Inside of an SPL Phonitor SE (DAC768xs) Headphone AMP

[CJG]

Just a few interior shots of my beloved SPL Phonitor SE reference headphone amp and DAC768xs.

 

[Oldson]

i have one of these, but i would not refer to mine as "beloved".
considering other options that are a bit more forgiving if you forget to wind the vol pot down before disconnecting headphones.

i think the "X" varient was tested on here and failed miserably with lower impedance loads, so these amps do not really get any love on this forum.
dont get me wrong, i like how mine sounds but want something better for low impedance phones that i plan on adding to my collection.

 

[CJG]

i have one of these, but i would not refer to mine as "beloved".
considering other options that are a bit more forgiving if you forget to wind the vol pot down before disconnecting headphones.

i think the "X" varient was tested on here and failed miserably with lower impedance loads, so these amps do not really get any love on this forum.
dont get me wrong, i like how mine sounds but want something better for low impedance phones that i plan on adding to my collection.

That's quite odd, I've never encountered any issues while connecting and disconnecting any of my headphones or iems on the SPL, however I have encountered that issue on my Rupert Neve RNHP.

 

[Oldson]

i'll avoid the RNHP too then.
i notice you have a Jot2, how does it compare to the Phonitor?

 

[CJG]

i'll avoid the RNHP too then.
i notice you have a Jot2, how does it compare to the Phonitor?

The Jot 2 is a very powerful Class A/B amp, especially through its balanced XLR port. Could easily power my high impedance dynamic driver headphones and Planars with ease and with great clarity, impact, spaciousness and full bodied. It's a much fuller, richer sound when compared to the SPL. It's a great amp, but I would avoid buying it with the optional DAC, I have heard it performs poorly. The amplifier section is stellar!

 

[Oldson]

i have just received a used Topping E50, so i am hoping that is me done on the dac front.
going to sell the SPL and i did fancy a Vio V222, but the price.........
i think Jot 2 ticks all the boxes for me.

 

[iconoclast]

I have an spl Phonitor e. I would never in a million years buy it today, but I bought it for my Sennheiser HD 800S back in the day when the only options for balanced headphone outs that wouldn't cost an arm and a leg for shipping were that and a Benchmark DAC1 for I-don't-even-know-how-much-money-at-the-time.

It's OK. Solidly built at least.

Oh yeah, I also thought I'd use the crossfeed feature a lot when mixing in my apartment. I didn't really end up finding it super helpful.