I can't exactly remember if it was Rene Descartes who reasoned that one way to prove that God exists is through man's (an imperfect being) constant desire to attain perfection (the realm of the divine). The steps of man from the plains of Africa, to the caves of Europe, to the great civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt and China, and to the worldwide prosperity of the modern times are but testaments to this quest. This desire to become better is deeply engrained in our being that we sleep every night carrying with us the promise of a better tomorrow. Our journey in the audio wonderland surely reflects this evolutionary path. My odyssey, for example, has propelled me to rapid acquisitions and upgrades in the span of two years--- all designed to take me to new heights of musical ecstasy. And in several steps I have taken, the Dynaudio C1s, VPI Aries 3, Zyx R100H, Plinius 9200, Lehmann Black Cube SE and the XLO reference cables, all have added new and exciting dimensions to my audio experience. They have, to a large extent, provided quantum leaps in sound quality which wetted my appetite even more. But I know that this pursuit is not without limits. That sometime, somewhere and somehow this momentum will come to a screeching halt once the increments in results are already negligible and the sound that I am hearing approximates the ideal sound hovering around my consciousness. In other words, reaching my own musical nirvana. The last thing I want to happen is to go the path of others, who in the same pursuit, have gone berserk and rather than move up, have spiralled down instead. I recall during the early days when I became serious with this hobby that I was experiencing wild swings in the quality of music that my system was producing at that time. On certain records, I would feel very satisfied but on others become totally irritated. I remember calling Ferdie of Cebu, one of the serious hobbyists in the country, regarding this experience. He tried to calm my anxieties by saying that it took him decades to reach a point where consistency has become the norm rather than the exception. With this information, I immersed myself into a deep research and getting the right gears that will help me achieve my desired sound. The addition last month of a pair of Castle subwoofers into my system has produced dramatic results. Other than giving me a deep, punchy and tight bass, it has also widened the soundstage that gave the illusion of a much bigger listening room. Both have blended well with my system that they also allowed the mids and the highs, which are the forte of the Dynaudio C1s, to shine even more. But despite these improvements, I still felt that there was some tightness and edginess in its presentation. I still found it lacking in airiness and the more relax presentations of other HIFI rigs I've had the pleasure to listen to. My situation has led me to re-examine my set-up and determine where I can add more refinements. For the longest time, audiophiles who knew my system had mentioned to me that the weakest link was my phonostage. After some resistance due to the countless rave reviews of the Black Cube, I relented and began my search for a new phonostage. I auditioned the tube Cayin Phono 1. Although I liked how it delivered better midrange compared to the Black Cube, I believe the Cube performed better in bass and in the highs, not to mention that I found it a tad slow for Jazz, Pop and Rock music which I usually delve into. In the end, I concluded not to take the tube route and trained my sights on a better solid state preamp. I remembered that a year ago I had the pleasure of listening to the Whest Audio PS.30R together with an all-VTL system in ADVI. I was astounded by its warm sonic signature and the rich subtleties by which it presented the piano sound. I have known in my HIFI journey that the sound of the piano is the hardest for a system to be tonally accurate to reproduce. However, I thought that it could also be the $50K system it was attached to that was largely responsible for it, although I took note that it sounded better than the VTL preamp used in the same set-up. When the time came for me to hunt for a new phonostage, the PS.30R was on top of my mind. But it wasn't an easy decision from a financial standpoint. In short, it wasn't cheap for a phono preamp by any means except for those you know who. But my experience with it, and its sonic signature that I truly prefer, made it difficult for me to resist further. So in the end, I took the plunge. The moment the Zyx R100H hit the vinyl, I realized that I have just acquired a phonostage that was truly special. Immediately, my complaints on tightness of presentation completely dissipated. The music was now very airy and the soundtstage had widened and deepened further. In the album simply titled “DIANAâ€Â, by Diana Ross, the vocals were exceptionally clear, the bass was fast and tight and the highs were very sweet. Listening to Dave Cruisen play the piano in his album, “Out of the Shadows,†transported me back to the time when I heard it first together with the very high-end system of Wilfred Lim. The sound I heard then and now was identical. It is as if the piano glistened on every note struck by the artist. I followed it up with the album of Carmen Cavallaro, “Latin Heartbeat,†and have gotten the same effect. The playfulness of the pianist was matched by the musicality of the PS.30R that my listening experienced was elevated to new heights. It was simply awesome. Then I played Mantovani's “Latin Rendevous†to test it in strings and brass. I am so familiar with this album since I use this as my reference LP in auditions. Oh my God, it delivered the sounds of violin, guitar and cymbals with such sweetness that you can literally imagine shiny sugar coated chocolates while enjoying the music. The transparency and clarity of the sound was outstanding to say the least. It presented a very neutral sound but everything came out like they were polished by a gold tinsmith. With the Black Cube, the music shines like a paint in a brand new car, but with the Whest Audio PS.30R, it glitters like that of a painting job (wet look)done on a car show winner. It is truly amazing. The inclusion of the PS.30R in my system could truly be a game ender for me for a very long time. With it, every aspect of music reproduction---from the tightness and speed of the bass, to the clarity and neutrality of the midrange, to the sweetness of the highs have been presented to my liking which is the most important aspect in our quest for satisfaction in this field. But more than that, the Ps.30R is the most tonally accurate phonostage I have listened to and the most dynamic and musical, not to mention that it is very fast and quiet. In other words, it excels in all departments. I am not in anyway implying that it is the best or that it is perfect, but at the end of the day, it gives out music that I can very well enjoy in the years to come. Source: VPI Aries 3 with Zyx R100H Cartridge Phono Preamp: Whest Audio PS.30R The System
If you are going to talk about "God", a little respect would be nice. Please take the time to type out his full name, i.e. "Flying Spaghetti Monster", or "FSM" for short. Thanks.
