[geremy]

Hmm. I understand gradofan's PoV, but I guess i'm just curious about this text from the SPL website, which applies to both the phonitor and the auditor.

Quote:

Conventional headphone amplifiers can also be a contributing factor to premature ear fatigue. Almost without exception, present-day headphone amplifiers employ comparatively undemanding IC’s. In the best cases they might work with symmetrical voltages of +/-15V to +/-18V, and in less favorable cases, with only a simple supply of 9 or 12V from cheaper external “wall-wart“ power supplies. But the voltage level acts in circuitry much like the cubic inch capacity to the productive power of a combustion engine: Cubic inch capacity is replaceable with nothing but more cubic inch capacity – and in the productive power of electronics, voltage level functions similarly. For some years, now, SPL has addressed this issue in with its mastering series of products through its own specifically developed 120 volt technology. Consoles and signal processors of the SPL Mastering Series appear as central elements in installations of today’s most renowned mastering houses (z. B. Bob Ludwig’s Gateway Mastering & DVD in the USA, Simon Heyworth’s Super Audio Mastering in Great Britain or the Galaxy Studios in Belgium). This 120 volt technology is based on discrete operation amplifiers from SPL’s own production, developed and perfected over many years by SPL’s co-founder and chief developer, Wolfgang Neumann. These SUPRA OPs work with high-performance semiconductors in Class A technology at a symmetrical voltage of +/-60V. In the Phonitor nine SUPRA OPs are employed. The SUPRA OPs have a Signal To Noise Ratio of 116dB and offer a nearly 34dB headroom – that yields an unequalled 150dB dynamic range. The musical result cannot be mistaken: Regardless of the monitoring means, regardless of how loud you monitor – the Phonitor always remains a distant, impartial factor unaffected when used to capacity and beyond being overloaded. The phase stability is always perfect and its THD is next to immeasurable. The Phonitor’s SUPRA OPs cannot be stressed even in the most stressful circumstances, and for precisely this reason its musical sound is always relaxed and spacious. All frequencies are reproduced in balance, basses are stable and tight, mids are clear and differentiated and highs remain transparent and soft. Such supreme and heretofore unreachable neutrality in audio reproduction is the direct consequence of our technical approach and basis in 120 volt technology: Possible disturbances from such as noise or distortion are so slight that we even arrive at the boundaries of the best measuring equipment, and what remains is quite simply unaltered musical sound.

 

[IPodPJ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by king.mark /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well so far the lucky ones that tried the Phonitor also tried it with the effects switched off and from what I'm reading they are very impressed. Since I'm just interested in an SS amp that brings my HD800s to really shine my personal choices are B22 or Auditor. I finally decided to go with the Auditor and hope that the unique new amp technology of SPL really is excellent.

Not true at all. I tried it with all the settings and I posted impressions in its own thread. Unfortunately I cannot write more detailed reviews because I had to send the amp back prematurely.

 

[IPodPJ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gradofan2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well... you guys can blindly defend an untested product all you want... but... the fact remains that no commercial product can compete with a DIY product regarding the "value proposition" - of course "all other things being equal." I don't understand such "blind loyalty" to any commercial product, which is not designed by headphone afficinados, who focus only on designing the best headphone products. And... as far as the Phonitor vs the Auditor... you apparently missed the review comments that made it quite clear, that its "claim to fame" was primarily its unique soundstage, and the ability to "tune" the soundstage to compare to your speakers' soundstage. Beyond that, it offers nothing unique - certainly at its inflated "commercial" price. There is simply no way anyone can rationally argue, that any "commercial" product provides equal, or better, value (price / performance) than an equivalent DIY product (of course all other things being equal - e.g. currency rates, etc.). And... I should clarify... that I consider "boutique" products to be DIY products (e.g. Woo Audio amps, MAD amps, etc.). Now... I do not discriminate against any "commercial" product - I'm big supporter of GS, and MF products. But... they do not represent the true value, that other DIY products do (e.g. Millett MiniMax, etc.). But... hey... if you want to go "blindly" down that path, based on the Phonitor reviews and its unique sound - by all means... "be my guest."

It's really funny how you are crapping all over a product you've never even heard. Regardless of the speaker angle customizations (which are brilliant and don't affect tonality) the amp is one of the best (if not the best) single ended solid state amp I've heard. And by best I mean neutral and transparent. If you're looking for coloration, go elsewhere.

