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Whest MC REF V - my new christmas present

Well I took the plunge and ordered the new MC REF V version 4.
I had one in my system for about a week and was totally bowled over with just how it plays. Yes it's MUCH better than the RDT Special Edition in every area but what I found is that the 30R and RDT are related sound-wise, whereas the RDT Special Edition is MORE related to the MC REF V.

After having the unit in for a week and experiencing real 'music' I got in contact with James at Whest Audio. He put me on to this - his distributor in Singapore (Modular Audio) has just taken delivery of the MC REF V MK4 and this is what they had to say:

'I am very happy to tell you the MC Ref V sounded awesome even I am at the early stage of run-in. Many customers were dropping jaws how a phonostage could transform our showroom main system. Compare to the RDT, it is certainly a few steps up in terms of sonic qualities. To me, I felt it is
really organic and as near as one could get from the original masters. This is the best phono stage I have heard so far - and in my years of playing, I've heard most of the the best brands out there. Two thumbs up!'

I felt pretty much the same thing. It's more organic and 'real' and seems to just get out of the way. Even with my current setup, the performance upgrade is a huge step up. Far bigger than I thought possible. It has made me realise that I have been upgrading cartridges much sooner than I needed to! I could have stayed with my old Linn Troika and still ended up with a great sound. The MC REF V really brings out the very best of what you have - and more.

It should be with me in about 3 weeks, I can't wait.
dcarol

Showing 2 responses by sbrown

sbrown
148 posts
 
"It's £9900 in the UK including VAT."

That's £8425 w/o VAT which equates to $13230 in the US at current exhange rates. The US distributor is marking this up by 50% over the UK retail price. Nice.
sbrown
148 posts
 
I understand that everyone’s in business and must make money but 50% seems high. Considering that the distributor doesn’t pay retail for his product, the spread is even higher. It’s situations like this that make enterprising souls look for alternatives.

A quick search produced several outlets where one can buy these at the UK price. Some listed both the 230V & 110V versions so they must be aware of the pricing difference between here & the UK and are looking to capitalize on it.
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