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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
