MC
REF V – The Mono Channel Reference V
£5000
A true standard. If there was ever a product that could
upset the apple cart….this is it! The MC REF V is a
tour de force to be reckoned with.
The all new circuitry developed for the MC REF V Reference
phonostage was first started in 2001 and put ‘on hold’
while the PS.20 was under development.
The MC REF V Reference phonostage is a departure from the
current way of looking at signal integrity and the power
supply’s behaviour on the signal. Where most others
will use very exotic components to try to achieve a decent
sound, we at Whest Audio have designed, from the ground up,
a RIAA playback system using radical audio principles plus
some of our own R&D ideas amassed over the years.
The result is extraordinary audio reproduction.
Like the PS.30R, the MC REF V lets you listen to music with
extreme amounts of detail without the phonostage getting in
the way. PLUS the resolution capability of the MC REF
V is about 10 times more than the PS.30R! Instruments
come to life like no other phonostage and their images just
hang in the soundstage with absolute solidity and with
space that brings a whole new dimension to vinyl.
The R&D gained from the MC REF V has already been
implemented in the design of the entry level whestTWO and
PS.30R phonostages.
- Dual Mono configuration
- 2 identical channels
- Impedance Balanced Output Circuitry
- Ultra low noise input stage
- Hybrid RIAA stage
- On-board Whest Designed discrete voltage regulators
- Pre-regulators in high current supply
- 2 x Full size case 430mm x 290mm x 80mm
Transferring your collection to digital? Do remember that the quality of your transfer is directly related to the quality of your turntable/ arm/ cartridge/ phonostage setup. Rubbish in - Rubbish out really does apply here. The whole range of Whest Audio phonostages are used by archiving libraries throughout the world because of their superb audio performance and ultra low noise levels which is essential when converting to digital.
If your phonostage exhibits just a small amount of noise outside of the audio band then THIS will also be digitised. Even the whestTWO can be used with 192Khz /24 bit soundcards with absolutely no problems. The combination of the whestTWO and 192/24 is a great vinyl-digital standard and one which we wholly recommend whether you are on a budget or not.
NEW PS.20 Upgrade
Upgrade your PS.20 to the new 2007/8 specification. Although the PS.20 program is now at an end the development on this product continues...
We now match all input transistors in quad pairs, match capacitors to 0.5% of each other, we have also uprated the silver wiring used throughout the PS.20. The PS.20 2007/8 also comes with Vishay resistors which are used throughout. All this brings about better resolution throughout the audio bandwidth as well as unparalleled soundstaging and soundstage stability at this price range. If you thought your PS.20 was great... wait unitil you've heard this!! With all this you get a 1 year extended warranty.
Can only be performed on units with a serial no. below xx.xxx.xxx.520
PS.30R £1,600
the ‘R’ refers to it’s relationship with the MC REF V
"This phonostage is quite the fastest, most dynamic unit, with the highest resolution one can buy! "
Holger Barske, Lp 2/2008
"…the Whest PS.30R easily plays at the same level as the best phonoamps in the world"
Thomas Broszio, Hörerlebnis No. 63
Already being hailed as one of the very best phonostages ever, the PS.30R is taking the world by storm. Based entirely on the Whest Audio MC REF V platform, the new PS.30R is set to become the NEW STANDARD in the sub-£5000 category. Imagine the resolution power of a £5,000 phonostage in a £1,600 package. This is what the design criterion was for the design engineering team at Whest Audio. The only way to achieve this type of performance was to scale down a true reference, so the MC REF V was used as the platform.
Where the MC REF V uses what the design team call a 'buried discrete' differential input stage to achieve it's ultra low noise 1.2nV sqHz input stage noise level, the PS.30R uses an ultra low noise bipolar 'matched' input stage to achieve it's vanishingly low 1.0nV sqHz input stage noise level. This means that even using an MC cartridge like the Audionote Kondo IO-J with it's ultra low output level of just 0.15mV, is no problem for the PS.30R. At 72dB you'll have all the gain you need with absolutely no noise.
The 'hybrid' passive/active RIAA filter has been lifted
directly from the MC REF V and used for it's accuracy and,
more importantly, it's transparency. The output stage
in the PS.30R was developed for the MC REF V and is used in
it's fullest glory in the PS.30R to bring unprecedented
levels of detail from the lowest harmonics to the highest
levels of the frequency band. And because the output
stage is totally discrete in design with an output
impedance of only 50ohms at 1Khz driving a 600ohm load, it
has no problem in driving long lengths of interconnects
even if they are of relatively high capacitance!
The PS.30R also sports a true balanced output which is a
first for a phonostage at this price point! If you
run either a fully balanced audio system or broadcast
studio you won’t be left in the dark. And finally, you get
all the quality you expect from a Reference Whest Audio
product at a non-Reference price! Because we
wanted to make absolutely sure the audio quality from this
product should match or better anything in the £4,000 price
bracket the PS.30R employs Vishay metal film audio
specification resistors, EVOX RIFA and Vishay polypropylene
film capacitors, in-house hand selected and matched
transistors, Panasonic low ESR and low impedance power
supply filter capacitors, ultra low ts time rectifier
diodes, low noise voltage regulators, … and the list goes
on and on and on. Oh, and it’s hand built and
assembled in the UK!
WHEST
BROADCAST whestTWO/4
4 channel RIAA module - 1u Broadcast/ Pod caster module
As the name might suggest this is a 4 channel, rack mounted
version of the whestTWO aimed at the Pod caster, Radio
station and the DJ/Producer.
- 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
whestTWO £650.00
our entry level product is another man’s flagship
Based entirely on the famed PS.20 the new entry level whestTWO utilizes approx 90% of the former’s electronic design but with a twist, which is about 10% of the MC REF V. Yes, during the design stages of the whestTWO we made a mad decision to incorporate some of the MC REF V ideas, namely it’s hybrid active/passive RIAA filter stage. Unlike other units at this price point that use the standard ‘input-Passive RIAA filter-output’ configuration, the whestTWO uses an identical configuration which was borrowed from the MC REF V and this can also be found in the PS.30R. This new RIAA configuration along with the high-current output stage means the whestTWO can resolve much more information compared to any of its rivals. It really does set the standard in the sub-£1,000 category.
'This phono preamp is an audiophile delight. Highs
are pristine with very good extension and clarity.
Midrange is clean and unembellished. Good, taut
bass. Soundstages are recreated with well defined
width, depth and height extending beyond the physical
boundaries of the speakers. Imaging is pin-point
accurate. Lightning fast transient response and iron
fisted control creates explosive dynamics. Music
emerges from an inky blackness. High transparency and
detail means nothing is hidden from the WhestTWO.'
AudioNZ; New Zealand High End Magazine
The whestTWO... forms part of 'BEST VALUE SYSTEM AT SHOW'
New York HiFi Show 2007
- Full Dual-Mono configuration.
- 2 Box layout with separate multiple voltage and high current power supply.
- Ultra low noise input with a frequency response of 1Hz-100KHz.
- RIAA curve accuracy to within 0.2dB.
- RIAA extension to 50kHz for better definition and ambience.
- Hybrid filter configuration.
- High current, Class-A discrete output stage.
- Fully variable cartridge gain and loading via internal dil switch.
whestTWO/whestTWO/4 multiple-voltage power supply
For use with the whestTWO or whestTWO/4 RIAA stages
- 1. whestTWO- if needing a 230vac version or 115vac version please specify. The WPSU comes with all whestTWO units for the specific country.
- 2. whestTWO/4 - is supplied with one WPSU but an extra can be purchased for better audio quality.