Unitra WSH-805 review

Unitra? It is understandable if the brand name draws a blank. Few outside of its native Poland and nearby Eastern Bloc countries would have come across this company before. The original Unitra was formed in 1961 and was a collective of Polish factories specialising in electronics and communication. It was a huge concern, employing around 100,000 people at its peak.

But then the opening up of the Eastern Bloc in the late ’80s saw the company move away from audio products completely. Things went quiet on that front until 2021, when the name was resurrected for audio purposes by a new management team.

The Unitra of today is a proper specialist hi-fi company. It has a broad but concise product range that includes almost every part of the audio chain from sources such as turntables and CD players to amplifiers, speakers and a DAC. There are even Unitra-branded cables for the completists among you.

The brand’s core design priorities include long-term reliability and ease of repair. Those are things that we can all get behind.

The Unitra WSH-805 on test here is the company’s flagship integrated amplifier. If you love all things retro, you will find it impossible to ignore its charms.

Design

To us, it screams 1970s, with its large power meters and multitude of toggle switches. Even the feature set, with the switchable speakers, tone controls, loudness switch (called Contour here) feels very much part of that time, and is none the worse for it.

Elsewhere, we are pleased to note the inclusion of a switchable moving magnet/moving coil phono stage and a front panel-mounted 6.3mm headphone output.

Some may consider the lack of digital inputs a big issue, but in our experience, built-in digital modules in stereo amplifiers rarely impress. If you want a top-class number cruncher, our advice is to go down the outboard route.

We have no complaints about the WSH-805’s analogue connectivity. There are six line-level inputs, including a balanced XLR option, a preamp out and a power amp input. That little lot should be enough to cover most people’s needs in a stereo system context.

Unitra also offers the option to ‘lift’ the ground, which is useful if hum is a problem. There are two sets of chunky speaker terminals, and they can be used together or individually. So, a basic multi-room set-up is possible.

Unusually, the WSH-805’s amplifier circuitry can be switched on the fly between working in Class A and Class A/B mode. This is done by a flick of a toggle on the front panel and results in a notable power output drop from 80 watts per channel into an 8-ohm load to a comparatively feeble 8 watts per side.

Build

Take a look inside the WSH-805 and you will find it is nicely made with the left and right channel circuitry separated all the way from the preamp to the speaker outputs. This kind of dual-mono design approach avoids unwanted interactions between the channels (so reducing distortion), while optimising stereo imaging ability.

This integrated amplifier’s build is solid and functional. This Unitra doesn’t feel particularly refined in the way it operates, though. Switches clunk into place, but without the slick precision we would expect at this level, while the rotary dials don’t feel particularly sophisticated in the way they operate.

The casework is pretty solid, but could do with some damping to quell some low-level buzzes when we tap it.

Yamaha’s A-S3200 (£6499 / $8999/ AU$9999) feels considerably more cultured to use in a way that belies the price difference between the two products, but then so do cheaper contenders such as the Cyrus 40 AMP (£3399 / $4995 / AU$6499) and the Rega Aethos (£3460 / $5395 / AU$7499).

The WSH-805’s party trick is its ‘magic’ toggle switches. They move in response to the remote as well as by hand. We can’t help but repeatedly watch the relevant switch move up or down by itself as we press the appropriate button on the handset.

There are even double movements in the case of the Linear control (tone bypass) being deactivated when the Contour (loudness) adjustment is turned on. Thoughtful.

An amplifier at this level deserves appropriately talented partners. Our main sources are Naim’s ND555/555 PS DR music streamer and the Technics SL-1000R record player fitted with either a Kiseki Purpleheart moving coil or a Vertere Dark Sabre moving magnet cartridge.

We use a range of speakers from KEF’s LS50 Meta to the more price-compatible Epos ES-14N and our reference ATC SCM50 monitors.

Sound

While not capable of room-shaking volumes, the WSH-805 still manages to get decent levels from all our speakers, even when used in Class A mode.

In use, there isn’t as much of a difference at normal listening levels between Class A and Class A/B mode as you would expect from the power figures. There is no major shift in the Unitra’s sonic character, either. Class A sounds just that bit fuller, smoother and slightly more expressive to our ears. Class A/B has a better attack and more emphatic large-scale dynamic shifts.

Regardless of bias current, the WSH-805 is essentially an open, bold, and confident-sounding performer.

Feed the WSH-805 with a challenging piece of music such as Orff’s Carmina Burana, and it displays a good degree of control and composure. This integrated amp doesn’t sound flustered when the music becomes complex and can keep a firm grip on individual instrumental strands without struggling.

The presentation is pleasingly large-scale, and the amplifier has a firm sense of grip. It sounds taut, clean and crisp without exaggerating the leading edges of notes. There is plenty of articulation through the midrange, resulting in a deft handling of voices.

Stereo imaging is good too, with the Unitra displaying pleasing focus and stability. Instruments and voices are locked in place, and their stability doesn’t waver as the music builds towards its numerous and rather savage crescendos.

Despite all the positives, we feel there are areas where the WSH-805 could be better. Comparisons with the cheaper Cyrus 40 AMP show that the Unitra’s presentation lacks finesse and natural warmth. It doesn’t seem able to capture the distinctive texture of instruments and voices, reproducing them with a uniform greyness that detracts from the individuality of sounds.

Play anything rhythm-driven, Michael Jackson’s Jam comes to mind, and the Unitra, though relatively surefooted, just doesn’t communicate the momentum of the music with any great enthusiasm.

The same applies to low-level dynamics, the kind that convey the passion of Jackson’s vocal or even the emotion in Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata.

The Unitra has decent punch, articulate bass and sounds relatively cohesive, but it doesn’t quite seem able to turn all that into a performance that gets to the emotional core of the music being played.

Let’s end this review on a couple of positives. The built-in phono stage is surprisingly capable. It retains most of the clarity of the line stages without introducing too much in the way of hum or unwanted noise. Both moving magnet and moving coil stages work equally well, and that’s not always the case with integrated amplifiers.

The headphone output is similarly talented. It sounds clean and punchy regardless of whether we use Grado’s RS1x, Sony’s MDR-Z1R or Austrian Audio’s The Composer.

Verdict

There is a great deal to like in the Unitra WSH-805. Many will love the appearance and marvel at the automated toggle switches. Most will appreciate the sensibly specified connectivity and the quality of the phono stage and headphone amplifier. The promise of longevity and ease of servicing is another positive.

Despite all these attributes, we can’t help but want more. This is a premium product, and its price brings certain performance expectations. The Unitra is a decent-sounding integrated amplifier in a market sector where exceptional is the norm. Until that changes, our money would go elsewhere.

Review published: 30th March 2026

SCORES

• Sound 3
• Build 4
• Features 5

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Read our review of the Cyrus 40 AMP

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