1 Phono and Audio Technica AT440 MLA, Rega Exact and the 2014 Roksan Corus Silver.
Class-A output stage
Like all Whest Audio phono stages, the whestTHREE also employs a fully discrete Class-A high output current output stage. This coupled with the omission of an output capacitor means that the output from the unit is directly coupled to the following preamplifier. Even the very best ‘audiophile grade’ output capacitor would degrade the performance of whestTHREE output quality which is why the design ensures a far higher level of performance than what is normally expected at this price level.
Balanced outputs
The whestTHREE Signature comes as standard fitted with true balanced outputs which are fed from the output of the Class-A stage. While most manufacturers are content with using a 2.00 EUR IC chip to perform the balancing process and degrading the signal further, the whestTHREE Signature processes the signal exactly like many high-end microphones and mixing desks…..this means a perfect balanced feed if you are using long signal lines.
Loading options
The whestTHREE Signature is equipped with 8 resistive load and 8 gain options for maximum flexibility with the wide range of cartridges available today.
The resistive load options are 100, 220, 330, 470, 1k6, 15k and 47k ohms.
MM gain is covered by 42dB and 46dB. High output MC is covered by 50dB, 53dB and 56dB while the low output MC sets are 60dB, 65dB and 72dB.
The standard ‘shipped’ setup is 65dB/100ohms which will suite 95% of MC cartridges today. For the other 5% it is just a matter of removing 2 small M3 screws under the head unit which will give you full access to both channels load and gain switches.
HVDM power supply
A new bespoke external power unit has be designed specifically for the whestTHREE signature. The HVDM (high voltage dual-mono) power supply utilises a ‘whest designed’ extremely low mechanical noise high current toroid transformer. Unlike most other manufacturers today who use ‘off-the-shelf’ transformers to save on cost which also has a negative impact on audio quality, the HVDMs transformer has been designed for low noise and low signal level use. Low mechanical noise means less noise on the power rails and with ‘specific secondary outputs’ means the all important audio circuits in the whestTHREE Signature sees only what it ‘needs’ to see.
Cabling
To connect the whestTHREE Signature to the HVDM power supply, Whest Audio had designed 2 special XLR cables capable of handling currents far higher that what is required for the whestTHREE Signature head unit. The whestTHREE Signature comes with its own RCA-RCA 1.2m OFC Audiophile interconnect and 3.5mm Jack to RCA interconnects for connecting to your audio system and connecting to your computer system for high resolution transfers.
If you would like to know more about the whestTHREE Signature and how it will perform with your current turntable setup then just drop us an email.
Check out the whestTHREE Signature at your nearest Whest Audio dealer or call us.
Getting more resolution from vinyl isn’t easy and it certainly isn’t about the ‘KISS’ (keep it simple, stupid) principle. Getting higher resolution from a phono stage and vinyl is much like getting higher resolution from an MRI scanner used in the medical field. The reason why today’s MRI scanners are so much better than their early cousins is because of more processing power/ more electronics. A modern MRI machine has hundreds of times the processing power of its distant cousin. The same goes for our phono stages.
The outgoing and multi-award winning 30 Series was a class leader in its price range for the whole time it was in production and still outperforms the latest products the competition have to offer! It had amazing noise figures, class leading soundstage and musicality and it did this all in one neat package.
The essential elements that make the Whest Audio phono stages world-renowned and loved are still retained in the 40 Series but the departure from the 30 Series starts right here.
The 40 Series adds several layers of extra dimensional ‘space’ with greater instrument-harmonic resolution, ‘life like’ musicality and a ‘microscopic type’ of focus that the 30 Series electronics was incapable of. The only way we found we could achieve this was to borrow much of the technology and ideas from the TITAN Pro which was designed to be the very best single box phono stage in the world, which it has accomplished, so we felt ‘why not just scale it down’ and use the essential parts to bring the TITAN Pro’s high-resolution sound to a market place that REALLY needs it.
The new 40 Series pushes the boundaries of what is capable at this price level. No other phono stage in the world at this price range has the abilities of the 40 Series thanks to its BIG brother.
