Whest PS.30RDT vs Herron VTPH-2 vs Modwright 9.0SE

Well, I answered my own question to the best of my ability. While I was unable to hear the Modwright I did manage to run the Herron and the Whest PS.30 head to head and here is what I found--that there is really no contest here. The Herron is every bit as quiet and dynamic as the Whest but is so much more musically communicative and resolving as to be in an entirely different league. Instrumental textures are sublime. Tonality is spot on--really vibrant and real with good warmth and body. Imaging is really stable and proportional and the soundstaging has tremendous width and depth. Dynamics are super--very quick and agile--just like the real thing. The Herron may be the most striking addition to my system, which has undergone a complete renovation over the past 6 months. Again, I did not have the RDT version of the Whest on hand and I understand that it is superior to the standard 30 version so who knows what that comparison would yield. I also wish I could have tried the Modwright as well but it was not to be. The Herron, however, is a very special piece of equipment and I feel very fortunate to have one as part of my vinyl playback system.

Associated Gear:

VPI Scout/JMW9
Audiotechnica OC9MLII
Modwright LS 36.5
Modwright KWA 150
Esoteric X03SE
Daedalus DA-1.1 (With AP Crossovers)
Dynamic Design Lotus Series Speaker Cable
Empirical Design ED-422 IC's and PC's

My experience is that the Modwright 9.0 is anything but "tubey" sounding. I suppose it depends on what tubes are installed in there as it is responsive to tube rolling. Mine sounds very neutral and I'm using a set of Jan Phillips tubes and a vintage Sylvania for the tube rectifier.

Yes, I had in my system a few years back a Modwright 9??
It was OK but was a bit too 'tubey' and seemed to coverup in the higher frequencies compared to what I had at the time which was the PS.30R. I have heard many say the Herron is not quite as good as the Modwright for detailing and ambiance. i have not heard the Herron but from what I do know of the Modwright compared to my PS.30R in my system, I wouldn't go from a 30R to the Modwright unless you want to go to tubes or want to lose a lot of what you have.

Dcarol:

Have you had the chance to compare thet RDT or SE version of the Whest to the Modwright and the Herron in the same system? Just wondering how you have come to the conclusion that the other units would be "a downgrade".

Dodgealum

I went from the 30R to 30RDT and then 30RDT Special Edition and at each stage I heard and experienced a marqued and massive upgrade in audio across the board. I would either get the RDT or send yours in to Whest for upgrading to the RDT or even the Special Edition if you can budget for it.

Going to the Modwright or Herron will actually be a downgrade on what you already have. Don't look at the price but take a listen. The Whest 30 series are by far the highest quality for the money stages around.

If you want to stick with Whest, one possibility that you might want to consider would be to upgrade to a PS.30RDT SE. You can scan some of the recent discussion about the PS.30RDT SE and discern what you may from the comments posted about the unit. Crystalref and Dcarol heve each upgraded from a PS.30RDT and have posted very favorable comments about the PS.30RDT SE.

Dodgealum...have you switched over to Modwright or do you still have your ARC pre/power amps?