Hi ricochet welcome to the club I've owned a 30R for a while now and I also now am a very proud owner of the 30RDT. The 30RDT takes the while thing to a very different level. I also use a VPI setup but the HRX/ Triplanar and Ortofon PW. I'm currently saving up for the Whest MC REF V and will put the PS.30RDT in my second system and PS.30R in the office. The PS.30R is an absolute bargain. I compared it to various phonostages and although some where nice to listen to, mainly the tube/valve ones, most others just did not have the ability to convey the music and shear detail the way the PS.30R did. The tube/valve units are great if you have higher output MCs or like that tube/valve sound BUT it was the combination of low noise, detail and musicality that won me over. I know this sounds really ridiculous but I think the PS.30R and 30RDT are really too cheap! Rob
The spelling loony here again - could easily be a typo but sheer detail looks sounds much nicer than shear detail. The latter might chop your lugs off
These are two that we can never have enough of, but what's most important is we can always find ways to get them.
I must get my PA to do the typing next time anyone listened to Illinois Jacquet recently? I've got The Blues; That's Me! spinning at the moment..... excellent if you like that sort of stuff.
Indeed. If I have time I fill it and if I have money Mrs Soloist spends it.. Love your mouthwatering set-up by the way. I particularly like the minimalist eco-storage for the vinyl
I have had the Whest .20 set for some years now and am very satisfied with it. I understand ricochets description as a "game end". I matched my way to Whest as I in fact bought 12 RIAA's in the price range of ~£250 - ~ £2.500 to compare them in my system. This was with an agreement to deliver back all if I was not happy with them. Whest stayed here. "dolph"
Hi Dolph like your goodself I went through many years back and settled for the PS.20. when it came to upgrading time I did the same and compared about 7 units and finally settled for the PS.30R, then upgraded to the PS.30RDT as the business was doing better. I've kept the 20, 30R and 30RDT as I've just recently upgraded to the MC REV V by Whest. They are great units.
Hi RobM, What is the MC Rev V like? I have owned a PS20 which I found very good, one of best solid state phono stages that I have used in my system. SCIDB
Hi SCIDB The MC REF V is very different to anything else I have heard. The 30R is a great upgrade on the 20.... and it should be as the 30Rs design is from the MC REF, the PS.20 electronics has ended up in the small whestTWO. The MC REF does not sound like a phono stage...as it does away with a lot of that 'component' sound. You just end up with a highly detailed, amazingly layered sound stage with images that just hang in the air and are rock solid and with that it's extremely musical. I've sort of rediscovered my LP collection all over again. It's utterly convincing. I have a friend in Greece that has just purchased 2 - YES 2! and he says the same about the MC REF. It kills the PS.30RDT for resolution in every area and it should at the price and believe me the 30RDT is quite an amazing piece of kit. If you've got a 20, go for a 30R or 30RDT if you can. The performance upgrade is quite staggering. As I said to another chap here, my 30R was an ex-review unit and is pretty immaculate. You can sometimes get these at a reduced price from Whest. I just called them as I saw something on their website.
Hello Rob .. and hello to EveryOne, How are you guys? ... I'm fine , the hot summer is ending here too and finally I can listen my Hi-Fi again ... I totally agree with Rob .. I also own a PS30 RDT and I'm super satisfied .. never listened a phono stage so good in my life! I can't imagine how good could be the MC REF V!!! and what can do over the 30RDT. Well now I'm using a Denon DL 304 (0,18mv) without any problem .. no noise .. no radio .. nothing .. just only the silence when the stylus isn't into the groove I go with balanced outputs into my preamp (Pass Labs X1) than via balanced to the two Parasound Halo's JC1 I strongly suggest the PS 30 RDT but I think it's a great bargain also the less expencive 30R
Arlequen - I recommended the DL304 and the little whestTWO to an employee a few weeks ago. He loves it. I haven't heard the 304 in a while but from his and your account it must be excellent.