Starting with the chassis w430mm x d290mm x h78mm – is manufactured using the same precision computer controlled machining technique, hand-welded and finished seams to give it the same high rigidity as the TITAN Pro and MC REF V MK4. Internally the chassis incorporates the suspension system used in the MC REF V Mk4. The combination of this suspension system and ultra strong chassis means that all unwanted vibrations from airborne or structure sources are very well damped. The 40 Series circuit board uses ultra low impurity copper throughout and its copper weight is twice that used in nearly all audio electronics. Small signal integrity is of the highest importance and with this in mind a new regulator system has been designed and employed for the 40RDT Special Edition. The new discrete input stage for the 40RDT Special Edition is based ENTIRELY on the MC REF V MK4 input stage but has been ‘trimmed’ for the 40RDT Special Edition. The input stage of the 40RDT uses an ultra low noise/ hand-matched monolithic amplifier. Because all of the major amplifying and filter sections of the 40 Series are channel matched, they are capable of incredible realism.
The hybrid RIAA filters have been kept in the 40 Series design because not only is it used throughout the full Whest Audio range, but in the 40 Series it is now trimmed to a far tighter tolerance for both curve and channel matching. Channel matching now is to within 0.12dB and RIAA curve accuracy to 0.15dB. Both these figures are across a bandwidth with spans from 9Hz and 62KHz. Any non-Whest Audio phono stage would be at least 4-6dB down at these extremes, but having experience in pro-audio, vinyl cutting and mastering means we at Whest Audio know what it takes to get the very best from playing back the vinyl format at al price levels.
Gain and load selection is accessed under the chassis like all Whest Audio phono stages. Maximum gain is 72dB and with the internals’ ultra low noise levels it means you will never be stuck for gain ever again! All units are setup for standard low output moving coil (65dB/100ohms with 91pf of input capacitance) but if you do want to experiment it just takes 30secs to change over.
MM gain is at a very healthy and modern 43dB not the older 1970s standard 40dB like our competitors. This with a total capacitance value of 91pf gives a beautifully flat response from your high performance MM cartridge and an unmatched sublime audio output that can only be achieved from a Whest Audio phono stage.
Signal inputs and outputs are on ‘audiophile grade’ RCA and XLR connectors identical to that used in the MC REF V MK4. Because Whest Audio phono stages are used in archiving both professionally and domestically we have included a second set of RCA outputs to allow the user to send the output to their computer for transfer while ‘monitoring’ the output through their main audio system. This means that the 40 Series can be permanently connected to the computer system and main audio system at ALL times, ready to transfer. The 40 Series noise levels are so low that using 24bit or 32bit conversion is possible without the fear of unwanted signals getting to the soundcard. With the PS.40RDT and PS.40RDT Special Edition we now have a new standard – no other company in the world designs with this much attention to detail for the end-user.
Tech stuff…
40RDT – Reference Dual Transformer with an ultra low noise/ hand-matched monolithic input amplifier.
40RDT Special Edition – As above but with is an ALL discrete transistor design, further channel matching of critical transistor pairs and filter components, higher operating voltage throughout and power transformer matched pairs.
Ultra matching critical components in the audio and DC paths (40RDT Special Edition). The matching is by channel so that each channel behaves as closely as possible to the other (ALL). This is translated in far better stable, realistic and etched images with far far better musicality.
The internal cabling borrowed from the TITAN Pro is high performance Pro-Audio grade OFC type designed for high-frequency stability and phase performance.
High Voltage and elevated voltage rails means better dynamic range and contrasts.
The new input stage Zero voltage float means far better signal transfer tracking and a higher resolution signal into the discrete output stage.
For testing and listening we used the following cartridges:
Ortofon MC Anna
Lyra Atlas
EMT JSD6
Ortofon Cadenza Black
Lyra Kleos
Audio Technica 50ANV
Audio Technica ART 9
Transfiguration Proteus
Dynavector DRTXV-1T
Van Den Hul The Condor
The essential elements that make the Whest Audio phono stages world-renowned and loved are still retained such as unsurpassed musicality, high-resolution, ultra stable imaging and realism. What the TITAN Pro phonostage adds is huge amounts of extra dimensional ‘space’ with greater instrument-harmonic resolution, ‘life like’ musicality and a ‘microscopic type’ of focus that is totally unheard of at this price level and way above – the TITAN Pro pushes the boundaries of vinyl reproduction like no other phono stage.