But I do have a question for you... do you feel that Grado headphones (top of the line models) do a good job of getting across what music really sounds like? I'm curious to hear your answer.

 

[suikodenii]

One thing I learned with the time spent on headfi is that consistently relatively small improvements between different equipment may make a huge difference for the listening experience of individuals.
On that matter the speaker angle features of the Phonitor provide a mostly subtle effect that however - after listening to the Phonitor for more than a month now - I wouldn't want to miss any longer. It gives me a more coherent and as a matter of fact much less fatiguing soundstage.
If - as a a reference - within these forums people discuss differences on presenting a soundstage between different 'normal' SS amps then the improvement of the Phonitor can probably be called huge, no matter how subtle it is in the end.
On top of that there are subtle benefits, like when listening to my ATH W5000 I can further reduce the center level, which helps me a lot with the soundstage as it brings more depth to the W5k when there are vocals in the center (as the W5k have upfront mids that sometimes bring the singer quite close to you). Without sacrificing W5K mid range sweetness.

Having said that, when I turn off the speaker angle/center level feature what I hear is simply an excellent amp which to me improves significantly (again, all about how much certain things matter to the individual) on my other reference the ATH HA 5000 (an amp that is pretty well regarded by those who have heard it). To me the Phonitor has the ability to make every note matter, meaning that each note will have an (almost physical) impact - a guitar string plugged really conveys the characteristics of a plugged string as such.
It is probably what most people call excellent dynamics but I was more trying to get across what and how it matters to me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gradofan2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Beyond that, it offers nothing unique - certainly at its inflated "commercial" price. There is simply no way anyone can rationally argue, that any "commercial" product provides equal, or better, value (price / performance) than an equivalent DIY product (of course all other things being equal - e.g. currency rates, etc.).

Well the hand-build discrete 120V OPamps are unique in the industry as far as I understand and build the basis of a well regarded professional audio offering. How much that adds to the sound of the Phonitor/Auditor I obviously can't tell but what I hear when listening to it (regardless of the speaker angle/center level) I like a lot

My 2 cents.

 

[scootermafia]

Wonder when someone will give the Auditor a full review, I wouldn't mind a Phonitor for less money without the bells/whistles although they seem to be a major strength of the Phonitor.

 

[Audio-Omega]

IpodPJ, are you going to compare Phonitor to DNA Sonett ?

 

[onocentaur]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dreadhead /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am talking to the product designers at SPL and hoping that they release just the crossfeed portion of their technology in a separate package that I can integrate into my system.

This would interest me greatly too, especially to compare with the crossfeed in the upcoming Meier stageDAC. Alas, I emailled SPL and asked whether this might happen:
Quote:

Currently there are unfortunately no such plans.

 

[krmathis]

Really nice looking amplifier!

Looks like it is built like a tank. Perhaps not a surprise since it is German..

 

[.Sup]

I heard the Auditor and Phonitor have the same amp section so now I started in being very interested in Auditor. I actually already decided on getting one. Would it be capable of driving HD800 if I were to buy those in the near future? Currently going to use it with HD600. Need some feedback on Auditor please

 

[oqvist]

bump have somebody some internal pictures of the Auditor? Just got mine and don´t want to break my warranty if there is a seal or something. I rather not fiddle with it too.
 
The build give EXTREMELY good first impressions. Not to mention the size. The transformator it has must be huge I suspect since it´s not light!
 
First impressions with my T1.
I think they do exactly what you should expect from a good SS amp. The speed the T1 got with it is insane and the detail retrieval went up like crazy. Great imaging, soundstage. Always found my DAC19 a bit soft. Like it´s focused more on ambients then main instruments but with the Auditor the attack and decay is incredibly fast. Pitch black background which is even more noticable with these short decays
 

 

[Zaek]

sorry for bringing back such an old thread.
 
I recently acquired SPL Phonitor. I am enjoying every moment with my HD650 (mostly Jazz and classical). So far, everything's well (except the HD650's veil - going to upgrade to Blue Dragon).
 
