[DTgill]

Quite a piece of equipment! Does NFB-11 have its “ticket to ride” punched yet?

Right now, I'm going to keep it at least for a while, my Phillips needs an amp to be plugged into. I might sell it later on...

 

[waveSounds]

My black Phonitor XE needed a DAC upgrade. Phenomenal support from the Focal/Naim/SPL North American distributor resulted in a menu of choices and cut my down time to a business day and change. At the peak of our pandemic woes and with near record snowfall at both ends of the transaction. I am gobsmacked. Nobody does it better. Red is the new black.

Love the red of the Phonitor! It's nice to see a something stand out from the sea of black and silver that adorns most audio boxes.

Both that xe and the Ferrum OOR are the two that interest me the most should I ever decide to look at adding another amp. Is that the Uniti Atom Headphone edition it sits atop? I've often contemplated that just for its volume dial

 

[DTgill]

Well, the families all together... Xcuse the wire mess

 

[Chastity]

Well, the families all together... Xcuse the wire mess

Someone likes their Schiit

 

[u2u2]

Interested to hear some reactions to the Phonitor, not many reviews. How is the build quality, do the meters match, how is the switchgear etc.?,

Build quality seems to be up with the best. The case metal work, powder coating, anodizing, and labeling are as good as I have seen. My other gear is Chord, McIntosh, Naim, and Woo for comparison. I am very picky and find no appearance flaws.
The meters work perfectly and for me the off white colour and lighting work well to give an old school look and feel. Goes well with the plethora of switches and knobs all of which do what SPL claims. The switches are solid and work smartly. They exude confidence and would be at home on an aircraft instrument panel from the 50s or 60s. The quality feels that good. I risk dating myself here. The volume goes from zero up with ultra smooth control, perfect balance, and can be easily controlled as in no sudden step up or other nonsense. This amp has been thought out and the build executed such that they avoided the little annoyances my other items possess. A joy to setup and you can pair any remote with it in about 15 seconds.
Sound wise it will reveal every flaw in a recording but feed it well and I don’t think you can do better near its price point. I have several amps that could have been endgame. The Phonitor XE was money well spent.

 

[u2u2]

Love the red of the Phonitor! It's nice to see a something stand out from the sea of black and silver that adorns most audio boxes.

Both that xe and the Ferrum OOR are the two that interest me the most should I ever decide to look at adding another amp. Is that the Uniti Atom Headphone edition it sits atop? I've often contemplated that just for its volume dial

The red anodizing is darker and richer in colour when seen in person. Good job by SPL.
The Atom HE, if kept in arms reach, has a volume that is a joy to use. My desk became too cluttered with gear so I had to cover it up. I have to use the Naim app for a Unity Core server so it worked out well. All their kit integrates seamlessly through the app.

 

[Korean audiophile]

I remember my first pair of cans which started me on this audio journey.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Build quality seems to be up with the best. The case metal work, powder coating, anodizing, and labeling are as good as I have seen. My other gear is Chord, McIntosh, Naim, and Woo for comparison. I am very picky and find no appearance flaws.
The meters work perfectly and for me the off white colour and lighting work well to give an old school look and feel. Goes well with the plethora of switches and knobs all of which do what SPL claims. The switches are solid and work smartly. They exude confidence and would be at home on an aircraft instrument panel from the 50s or 60s. The quality feels that good. I risk dating myself here. The volume goes from zero up with ultra smooth control, perfect balance, and can be easily controlled as in no sudden step up or other nonsense. This amp has been thought out and the build executed such that they avoided the little annoyances my other items possess. A joy to setup and you can pair any remote with it in about 15 seconds.
Sound wise it will reveal every flaw in a recording but feed it well and I don’t think you can do better near its price point. I have several amps that could have been endgame. The Phonitor XE was money well spent.

Thanks a lot for that very helpful info. I was considering the Phonitor 2 rather than the XE but I'm sure most/all of what you said should apply.

A while back, it seemed SPL viewed balanced headamps negatively so I was surprised to see the XE and other models when they came out.

 

[carboncopy]

 

[llamaluv]

(Headphones: Susvara, TC, Elite)


Previous:
Late 2019
Mid 2019
Early 2019
Mid 2018
Early 2018

 

[bcowen]

I remember my first pair of cans which started me on this audio journey.

LOL! I also remember my first pair when I decided to set up a headphone rig. I promptly returned them and went back to my 2-channel rig. It was almost a year before that aural assault was far enough removed from memory to give things a 2nd try. Fortunately a lovingly pre-owned pair of Alpha Primes gave me a glimpse of what was possible on the second go 'round.

 

[dnd3241]

(Headphones: Susvara, TC, Elite)


Previous:
Late 2019
Mid 2019
Early 2019
Mid 2018
Early 2018

Super nice gears ! May I ask which is the best one to drive Susvara? Is the 300B quiet enough ? any hass or hum sound from the background ?

 

[Chastity]

LOL! I also remember my first pair when I decided to set up a headphone rig. I promptly returned them and went back to my 2-channel rig. It was almost a year before that aural assault was far enough removed from memory to give things a 2nd try. Fortunately a lovingly pre-owned pair of Alpha Primes gave me a glimpse of what was possible on the second go 'round.

I have a pair of V-Moda Crossfade LP, and boy, have they deteriorated. All that leather on them is pleather, so the headband peeled, and these are my 2nd set of cups, and those are getting ratty too. I'm thinking of replacing them with a set of Mackie MC-350, so I have a nice set for my venerable iPod.

 

[llamaluv]

Super nice gears ! May I ask which is the best one to drive Susvara? Is the 300B quite enough ? any hass or hum sound from the background ?

Thanks!

The HA-300 drives the Susvara well, giving it a very likeable, organic character. But I use it mostly as a fun, alternate "flavor".

The Bakoon gives it just a really well-balanced presentation. Simultaneously highly resolving and buttery smooth. But despite being a (low-power) speaker amp, it does not sound very "speaker-amp-like".

The Pass Labs X150.8 on the other hand... very much does, lol. Super-dynamic, almost aggro, kind of raw-sounding, and very far away from the typical characterization of the Susvara sounding "soft". And very taut bass, which gives it a slightly lean character. With my current DAC, adding a passive preamp is what "unlocked" its potential.

Having said that, I listen to the Susvara most with the Bakoon.

 

[Davidzak64]