[endre83]

which has better resolution. hugoo 2 or a phonitor?

I would like to hear the answer to that comparison as well

 

[Hellraiser86]

which has better resolution. hugoo 2 or a phonitor?

The DAC inside the Hugo is superior to the Phonitor. But it’s the way around with the amp. The amp has a greater impact on the sound so in summary the Phonitor sounds better. But best would be Hugo as a DAC into Phonitor as an amp.

 

[Gadget67]

The DAC inside the Hugo is superior to the Phonitor. But it’s the way around with the amp. The amp has a greater impact on the sound so in summary the Phonitor sounds better. But best would be Hugo as a DAC into Phonitor as an amp.

I see you also have a Sony TA-ZH1ES which is what I am currently using as a DAC with my Phonitor 2 And I’m very pleased with that combination. What I find most interesting though is how relatively flat and one dimensional my music sounds when I move back to my Sony or my Schitt Mjolnir/Gungir. The Phonitor matrix function adds depth and fullness combined with a decent DAC. I’m hooked!

 

[horsh]

Last evening i was listening Leonard Cohen(again) and decided to try without Matrix. Clicked it back on pretty soon. I think i can't live without it anymore. So, i assume that SPL Phonitor xe will be my amp to the grave.

Would you say your phonitor xe is a big improvement over your graham slee ulde? I have the ulde and am very happy with it but am considering buying the phonitor,many thanks in advance

 

[Ilomaenkimi]

Would you say your phonitor xe is a big improvement over your graham slee ulde? I have the ulde and am very happy with it but am considering buying the phonitor,many thanks in advance

It's a difficult question.
SPL is very, very neutral. Still it has lots of musicality also.
Graham Slee is not so neutral but it has some beautiful "magic" in it's sound.
Both amps are very good, imo.

Depends preferences which is better. I honestly can't say which one is better.
Maybe biggest "difference" with Stellias is bass; Phonitor has more control and punch, ULDE has a little "roundness" and smoothness in the bass.
Maybe Graham Slee gives more "beautiful" sound to music. SPL has musical and beautful sound also, but it is more neutral. It's not so romantic as Graham Slee.

But for me, biggest difference is SPL's Matrix. Without it sound is almost "dull" and too "stereo" to me. Matrix gives that nice "lifelike" experience. Without colouring the sound.
So, with Matrix i would say that to me SPL is big improvement over Graham Slee. Without Matrix it gets complicated...

I recommend that you test SPL first versus Graham Slee. So i did. Now i have sold my Graham Slee.

 

[horsh]

It's a difficult question.
SPL is very, very neutral. Still it has lots of musicality also.
Graham Slee is not so neutral but it has some beautiful "magic" in it's sound.
Both amps are very good, imo.

Depends preferences which is better. I honestly can't say which one is better.
Maybe biggest "difference" with Stellias is bass; Phonitor has more control and punch, ULDE has a little "roundness" and smoothness in the bass.
Maybe Graham Slee gives more "beautiful" sound to music. SPL has musical and beautful sound also, but it is more neutral. It's not so romantic as Graham Slee.

But for me, biggest difference is SPL's Matrix. Without it sound is almost "dull" and too "stereo" to me. Matrix gives that nice "lifelike" experience. Without colouring the sound.
So, with Matrix i would say that to me SPL is big improvement over Graham Slee. Without Matrix it gets complicated...

I recommend that you test SPL first versus Graham Slee. So i did. Now i have sold my Graham Slee.

Many thanks for the quick and informative reply,I’ll try and arrange a home demo of the phonitor and decide which I prefer,many thanks again

 

[Giru]

Hey all!
I'm looking to buy a TOTL headphone amplifier and have been suggested the Benchmark HPA4 which they are saying is the be-all-end-all sort of device.
Just wanna ask if someone has heard/owned the HPA4 and Phonitor 2/x/xe? How do they compare?

My choices are violectric V281, HPA4 and Phonitor 2. I can't audition any of these. Which one should I buy?
I have the LCD4, Erzetich Phobos, HD650 and a couple of IEMs too.

 

[Hellraiser86]

Hey all!
I'm looking to buy a TOTL headphone amplifier and have been suggested the Benchmark HPA4 which they are saying is the be-all-end-all sort of device.
Just wanna ask if someone has heard/owned the HPA4 and Phonitor 2/x/xe? How do they compare?

