I’m a huge fan of the Modwright PH9.0X and have posted about it on the forums in the past. In my opinion it’s the best phono stage I’ve heard under $7500, especially after adding better tubes and power cable. I don’t own one anymore as I upgraded to a few phono stages over the $10K mark, but the PH9.0X still holds a special place in my heart because of its musicality, soul, and dynamics.
WhestTHREE signature phono pre vs. ModWright PH 9.0X
I've mostly got my phono preamp upgrade down to a shortlist shootout choice between the WhestTHREE and the ModWright PH 9.0X. They're pretty much at the same price point (the MW is ~$300 more than the whest, give or take).
What I listen to mostly: Jazz & Jazz Fusion primarily (I do have things from many other genres, but want to tune my system to Jazz since that's 95% of my listening on vinyl).
What I like: wide soundstage, incredible mid-range, detail, some warmth
What I don't like: clinical!
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There are a lot of passionate Whest owners out there all over forums raving about them, but I've also seen people mention that they can be a little on the clinical side.
The modwright has less hands-on info out there that I could find, but the few things I could find review it very highly.
If owners of either could comment on their experience and some objective pros / cons of either, it would be helpful!
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I did have someone recommend the Gold note PH10 to me some time ago, and while it is at a lower price point, I've seen a lot of mixed reviews.
Showing 4 responses by blisshifi
@mmcgill829 FWIW I demoed a lot of phono stages before I landed on the older Modwright SWP 9.0 SE, the predecessor to the PH9.0. Even that older unit bested the last Herron phono, the Allnic H-1201, and a few others. I went to the PH9.0 and it was magnitudes better. Vlad Bazelkov of Audio Mirror was with me when I unboxed the 9.0 and he immediately contacted Dan Wright and bought one for himself. I upgraded to the PH9.0X and ended up referring 3-4 more people I knew who ended up buying them. I demoed it against the Luxman EQ-500 and preferred the PH9.0X. At the end of the day, I did let it go to move on to really high end solid state. I started a thread a little over a year ago called “Solid State Phono Stages” if you want to read about that journey. I did do a bit of exploring, and it took phono stages $13K+ to be able to get past the PH9.0X. Even then, I would consider the units I owned since to be different, and not necessarily better in every dimension. |
@mmcgill829 Congrats! Dan makes an incredible phono stage for sure! It will also benefit from an upgraded fuse and aftermarket power cables, and I preferred the unit with Reflektor 6H23 and Amperex PQ 6922 or 7308. |
@mmcgill829 It will be system dependent, but with the PH9.0X, which already brings warmth, doesn’t need any cable that adds additional density and will prefer a cable that is neutral and has a very low noise floor. I’ll PM you directly on some specific product/model thoughts but figured this information would help provide guidance on your inquiry without distracting the thread into a cable discussion. |