[Tsukuyomi]

hey guys, so ive been told the SPL Phonitor e is rubbish and that i should buy the Schiit Rag 2.
the problem is i can't see why the SPL phonitor e would be bad? ive seen good mentions and although reviews are limited on it i'm still very much interested in it as a pairing for my RME ADI-2 DAC.

Of course id get "AMP only" as the RME full fills that DAC requirement.

Do you guys know if this is a wise choice or should i consider something else? the spl is a bit over my budget but i can save up a bit more for it if necessary.

I'm planning on using it with my Beyer DT1990 Pro, Sony Z7m2, Audeze LCD2Classic, and possibly other headphones later down the line.

 

[Hellraiser86]

hey guys, so ive been told the SPL Phonitor e is rubbish and that i should buy the Schiit Rag 2.
the problem is i can't see why the SPL phonitor e would be bad? ive seen good mentions and although reviews are limited on it i'm still very much interested in it as a pairing for my RME ADI-2 DAC.

Of course id get "AMP only" as the RME full fills that DAC requirement.

Do you guys know if this is a wise choice or should i consider something else? the spl is a bit over my budget but i can save up a bit more for it if necessary.

I'm planning on using it with my Beyer DT1990 Pro, Sony Z7m2, Audeze LCD2Classic, and possibly other headphones later down the line.

hey there. Can’t imagine how somebody would describe the phonitor as rubbish either. because it’s really really good. All review magazines I’ve read were talking about their new reference.

the only way I can think of why someone won’t like it is because Phonitor doesn’t add sound. the amp is as neutral as possible. So there is no chance of fixing the sound of a headphone which lacks in some area. For example the violectric hpa-v281 is another awesome amp and it’s a bit on the darker side which is perfect for brighter headphones.

I also paired my RME ADI-2 Pro with the Phonitor XE and I really love it. The RME is already reference tuned (that’s why both devices are mostly common in studios rather than at home) and has a good amp but the Phonitor takes that and adds a realistic layering and dynamics from heaven. I’ve tested the internal amp against the Phonitor and you immediately notice how good the ADI already sounds - but the spl still sounds better.
I also compared it with my Hugo 2. All I can say is that this amp is perfect for comparing DACs.

 

[Tsukuyomi]

hey there. Can’t imagine how somebody would describe the phonitor as rubbish either. because it’s really really good. All review magazines I’ve read were talking about their new reference.

the only way I can think of why someone won’t like it is because Phonitor doesn’t add sound. the amp is as neutral as possible. So there is no chance of fixing the sound of a headphone which lacks in some area. For example the violectric hpa-v281 is another awesome amp and it’s a bit on the darker side which is perfect for brighter headphones.

I also paired my RME ADI-2 Pro with the Phonitor XE and I really love it. The RME is already reference tuned (that’s why both devices are mostly common in studios rather than at home) and has a good amp but the Phonitor takes that and adds a realistic layering and dynamics from heaven. I’ve tested the internal amp against the Phonitor and you immediately notice how good the ADI already sounds - but the spl still sounds better.
I also compared it with my Hugo 2. All I can say is that this amp is perfect for comparing DACs.

Thats very informative, i thank you greatly. I was contemplating either getting the thx 888 or saving up for the phonitor e (amp only) to pair with my rme adi-2 dac. But from the information you've given me, it would seem only worth it to get either amp when ive purchased a good quality balanced headphone. My next headphone is probably going to be the z7m2 from sony. Since its running a 4.4mm ill get an adapter to xlr for either the phonitor e or thx 888. Im wondering if spl will drop the price a bit on their phonitor e... its quite expensive in my country

 

[Ilomaenkimi]

^I just love Phonitor xe, perfect match for Focal Stellias. And the Matrix is just awesome, at least with Stellias.

 

[xtr4]

Thats very informative, i thank you greatly. I was contemplating either getting the thx 888 or saving up for the phonitor e (amp only) to pair with my rme adi-2 dac. But from the information you've given me, it would seem only worth it to get either amp when ive purchased a good quality balanced headphone. My next headphone is probably going to be the z7m2 from sony. Since its running a 4.4mm ill get an adapter to xlr for either the phonitor e or thx 888. Im wondering if spl will drop the price a bit on their phonitor e... its quite expensive in my country

You can try www.musicstore.com
They have sometimes great deals on return units.

 

[Hellraiser86]

Thats very informative, i thank you greatly. I was contemplating either getting the thx 888 or saving up for the phonitor e (amp only) to pair with my rme adi-2 dac. But from the information you've given me, it would seem only worth it to get either amp when ive purchased a good quality balanced headphone. My next headphone is probably going to be the z7m2 from sony. Since its running a 4.4mm ill get an adapter to xlr for either the phonitor e or thx 888. Im wondering if spl will drop the price a bit on their phonitor e... its quite expensive in my country

I used my Z1R with the Phonitor and it sounds great. The Z7 will sound great too because if you already like the sound of them nothing will change here. Just add better dynamics, layering and staging.
If I remember it right there aren’t so many amps with the thx888 technology out there right now. The most known and best sounding yet is the Benchmark HPA-4. I had this amp together with the Violectric for some time because these are the competitors of the Phonitor.
As I already said the V281 is more on the dark side and good with brighter cans. The HPA-4 is on the other side and more bright sounding - good for darker headphones. The Phonitor is right in between then. To my ears it also has the best dynamic sound.
Staging had a bit more depth on the violectric whereas the benchmark sounded a bit smaller (but with better separation than V281).
All in all these 3 amps are just awesome.

edit: one great thing about the Phonitor is that the unbalanced out is on the same level as the balanced out (the manual even says it has a little bit more Signal to Noise Ratio) which is quite common with studio gear.

