SPL Phonitor Heapdhone Monitoring Amplifier - Head-Fi TV, Episode 009 - Page 4

Unfortunately Isone is only available as a VST plugin, I don't supposed it'll ever be available as an AU plugin. 
 

--Sorry, back to the actual audio gear after this brief interruption--

The P7 is one of the finest handguns ever made, although serious training is necessary with it if it is going to be utilized for EDC. (Yes, I am a firearms/tactical trainer among other things). If you like leather, Mitch Rosen's ARG-Plus Slimline is the very best made specifically for a P7:

Quote:

Originally Posted by jude 

Just picked up the HK P7 PSP myself

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lunatique 

Thanks.

 

You really ought to give Isone a spin, because it blows Redline Monitor out of the water in terms of realism, and it costs  a lot less too (which is ironic). I have Isone permanently in my monitoring chain, so that whenever I need to use headphone, I'll turn it on, and then turn it off when I'm using speakers.

 

Bought! I'm going to give it a shot in a couple of days and set it up. Thanks for the heads up on this again.

I'm just catching up on some head-fi TV.

Great episode Jude! You're doing a fantastic job. I felt like I was there.

Lunatique, your post was excellent. If I could give it two thumbs up I would.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jude 

 

I've used the Realiser (in a calibrated-for-me demo) at CanJam 2008 (Fort Lauderdale), and, frankly, nothing can touch it (that I've yet heard) for accurate out-of-head imaging.  It's stunning for out-of-head imaging--jaw-dropping stunning.

 

... This is not a binaural simulation, and it doesn't do what the Realiser does, in terms of taking the image outside of your head.  It is a crossfeed circuit, albeit a far more sophisticated and flexible one than most.

If the Realizer is really that next-level (and I think it is too, I had a lengthy demo. of the Realizer in Smyth's California office and was just as impressed as Jude), then what is the point to the Phonitor and other (expensive) cross-feed systems like it?  Sure, the Realizer is a little more expensive but still, if "nothing can touch it," why would anyone bother with the Phonitor to save a few bucks?  (Ok, I'll admit that the Phonitor also looks a lot cooler than the Realizer with it's retro-chic, Nagra-style knobs and meters.)  

Although Isone sounds intriguing (as I am computer-based too), I will be buying a Realizer as soon as I liquidate my speaker rig b/c I it seems reasonable (to me) that using my own HRTFs measured against a real room with real speakers should be significantly better than (very good, I am sure) simulated, averaged HRTFs, like Isone's.  

Quote:

Originally Posted by KingLocal 

If the Realizer is really that next-level (and I think it is too, I had a lengthy demo. of the Realizer in Smyth's California office and was just as impressed as Jude), then what is the point to the Phonitor and other (expensive) cross-feed systems like it?  Sure, the Realizer is a little more expensive but still, if "nothing can touch it," why would anyone bother with the Phonitor to save a few bucks?  (Ok, I'll admit that the Phonitor also looks a lot cooler than the Realizer with it's retro-chic, Nagra-style knobs and meters.)  

 

Although Isone sounds intriguing (as I am computer-based too), I will be buying a Realizer as soon as I liquidate my speaker rig b/c I it seems reasonable (to me) that using my own HRTFs measured against a real room with real speakers should be significantly better than (very good, I am sure) simulated, averaged HRTFs, like Isone's.  

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think the Smyth function as a headphone amp.  The Phonitor is used for sound engineers and recording, so that adjustments can be made for accurate recording, as well as being a proper headphone amp.

I don't think I can live without crossfeed :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by dagothur 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think the Smyth function as a headphone amp.  The Phonitor is used for sound engineers and recording, so that adjustments can be made for accurate recording, as well as being a proper headphone amp.

 

Well... I don't know much about the Phonitor, but Smyth certainly sees their product as a studio/pro mixing/monitoring device fist and a piece of home kit second.  When I spoke with them, they were all about the studios to which they had sold their units.  It makes sense... if you want to mix, one would assume you would like to mix on (virtual) real speakers, for which the Realizer seems to be the consensus pick.

