Vinyl Asylum: REVIEW: Wright Sound Company WPP100C Phono Preamp by GEO

Model:	WPP100C
Category:	Phono Preamp
Suggested Retail Price:	$825
Description:	Phono preamp with separate power supply
Manufacturer URL:	Wright Sound Company
Model Picture:	View

Review by GEO on November 21, 2002 at 20:24:10
IP Address: 24.44.176.220

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for the WPP100C

There has been quite a bit of discussion about this unit an I figured I should put my 2 cents in for the record....

Description
The two-piece WPP100C Phono Preamplifier has low-noise circuitry and
passive equalization as well as a dedicated line amplifier. The phono
preamp comes with a polished copper-plated chassis mainly to keep the ground plane resistance as low as possible. The package includes a WPS04 power supply.

Tube Compliment
2 x 5963
4 x 6ER5/EC95
1 x 6EA7/6EM7
1 x 6X4

Specifications
Frequency Response: Better than 20 Hz to 20 kHz, plus/ minus 1 dB RIAA
curve
Distortion: Less than 0.4 percent total harmonic distortion
Input Impedance: 47 kilohms
Output Impedance: 2 kilohm, nominal; will drive loads down to 600 ohms with
some loss of output level
Voltage Gain: 0-60 dB, nominal

My Set Up
Nottingham Hyperspace w/ Nottingham Analogue Anna Arm Shelter 501Mk II Low Output MC Cartridge S & B Step Up (1:10) purchased from www.bentaudio.com I have had three phono stages in my setup over the past two years. The Benz Luchaschek, The Camelot Lancelot Pro and now the Wright WPP100C. Of these three units, the Wright is by far the most musically satisfying of any of the devices that I have previously tried. The Wright is an extremely musical unit in that it seems to bring the listener that much closer to the musical event or more accurately, it has the ability to bring the musical event that much closer to the listener. The immediacy of the sound, the detail and resolving power of the unit comes
across in a manner so free and easy that you are less aware of the electronics and more aware of the music. The sound is whole, natural and cut from the same cloth and not a aggregation of individual sounds neatly compartmentalized, organized precisely and etched. It is more like real music and less like hi-fi (which was the big problem with the Benz but less so with the Camelot). The unit excels at capturing the tonality of the instruments and the dynamic swing that draws your focus to the emotion in the music. It swings. Cymbals ring true and the leading edges are very fast and the slight sound of stick hitting skin and the percussive impact of that sound is what brings life to alot of music. George Wright said that he specific chose parts that optimized the speed and liveliness of the phono stage. (I have not upgraded the coupling caps, but that is something that I have put on the back burner). Also, the power supply is very substantial and clean. Acoustic bass is rich and textured and natural sounding. The scale of the sound is lifelike and, as is the case with stick on skin, hearing the fingers press against fret board or hearing fingers pluck strings in a realistic manner is what makes music lifelike. The midrange is extremely liquid and detailed without calling attention to the detail. It is detailed because you hear all of the fine nuances from top to bottom not because the sound is tilted. Horns and vocals again are spooky real. The breathing of the singer and the air passing through brass or over a reed sounds like the real thing. With the Wright you are made aware of the physical presence of people actually playing together. This is one of the greatest attributes of the unit. It is non-mechanical. The Camelot was non-mechanical in this manner but it was not nearly as rich and clear (which is difficult to pull off) nor is it as dynamic and it does not produce as convincing a bass as the Wright. The Camelot was a nice piece and if you see one used and a great price, I would not hesitate to pick it up. Also it is flexible with both MM and MC and load and gain are adjustable. The Luchashek (T-6) fell way short in that it had a thinner sound and was not nearly as musically involving as the Camelot and is not even on the same planet as the Wright. I have had this unit since July and it has only gotten better over time. The single biggest drawback may be the fact that the 6ER5 tubes have the reputation for being noisy. I changed my set after three months. It may have only been one tube, but I changed all of them in order to hear something different and the tubes are cheap. The use of the step up transformer is critical if you are running a low ohm cartridge. The step up has much more to do with proper impedance matching than just achieving more gain. In fact, I can get all of the gain I need without the step-up but the sound is NOT GOOD AT ALL. Without the step-up, the top and bottom are rolled off and there is a general haze that hangs over the music. The sound is dead and lifeless. If it is recommended that you use a step up and you try the unit without it, it is a waste of time because you are not hearing the unit. Use a good step up device. It is well worth it.
My listening taste is acoustic jazz. In order for me to enjoy it, the music must swing, the tonality of the instruments must be accurate, the scale of the music and the micro and macro dynamics must be lifelike in order for the sound to be convincingly musical. The Wright does all these things and then some. Soundstaging and all of that stuff is secondary to the musicality of this unit. Like when I am fortunate enough to make it to a concert, I don't listen for soundstaging, imaging, detail and all of that.. I listen to the music and like I do with the Wright, I enjoy it.
There have been a number of these units on the used market recently. If you are in the market for a great sounding unit, make someone else's loss your gain. A steal at full price and highway robbery if you buy one used. It is silly good. How many units in this price range are compared to the CAT? Make sure you use it properly and don't skimp on the transformer if it is recommended. Jensens are great and the S&B is FANTASTIC. The immediacy is stunning and the bass? How can it be so good?

Product Weakness: The 6ER5 can go noisy but they sound good and are cheap.
Product Strengths: Extremely fast, lively and musically involving.

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	Wavelength Duetto
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Emotive Audio Sira
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Nottingham Hyperspace with Anna Arm and Shelter 501 MK II. EAD as transport and Audio Logic No. 34 DAC
Speakers:	Merlin VSM SE
Cables/Interconnects:	Stage3Concepts Monument speaker cables and Emperor interconnect. All Marigo on digital setup.
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Bill Evans, Clifford Jordan, Sonny Rollins, Tubby Hayes
Room Size (LxWxH):	22 x 13 x 8
Room Comments/Treatments:	Furniture
Time Period/Length of Audition:	Five months
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	ESP The Essence Power Strip. TG Audio power cords.
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

Product Weakness:	The 6ER5 can go noisy but they sound good and are cheap.
Product Strengths:	Extremely fast, lively and musically involving.