Starting with the chassis. Although the chassis is the same size as the 30 series chassis (430mm x 290mm x 78mm) and manufactured using the same precision computer controlled machining, hand-welded and finished seams to give it high rigidity as the 30 Series and MC REF V MK4, a new high-tech paint process has been added to effectively damp the casework to reduce unwanted ‘ringing’ aiding in greater levels of mid and high frequency resolution. The paint process is unique to Whest Audio and is applied in the UK by a company regarded as the ‘specialists’ in paint technology.
Internally the chassis incorporates a suspension system for the TITAN Pro’s circuit board. The combination of this new suspension system and damped chassis means that all unwanted vibrations from airborne or structure sources are well damped.
The TITAN Pro circuit board uses ultra low impurity copper throughout and its copper weight has been increased compared to the award winning PS.30RDT Special Edition. Small signal integrity is of the highest importance and with this in mind a new regulator system has been designed and employed for the all-new discrete technology input stage the TITAN Pro carries. The new discrete input stage for the TITAN Pro is based on the MC REF V MK4 input stage but has been ‘trimmed’ to get the best from the new regulator system which powers it. Hybrid RIAA has been kept in the TITAN Pro design as not only is it tried and tested and used throughout the full Whest Audio range, but in the TITAN Pro is now trimmed to a far tighter tolerance for both curve and channel matching. Channel matching now is to within 0.12dB and RIAA curve accuracy to 0.18dB. Both these figures are across a bandwidth with spans from 9Hz and 62KHz. Any non-Whest Audio phono stage would be at least 2dB and even 3dB down at these extremes, but having experience in pro-audio, vinyl cutting and mastering, we have designed the TITAN Pro to be able to playback what your precious cartridge is capable to retrieving and often that is all the way up to 55 or 60KHz.
Gain and load selection is accessed under the chassis like all Whest Audio phono stages but the TITAN Pro stretches the envelope further to give the end-user more flexibility with 8 selections on each as well as a fixed ‘user’ position.
With the fixed user position a ‘permanent’ resistor can be fixed in this position if the user has settled on a non-standard value. Maximum gain now is 76dB and with the TITAN Pro’s ultra low noise levels it means you’ll never be stuck for gain ever again! All units are setup for standard low output moving coil (64dB/100ohms with 91pf of input capacitance) but if you do want to experiment it just takes 30secs to change over.
Signal inputs and outputs are on ‘audiophile grade’ RCA and XLR connectors identical to that used in the MC REF V MK4. Because Whest Audio phono stages are used in archiving both professionally and domestically we have included a second set of RCA outputs to allow the user to send the output to their computer for transfer while ‘monitoring’ the output through their main audio system. This means that the TITAN Pro can be permanently connected to the computer system and main audio system at ALL times, ready to transfer. The TITAN Pro noise levels are so low that using 24bit or 32bit conversion is possible without the fear of unwanted signals getting to the soundcard. The PS.30RDT and PS.30RDT Special Edition have always been the vinyl lover’s choice for archiving, now we have a new standard in the TITAN Pro
TITAN Pro – no other company in the world designs with this attention to detail.
THE TITAN Pro 2016
The TITAN Pro :
‘ultra matching’ critical components in the audio and DC paths. The matching is by channel so that each channel behaves much like the other. This is translated in far better and etched images, better low frequency tracking and rock solid and fluid stage imaging.
The internal cabling of the TITAN Pro is high performance OCC and comes with its own 1.2m Linear Crystal OCC interconnect.
As a one-box phono stage…. there is nothing better than the TITAN Pro anywhere in high resolution audio.
For testing and listening we used the following cartridges:
Ortofon Cadenza Black
Lyra Kleos
Lyra Atlas
Ortofon MC Anna
Audio Technica 50ANV
Audio Technica ART 9
EMT JSD6
Transfiguration Proteus
Van Den Hul The Condor