Unitra WSH-605, an amplifier with personality

I'll start with a bit of history, which defines a moment and a period in Europe, although more specifically focused on Poland. Specifically, in the People's Republic of Poland. In 1961, the head of government was Aleksander Zawadzki, although everyone knows that in the countries that were part of the "Iron Curtain," it was the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the United Workers' Party, Władysław Gomułka, who held real and absolute power.

In this social and cultural environment, it was decided to unify the companies engaged in what we now define as audio and video into a single "communist" business consortium: UNITRA. This consortium lasted until the end of 1989 and the beginning of 1990. Subsequently, its various subsidiaries were privatized or closed down. This process continued for many years, until 2014, when a new generation of Poles wanted to revive the brand, which still held fond memories among the population of the times they had experienced with those brands, and to revive pride in their country and its products. Among other reasons, because at that point, the local economy was not strong enough to purchase products from the rest of Europe. Although there were no limitations or prohibitions as there had been in previous decades.

For this reason, unlike other neighboring brands, Unitra did not embrace the modernity and minimalism adopted by others, but instead wanted to revive the look and finish of high-fidelity products from the late 1970s and early 1980s, when plastic did not exist and all machining was done in metal. In addition, with the desire to offer a complete and consistent product to its fans and loyal customers, they produce turntables, CD players, integrated amplifiers, and speakers. It is possible to purchase a Unitra set, and I'm getting ahead of myself here, but it's a good choice.

In this article, I will focus on the Unitra WSH-605 integrated amplifier. Later, I will publish a shorter article on the Unitra CSH-801 CD player. It will be shorter because this introduction to the company will no longer be necessary.

Unitra WSH-605 integrated amplifier

Three details, just three, show you that this is not a vintage product, but strictly new and current: its remote control, its Streaming, Digital 1, and Digital 2 inputs, and a small LED light that shows you the selected source on the control knob. The rest is a tribute to the golden age of audio, when all families had a music system far superior to what the average household has today. And yes, in the 80s, families had better sound than they do today. Bluetooth speakers with aberrant features do the job for a lot of people, not to mention those who are satisfied with the unpresentable, flat speakers on their television screens. That said, if you're reading this, the above does not apply to you, because you have proven yourself to be someone committed to quality, each at their own level.

Before continuing, I want to make it clear that this is not a poor-quality vintage integrated amplifier, like some that are around today, where the only thing they try to do is recreate an old image of electronics without respecting anything, all pure plastic. Nor does it have an antique finish and a strictly modern design; that would not be its definition either. It wants to be what it represents, appropriate for our times. Or to put it another way, if we restored a high-quality integrated amplifier from that era and added some inputs and functions, we could say that we have a Unitra WSH-605.

Among the things I liked most about the promotional material they sent me is the special sensitivity they show for the durability of their products. They emphasize that they are easily repairable in case of an accident. This is an issue that almost all manufacturers sweep under the rug. Unitra mentions it quite naturally. They've won me over here.

Equipment used in testing

Sound source:
» Unitra CSH-801
»NuprimeDAC 9X
» Roon Server
» Qobuz Studio
Power amplification:
» Unitra WSH-605
Speakers:
» RadioTehnika Giant FS-100N
Cables:
» Wires4Music for wiring:
    » Horus Hybrid RCA interconnect
    » Evolution in speakers and power supply
HiFi rack:
» Artesanía Audio Exoteryc Rack PRO

Another aspect they highlight, and one that I can attest to to a certain extent, is the extreme robustness of products designed under the old political system. As the owner of speakers that were created in that same climate, albeit in other lands, their finish and reliability are beyond question.

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The ON/OFF switch is a simple surprise that brings a smile to my face every time I activate it with the remote control. Let me explain: the typical lever that you have to move up or down to change the amplifier's status, which was so charming in the prodigious decade, can now be activated... remotely. You can see it move up or down and hear it make a characteristic click every time it changes position. It doesn't affect the sound of the music, but it does affect the child inside me who always dreamed of that.

The sound of the golden decade

From our beloved China, we receive low-end or junk products that look like valuable vintage amplifiers. This has devalued the concept so much that it is difficult for us to defend it among people who did not live through that moment and who only have current references or biased readings from manufacturers or sellers.

But there is another group of people who, because of our age, lived through that moment with intensity. We know and remember what high-fidelity equipment was capable of and how to adjust it to the consumer's liking so that it was more enjoyable or fun to listen to. Because yes, at the time, the tone and bass controls were constantly and compulsively adjusted. Years later, the inertia of not being able to adjust anything set in, due to the lack of these elements in amplifiers and what was then called minimalism and respect for the original signal. I don't believe either the former or the latter.

Among the main features we could highlight about the audio of the time was the very good reproduction of the mid-high and mid ranges. Vocals took center stage, along with electric guitars, drums (mainly Rack Tom 1 and 2, with the Snare Drum and the beat of the Bass Drum. Not to mention the icing on the cake in all the compositions, which was that hard, dry beat on the cymbals). It was music that adapted to the possibilities of their musical systems and brought out the best in them. Very low or sub-bass sounds were so problematic to reproduce that they were almost non-existent in commercial productions.

With this mindset in mind, we can now enter the sound of those years and listen to their music in order to properly evaluate this Unitra WSH-605. And the result is none other than taking you back to that moment in your youth, when the sound emitted and the sound expected are the same. Madonna sounds like Madonna from the 80s. Lionel Richie too.

Thanks to Qobuz's huge catalog, I've been able to try out remastered versions of classic albums. Albums that usually sound better in their most recent versions and that don't work with this Unitra. With Unitra, the original, the authentic is better. And it is because Unitra is a product of today, manufactured with today's techniques and materials; however, its ideal point, its sound model, where you really hear it work, is in that range of frequencies that worked so well a few years ago.

I am creating a playlist of music from different styles and moments. Trying to cover the 80s is simply insane. Such a quantity and quality of musical anthems were created that it is easy to live in them and ignore everything that is being done today. Except for honorable exceptions and musicians out of time.

To simplify the concepts, so that we are all clear about what I am talking about. It does not have those basses that make a room shake like an earthquake, nor does it reach the almost annoying treble of some models, especially poorly made digital amplification. It falls between the two, and that is no small thing. This sound has a clear sonic imprint and generates a sound pattern that is easy to remember. It makes no sense to compare the sound of this integrated amplifier with a modern commercial one. This is an instrument that has been tuned and adjusted to work comfortably and pleasantly within its creative framework and aspires to nothing more than doing its job well. And it does it wonderfully.

Like everything in life, you may like it more or less, but in no case will it leave you indifferent. If you want a violin, don't buy a cello. And don't play a violin solo to test the quality of the cello. I love products with personality, and this one has it in spades, whether you like it or not.

Final conclusions

If you want to build an authentic vintage system with new products, this, and little else, should be your focus. It should have the NOS (New Old Stock) valve logo printed on it to convey its personality, not its origin. I like its aesthetics, I like how it has been updated without changing anything fundamental. And I like its sound. I lived that sound, and I have relived it with this Unitra WSH-605 integrated amplifier.

For a second system, if you lived through the late 70s and 80s, it's the option. Period.

It doesn't have today's sound, nor does it need to.

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