My choices are violectric V281, HPA4 and Phonitor 2. I can't audition any of these. Which one should I buy?
I have the LCD4, Erzetich Phobos, HD650 and a couple of IEMs too.

Hi there,
I already compared them and had all 3 at home. Unfortunately I don’t know how to insert old posts in here so I just copied the text:


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.

 

[Giru]

Hi there,
I already compared them and had all 3 at home. Unfortunately I don’t know how to insert old posts in here so I just copied the text:


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.

Oh thanks a ton!
Sorry must've missed this somehow.
Are you still using the phonitor? If not, which is your main headamp / go to headamp?
I'm looking to buy a headphone amp for some professional/research related work.
The amp should have the following:
1. Sufficient gain (selectable) and output power (the more the better)
2. Balanced and SE output.
3. Ability to drive multiple impedances (ie it should have low output z.)
4. If possible multiple inputs for input switching.
5. Transparent sounding without much addition or deterioration to the original signal.

I want a simple headphone amp and not looking for added functionality (dac/preamp/speaker amp)(input switching is desirable not absolutely necessary). Not looking for a tube based amp. Not looking for diy kit based amps.
My budget is 3k usd but would prefer to get something below 2.5k (as I have to procure 5 of these).
Thanks a lot for the help!

 

[Hellraiser86]

Oh thanks a ton!
Sorry must've missed this somehow.
Are you still using the phonitor? If not, which is your main headamp / go to headamp?
I'm looking to buy a headphone amp for some professional/research related work.
The amp should have the following:
1. Sufficient gain (selectable) and output power (the more the better)
2. Balanced and SE output.
3. Ability to drive multiple impedances (ie it should have low output z.)
4. If possible multiple inputs for input switching.
5. Transparent sounding without much addition or deterioration to the original signal.

I want a simple headphone amp and not looking for added functionality (dac/preamp/speaker amp)(input switching is desirable not absolutely necessary). Not looking for a tube based amp. Not looking for diy kit based amps.
My budget is 3k usd but would prefer to get something below 2.5k (as I have to procure 5 of these).
Thanks a lot for the help!

All of these 3 amps should do what you want. I never really looked for the inputs because I just need one but if you’re after a transparent sound you should go for the Benchmark or SPL Amp. The Violectric has a bit warm tonality.

 

[Giru]

All of these 3 amps should do what you want. I never really looked for the inputs because I just need one but if you’re after a transparent sound you should go for the Benchmark or SPL Amp. The Violectric has a bit warm tonality.

Got it!
Thanks again! Cheers!

 

[f1r3fly]

Hi all, new SPL Phonitor 2 owner. Just wanted to say hi before going through this thread.

 

[rmsanger]

Joined team phonitor

 

[rmsanger]

Just a quick question... I've only messed with dip switch 1 to boost hp output by +22db to driver the Abyss. Dip switch 2 is an RCA boost with it currently set to -10dbv (hifi) and the alternate being 0 dbv (studio). Can anyone give a quick overview of what the Dip switch 2 going to studio will do? I am using RCA from my dac and both balance/unbalance outputs for my hps. Is there any real reason why I would want to flip to studio?

 

[Gadget67]

Just a quick question... I've only messed with dip switch 1 to boost hp output by +22db to driver the Abyss. Dip switch 2 is an RCA boost with it currently set to -10dbv (hifi) and the alternate being 0 dbv (studio). Can anyone give a quick overview of what the Dip switch 2 going to studio will do? I am using RCA from my dac and both balance/unbalance outputs for my hps. Is there any real reason why I would want to flip to studio?

Here is what SPL has to say in the Phonitor 2 manual: I actually leave my Phonitor 2 on studio level all the time since I have an external device (Sony TA or Focal Arche) connected to the RCA inputs. Try it and see if it makes a difference for you.
.
RCA input HiFi level / Studio level
If you connect a HiFi audio device (e.g. a CD player) to the analog
RCA input
(18), you can amplifiy the signal from
HiFi level to studio level with DIP switch 3.
The sources are then equal in level when you switch between XLR and RCA (provided that a studio signal is pres-
ent at the XLR input).
DIP switch 3: ON = The RCA input is boosted from -10 dBV (HiFi level) to 0 dBu (studio level)