The issue with HD650 is that it is not very good with rock music. So I tried my Alessandro MS1i, and it does sounds funny! 
So my suspect is: SPL Phonitor is not really design for Low-impedance phones????? Does anyone know it is the case?
 
On the other hand, I have no issue with HD650.
I was thinking of getting LCD-2, but am afraid that the same thing would happen. Anybody has experience with LCD-2 with Phonitor? 
 
 
my setup is Wadia 170i >> Lavry DA11 >> SPL Phonitor >> HD650/ MS1i
 

 

[03029174]

I have traded my old amp for the Phonitor and it should be arriving in the next few weeks. I've been doing alot of research on headphones to match with it and have settled on the HD800s. I did read somewhere the LCD-2 were awful on the Phonitor. Cant remember if it was on here or another forum? But that was only one post and i think it was under meet conditions.

 

[Zaek]

thanks for the info! 
 
Right now, it seems to do very well with HD650. But I am really looking for another headphone for rock music (something that have synergy with Phonitor).
 
I am totally in love with it's look!!!!!!  
 
Sweet.

 

[Danz03]

So did you get your Phonitor? Any thoughts on it? I'm thinking of getting one myself next month, will be using it with my HD800 and LCD-2.
 
Quote:

I have traded my old amp for the Phonitor and it should be arriving in the next few weeks. I've been doing alot of research on headphones to match with it and have settled on the HD800s. I did read somewhere the LCD-2 were awful on the Phonitor. Cant remember if it was on here or another forum? But that was only one post and i think it was under meet conditions.

 

[03029174]

Quote:

So did you get your Phonitor? Any thoughts on it? I'm thinking of getting one myself next month, will be using it with my HD800 and LCD-2.
 

Hi
 
I love the Phonitor, it sounds great and is exactly what i was looking for. I didnt want tube distortion and wanted something that sounded powerful and added as little as possible to the sound. I'm not sure about how others view amplifiers but you just know when the HD800 is amped correctly. Its like everything snaps into focus and you can really appreciate the speed and control these headphones are capable of.
 
I am very happy with the bass and prat of my setup. I think Senneheiser tweaked the Frequency response after the first few thousand pairs (mine are 4XXX) because mine have better bass than some of the setups i heard at Canjam when the HD800s first got released. Of course that could have been burn in or bad synergy or both.
 
Regarding the dials on the Phonitor, don't expect crazy night and day differences. I have opted for a slightly narrower soundstage and reduced the centre position as much as possible. Between those adjustments and the angled drivers of the HD800's, im getting amazing imaging and when i close my eyes i can paint a very detailed coherent picture of the performance infront of me. This is exactly what i wanted my system to be able to reproduce. I got hooked on this type of presentation when i owned the K1000s. Trust me, when you get used to it you wont go back.
 
I own a Cary Xciter Dac and am not sure how a digital source can sound warm, but to my ears it does. I use 16/44.1 and the dac internally upsamples the content which probably deteriorates the signal alittle, but it works. I really like the source and spent a long time compairing it to others. Its perfect for the Phonitor in my view because it adds a touch of warmth, but its subtle, not like a tube amp. I feel im getting the best of both worlds. Im not experiencing the sharp digital sound you can get with a SS amp, but then im not getting the distorted slower sound of a tube amp, im somewhere inbertween which im happy with.
 
Alot of people say the Phonitor is analytical and cold etc but i honestly dont feel it is. I've decided the trio of Cary, Phonitor and HD800's are all long term keepers and have spent a pretty tidy sum of money upgrading all the cables in the system to Silver cables from Whiplash Audio. I don't need the added warmth of copper so have opted for Silver and we'll see how that goes. I'll write a full review when everything is finished and settled down. I also plan on experimenting with Parabolic Eqs (think thats what they're called) as a very final touch once all the hardware is in place
 
I'll be taking my rig to the UK meet in 2 months so we should have a few other impressions which i will post in this thread.
 
There is one area i'm a little concerned about and thats the hot treble. I don't notice it when im listening but i have been suffering a little ear fatigue after using my rig for a couple of hours straight. It might just be that im listening too loud, i love live recordings and tend to set the volume to match what i would hear at a gig. I think most people will agree your ears are probably tired after attending a gig so i imagine this is the case. And don't worry, i don't listen to my rig every night, maybe once or twice a week as treats.
 
Hope this helped