[03029174]

looks good Chesty, here’s mine. No more upgrades, I’m perfectly happy and listening without the matrix on feels wrong to me

 

[the fool]

Do phonitor x and xe sounds different? I mean no optional dax, i am tempted to buy, but cant decide xe or x?

 

[03029174]

I haven’t tried but don’t think they will sound different, just need to decide what connectivity options you want.

Do phonitor x and xe sounds different? I mean no optional dax, i am tempted to buy, but cant decide xe or x?

 

[Gadget67]

I went for the Phonitor XE+ (i.e. with DAC), since it had two XLR balanced headphone sockets - one of the front and one on the back. Here’s my setup.

Nice!!! I also like the Focal Clear almost as much as my Utopia; at less than half the price it’s a screaming bargain.

 

[Gadget67]

Do phonitor x and xe sounds different? I mean no optional dax, i am tempted to buy, but cant decide xe or x?

I would suggest buying a Phonitor without a DAC unless you must have an all in one device. There are many nice DAC’s to consider and they are getting better all the time. Otherwise all of the Phonitor models are essentially the same. I only have direct experience with the Phonitor 2 so I can’t pick between the X or XE. Here is a link to the SPL site comparison chart; perhaps that will help you decide but you can’t go wrong with either.
https://spl.audio/wp-content/uploads/PhonitorComparison.pdf

 

[headphonesQC]

I'm a recent owner of the Phonitor 2 and it's quite amazing with the HD800S! Now I'm just waiting to build my adapter to use the XLR outputs at the back with my headphones. Does anybody know if this output would equal the power of the balanced output on the other SPL Phonitor models?

 

[Gadget67]

I'm a recent owner of the Phonitor 2 and it's quite amazing with the HD800S! Now I'm just waiting to build my adapter to use the XLR outputs at the back with my headphones. Does anybody know if this output would equal the power of the balanced output on the other SPL Phonitor models?

Here Is a link to the SPL site headphone amp comparison chart.

https://spl.audio/produktuebersicht-nach-anwendung/?lang=en

i believe the power output is the same but you can do your own analysis. What I CAN tell you is the Phonitor 2 drove my power hungry Sennheiser 600 easily and eliminated the veil that I experienced with other amps. They never sounded better. I purchased a two foot dual female XLR to balanced converter from Moon Audio as most of my headphone cables are balanced so I don’t have to reach around the back and that has worked well for me. You can purchase inexpensive neutrick female to female converters from B&H if you already have a dual XLR headphone cable. Here’s a link:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/491522-REG/Neutrik_NA3FF_XLR_Female_to_XLR.html

It’s a great amp!

 

[headphonesQC]

Here Is a link to the SPL site headphone amp comparison chart.

https://spl.audio/produktuebersicht-nach-anwendung/?lang=en

i believe the power output is the same but you can do your own analysis. What I CAN tell you is the Phonitor 2 drove my power hungry Sennheiser 600 easily and eliminated the veil that I experienced with other amps. They never sounded better. I purchased a two foot dual female XLR to balanced converter from Moon Audio as most of my headphone cables are balanced so I don’t have to reach around the back and that has worked well for me. You can purchase inexpensive neutrick female to female converters from B&H if you already have a dual XLR headphone cable. Here’s a link:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/491522-REG/Neutrik_NA3FF_XLR_Female_to_XLR.html

It’s a great amp!

Thank you for the detailed answer!

I bought Neutrik connectors and I'll soon build the adapter. Since I'm in Canada, the Moon Audio adapter was getting quite expensive with the exchange rate, the shipping and the customs fees...

 

[tomwoo]

I have a question for users of Phonitor X/XE/E with optional DAC installed: is there a way to tell what the current sample rate is from the unit itself? I noticed there wasn't a screen or indicators for that purpose. Thanks!

 

[kenammo]

I have a question for users of Phonitor X/XE/E with optional DAC installed: is there a way to tell what the current sample rate is from the unit itself? I noticed there wasn't a screen or indicators for that purpose. Thanks!

Hi Tom - my Phonitor xe (with DAC) owner's manual specifies the following available sample rates:

And I have my Windows desktop's sound properties set to my available maximum sample rate as default:

Hope this helps.

 

[tomwoo]

Hi Tom - my Phonitor xe (with DAC) owner's manual specifies the following available sample rates:




And I have my Windows desktop's sound properties set to my available maximum sample rate as default:



Hope this helps.

Hi kenammo,

Thanks for the information. It's very helpful!

So there is no way to tell what sample rate the DAC is running, correct? With my mojo I can just look at the color of the balls. Also the playback software like Audirvana+ shows the sample rate of the DAC. Not very important but it's nice to see the DAC is playing bit-perfectly.

 

[kenammo]

Hi kenammo,

Thanks for the information. It's very helpful!

So there is no way to tell what sample rate the DAC is running, correct? With my mojo I can just look at the color of the balls. Also the playback software like Audirvana+ shows the sample rate of the DAC. Not very important but it's nice to see the DAC is playing bit-perfectly.

No - not on the xe itself. But I can see the real-time output (sample rate, bit perfect, etc.) during playback with my JRiver software. I'd imagine you could do the same with your Audirvana+.

 

[tomwoo]

No - not on the xe itself. But I can see the real-time output (sample rate, bit perfect, etc.) during playback with my JRiver software. I'd imagine you could do the same with your Audirvana+.

Got it, thanks!

 

[stuck limo]

Joined team phonitor

Can you report how well the Phonitor drives your 1266?

 

[stuck limo]

I see SPL updated their site (which really needed it) to explain how the Matrix option works with some really great demonstrations and some videos:

https://spl.audio/en/spl-produkt/phonitor-xe/