That said, the pro-focus of Smyth generally makes their I/O and features choices all the more puzzling... I swear it is like they are gratuitously trying to piss off pros and audiophiles alike with their feature-set.  Single-ended analog ins and outs only?  At first, no digital in at all, and now only the jittery HDMI interface (with no on-board decoding to boot)?  And, insult to injury, they provide only the compromised Toslink interface to connect with an outboard DAC?  Why?  

Smyth: Please look at the TacT, Lyngdof and Holm processors, which do basically for the speaker/room the same thing you do for the head/ear and look at their feature-sets.  Adjust accordingly.  

Is it just me or is the things on Jude's desk getting better and better with each episode ?

Would it have enough power to drive the akg k1000 properly ?

Over the weekend, I had a chance to play with Isone and like what has been reported, the flat setting worked best for me also. All other settings (even tweaking the Flat setting slightly) produced too much coloration for me to consider it as a serious mix reference tool (definitely wouldn't mix using this process thinking it would replace my actual speakers). I think the SPL Phonitor is more like the Redline monitor in the sense that it maintains transparency (frequency skewing to some degree) in the process.

I did like the Isone effect for what I originally wanted it for, to create "fake stereo" versions of my albums to listen to headphones exclusively, better than the Redline effect. Neither of these sound the same as my nearfield setup (which I've been happy with for over ten years now) so for me these kinds of effects are just a nice novelty, but I don't think there's anything out there that is a serious alternative to using the real thing (too many variables to consider). Listening to music at moderately loud levels is fatiguing and these effects do a good job of "softening" the stereo imaging on headphones; I think this is what these companies should consider as their sales pitch. Saying that you can use these tools to create a headphone version of your speakers and room is something that most serious engineers wouldn't believe (most engineers that have to work in different rooms simply "learn" the room by playing familiar mixes in those rooms for 20-30 minutes).

I haven't heard the Realiser (never heard of it before this thread and none of the studios I'm familiar with have one). I would think that it's in part because of what I said above to some degree; nothing can compare to actual speakers in a room, which vary from room to room.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HiFi1972 

Over the weekend, I had a chance to play with Isone and like what has been reported, the flat setting worked best for me also. All other settings (even tweaking the Flat setting slightly) produced too much coloration for me to consider it as a serious mix reference tool (definitely wouldn't mix using this process thinking it would replace my actual speakers). I think the SPL Phonitor is more like the Redline monitor in the sense that it maintains transparency (frequency skewing to some degree) in the process.

The frequency response alteration is just the HRTF algorithm emulating what happens to sound naturally when they interact with your head and ears  in a room when you listen to speakers. Without that frequency response change, the realism will be gone. So think of it like this: If your headphones were actually speakers in a room, then the audio being played back will interact with your head and ears, and your Head Related Transfer Function will automatically cause the frequency response changes. Isone merely reproduces that physical phenomenon--that's what makes it sound so real. That frequency response change is crucial to the realism.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lunatique 

So think of it like this: If your headphones were actually speakers in a room, then the audio being played back will interact with your head and ears, and your Head Related Transfer Function will automatically cause the frequency response changes. Isone merely reproduces that physical phenomenon--that's what makes it sound so real. That frequency response change is crucial to the realism.

 

Yes, I understand this. Actually, the perceived response wouldn't be just your speakers/room. There's also reflections from other objects in the room and also a bit of change in the response caused by whatever room treatment you have (absorption/diffusion) that has been used to treat nodes; even the type of floor (or combination of materials, such in my case, a large rug between my speakers and listening position to help treat reflections) will have an effect on what you hear. I think Isone does a nice job of "tricking" your ears a little bit by doing some room/reflection modeling, but the actual frequency response will vary from room to room and person to person, not to mention the freq response of the speakers being used and this is why I think tools such as this one are a hard sell for audio pros that may have a speaker/room/treatment combination that is flatter (freq response at listening position) and more full range than the majority of headphones available (assuming you've got a speaker system that goes from say 25Hz - 20kHz+ with a properly calibrated sub).

I think the SPL Phonitor might be more suitable for Professional use than Isone, because I think they assume truly accurate room modeling would be an extremely difficult nut to crack without phase (polarity) and harmonic distortion issues in the process, which are highly undesirable with the pro audio crowd. For leisure use? All day!

Does anyone know if the outputs on the back are Through / Loop outs?

Thanks