 

[Ilomaenkimi]

As I already said the V281 is more on the dark side and good with brighter cans. The HPA-4 is on the other side and more bright sounding - good for darker headphones. The Phonitor is right in between then. To my ears it also has the best dynamic sound.
Staging had a bit more depth on the violectric whereas the benchmark sounded a bit smaller (but with better separation than V281).
All in all these 3 amps are just awesome.

edit: one great thing about the Phonitor is that the unbalanced out is on the same level as the balanced out (the manual even says it has a little bit more Signal to Noise Ratio) which is quite common with studio gear.

Nice news, because the V281 and HPA-4 were amplifiers I was considering as well, I just didn't get them to listen to so I bought directly Phonitor xe.
Based on what you described, my choice was a spot on.
Stellias just does not have any faults in my books, so Phonitor xe is perfect match for them.

 

[stuck limo]

My Phonitor XE appears to have gone out. It was working fine today, and now that I came back to it after it sat for a while today, has zero sound. I tried it via XLR and RCA inputs. The VU meters don’t work. The only sound is complete silence. It powers on fine but now there's a burning smell to the board.

I should also add, I tried both the SE and XLR outputs on the amp as well to the same effect - zero sound. Also, two different sources were used: DAC with XLR/RCA outputs, and my phone hooked to the RCA inputs as well. No sound from either source. The left VU meter was going nuts (with no music) and the right VU meter was stable and not really moving. I heard a crackling noise in the left channel, turned it off and let it sit.

I let it sit for half an hour, came back, turned it on. The music came through, however the left VU meter is still going NUTS and now it appears the left channel is out via balanced (crackling noises). I did open it up but don’t see any scorch or burn or black marks, so I’m unsure what exactly is broken.

I have it unplugged and sitting there/airing out now.I put in a ticket to SPL but I have no idea where their repair facility is or what they charge to fix out of warranty units.

No, I did NOT unplug it or plug in the headphones with the music playing.

 

[stuck limo]

I could see this with the Phonitor based on my experience with HD800S (gotten fatiguing quickly). 600 can be unforgiving on certain amps. I'm not surprised at Phonitor's characteristic. It's used for studio monitoring, in which you want certain things to be noticibley forward. Take the Yamaha monitors for instance.
660S and 650 are a bit laid back in treble compared to 600

Re: Senn 600 not working with this amp....the 650 sounds very very good on it (sooo smooth), and also the Hifiman HE-400 (at least my mod version) sounds incredible on it as well (which is pretty similar in nature to the Senn 600). LCD 2.2 and LCD 3 also sound beautiful on it. The only one I've heard and not liked was the 600.

 

[penguinofsleep2]

Short version: A top 3 SS headphone amp for me. Of the other 2, one is much more expensive and the other is out of production. Neutral sound that mostly gets out of the way without going lifeless - full rich sound with enough umph + didn't kill musicality, above average technicalities in pretty much every category I could think of, and no fatiguing or annoying SS sound, no other strange issues such as tonality, crappy interface, way too hot, crappy build quality etc.

Only 3 reasons I wouldn't get the amp
1) driving HE6/HE6se - I felt like this borderline didn't have enough current and voltage/current swing to properly power HE6/se while getting all the heft, impact, slam, and to some degree bass texture people get an HE6 for. Was fine with all other planars I've heard on this.
2) A $1500+ (used) or $2k+ (new) amp just isn't in your audio budget - perfectly fine
3) Prefer top tier tube amp sound exclusively. This amp sounds better than most upper mid tier tube amps IMO and as mentioned, doesn't have most of the SS drawbacks that often makes people want tubes in the first place. The only amps I've heard that beat this amp are a few high end tube amps but then tubes...

 

[SupperTime]

So I too have the awesome rme adi-2 dac v2.
I am looking to power up the Stellias to the best they can be.
Rifht now it's between
Phonitor (amp only)
Focal arche
Feliks tube don't know which one

 

[dRnRcR]

A have a phonitor E with a Rme Adi-2 DAC and I couldn't be happier. I agree that it doesn't add anything color wise to the sound but for me that's what I'm looking for. I have no idea why someone would say it was bad. That being said we all hear things differently and everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

 

[Tsukuyomi]

So I too have the awesome rme adi-2 dac v2.
I am looking to power up the Stellias to the best they can be.
Rifht now it's between
Phonitor (amp only)
Focal arche
Feliks tube don't know which one

Rme adi-2 dac v2?? Was there a silent update/revision? Or are you thinking the adi2 dac is a v2 compared to the adi 2 pro?

 

[xtr4]

Rme adi-2 dac v2?? Was there a silent update/revision? Or are you thinking the adi2 dac is a v2 compared to the adi 2 pro?

It's a silent update. Comes with AKM4493 chip instead of the AKM4490 and also the updated remote (which is more useful than the original one)

 

[stuck limo]

Interesting tidbits over the SPL Phonitor warranty:

1. Lasts for 2 years
2. Transferable to different owners
3. Must go through Focal Naim US/Canada (based in Canada)
4. They currently have literally 2 people working ALL tickets/requests for SPL/Focal Naim/whatever else
5. Wait time is very long, they are buried under tickets. They are supposedly trying to convince Focal Naim to hire more agents/dealers to deal with repair/warranty requests
6. Repair out of warranty is usually between $200 - $400