SPL Phonitor X / Phonitor E impressions and Discussion thread
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Petyot
100+ Head-Fier
Hi there,
Did anyone try the Phonitor X with a K1000? If so, how did you find the sound?
Thanks
Did anyone try the Phonitor X with a K1000? If so, how did you find the sound?
Thanks
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Phonitor is pushing out a new Phonitor. Looks like they're upgrading the Phonitor E with extra features:
https://spl.audio/professional-fidelity/phonitor-xe/?lang=en
https://spl.audio/professional-fidelity/phonitor-xe/?lang=en
Im pretty confident that that is simply a new model, with more features than the e and less than the x.
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Oh yea, sorry that's what I meant. Unfortunately it seems like they're cranking these out faster than people are buying them.
I've been eyeing these new Phonitors and the "XE" seems like it has the extra features I would want from the "E".
emrelights1973
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I don’t need a pre, just a good headphone amp
Sound Eq
Headphoneus Supremus
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hello everyone, i want to ask please how is the pairing of chord qutest with phonitor x
i am interested in the phonitor x, i wont be able to audition it, i will be using the qutest with phonitor x with my audeze mx4
my question is would i be able to enjoy electronic music with as i am bit concerned bout when people mention the word neural alot, does it mean the bass is weak, and are thin , as electronic music like daft punk sometimes you prefer to hear those bass and synth notes
what can i expect tonally form qutest and phonitor x combo, is it a boring flat signature or would it be something that I can enjoy listening to having a good bass, mids and highs that is far from boring, boring means to me you have to focus to hear those bass and synth notes. I do not like thin sounding amps at all. Nor do I like thick way too coloured amps. If the phonitor x is just for studio engineers to monitor the recordings without enjoying what you hear, as a result of a neutral signature, by neutral I mean barely you hear the bass, and mids are thin then please let me know to stay away from the X
i am interested in the phonitor x, i wont be able to audition it, i will be using the qutest with phonitor x with my audeze mx4
my question is would i be able to enjoy electronic music with as i am bit concerned bout when people mention the word neural alot, does it mean the bass is weak, and are thin , as electronic music like daft punk sometimes you prefer to hear those bass and synth notes
what can i expect tonally form qutest and phonitor x combo, is it a boring flat signature or would it be something that I can enjoy listening to having a good bass, mids and highs that is far from boring, boring means to me you have to focus to hear those bass and synth notes. I do not like thin sounding amps at all. Nor do I like thick way too coloured amps. If the phonitor x is just for studio engineers to monitor the recordings without enjoying what you hear, as a result of a neutral signature, by neutral I mean barely you hear the bass, and mids are thin then please let me know to stay away from the X
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Yet the reviews seem uniformely excellent for that particular range - Phonitor 2, X, XE... in this review, @Torq concludes that the X is among the best solid-state amps he's tested. https://www.headphone.com/blogs/news/spl-phonitor-x-review
He actually says: "the best “sounding” solid-state headphone amplifier I’ve heard." High praise indeed.
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Very true. Torq really likes this amplifier.
If you ever sell than Phonitor 2, let me know
Neutral means the amplifier will just accurately replicate the tonality of what its fed. So it will not emphasize or subdue what it is fed, anywhere in the spectrum.
There is no tonal shift feeding either my DAVE or my Hugo 2 through the Phonitor X vs. their direct outputs. The Qutest via the Phonitor X sounds just like the Hugo 2 via the Phonitor X.
The predominant factor in how the Qutest -> Phonitor X -> MX4 sounds is the headphone. The DAC and amp are neutral. You'll basically be hearing flat + the profile of the headphones. I've not heard the MX4, but I do have the original LCD-4 and there is no lack of bass or enjoyment with that combination - which is down to the signature of the headphone.
It sounds like you want your amp to do more than simply amplify what it is fed. And if you're looking for an amp that's going to act like a bass-boost or other tone control then the Phonitor line is the wrong place to look. Look for something that has tone controls or bass-boost. The iFi Pro iCAN would be a good place to start looking ... as while it is essentially neutral also, in solid-state mode, it has a tube-mode option as well as bass-enhancement functions.
If you do go for a Phonitor, then unless you want the pre-amp output buy the "XE" version. It's cheaper and the headphone output sounds identical to the X.
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I use the MX4 with the Phonitor 2 and listen to quite a bit of EDM.
As has been said above, the Phonitor is often praised as being neutral and transparent. My own (unscientific) listening tests can attest to that, though I have to say that back when I owned the Oppo HA-1, I would A/B its built-in amp and the Phonitor's and every time, esp. for bass-heavy music, adding the Phonitor 2 to the mix, opened things up, greater soundstage, clarity, detail, etc... and greater bass oomph and slam. It wasn't even close.
The Phonitor has long been compared to the Violectric amps, most notably Violectric V281 (both German made) and those who tended to lean towards a heavier, darker, bassier sound preferred the V281 every time. That said, I listen to many music genres, most notably classical, so the Phonitor is perfect for me and like I said, it's no slouch for Pop, Hip-hop, EDM, whatever you throw at it. I prefer relatively uncolored amplification myself.
The MX4 is probably the most neutral and analytical of of the LCD planars, but it is still a planar, so can't take that out of its DNA. It can go low when it needs too, though its tuning is probably not as dark as the 4 or 4z. Since it was initially conceived for monitoring, there's lots of detail and instrument separation there. Expect that with the Phonitor. The MX4 deals really well with EQing. If ever you find you need more bass, EQ's always there to tailor the sound to your liking.
These two tracks are a good test:
The Royksopp beat is hard from the start and the Mura Masa/Albarn Blu drops at 2:35. In both cases, with FLAC files upsampled to quad DSD, the Phonitor/MX4 combo makes for quite a punchy, bassy, dynamic rendition-- it punches, rattles and rumbles, though it probably doesn't rumble and rattle as much as a closed-back Fostex would. But then, that would be a really unfair comparison. Apples to oranges. The plus side of that though is that the MX4 does almost just as well with all the advantages of an open planar added to the mix. Comparatively speaking, it does better than my Z1Rs, both in sound and bass quantity, though the Z1Rs may have more sub-bass presence. The planar sound is just bigger, most likely due to the size of those gigantic drivers.
In other words, MX4 + Phonitor combo really recommended.
Very true. Torq really likes this amplifier.
If you ever sell than Phonitor 2, let me know
FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Sonic Defender
Headphoneus Supremus
I owned an original Auditor a number of years back now and I loved that amp. I used it with a 600ohm DT 880 and an HD650 and I thought the Auditor just had a wonderful control over the drivers. Very fast and responsive. Quite liked that amp.
I'm a big fan & owner of the Phonitor X. And agree all the way around, very revealing of what you feed it. I personally like that characteristic in an headphone amp/pre-amp.
Also I can't say enough about the degree angle and crossfeed functions. It's taken me awhile and plenty of time to figure out what works to my liking. But I can say, it's added a good amount of depth to the listening experience. Has both widened and added depth to the soundstage & added more texture. Really, some fantastic features with this amp that I never knew I'd love so much but boy do I.
Also I can't say enough about the degree angle and crossfeed functions. It's taken me awhile and plenty of time to figure out what works to my liking. But I can say, it's added a good amount of depth to the listening experience. Has both widened and added depth to the soundstage & added more texture. Really, some fantastic features with this amp that I never knew I'd love so much but boy do I.
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How does the Phonitor 2 compare with a Phonitor X? I have a phonitor 2 right now and would a upgrade be worth it?
I've not heard the Phonitor 2 to compare w/ Phonitor X. I think some other members that have commented on this thread may be able to help you out. Good luck.
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