SPL Phonitor X *Updated* Review (DAC & Headphone Amp)

[Aperiodic]

If there's one point that this site keeps proving, it's that performance falling well short of price not only happens, it's commonplace- and across all product categories.

I fall in the midlle as an audiophile- I don't believe that measurements completely describe the listening experience, but I do believe that they help/matter and are a gauge of good engineering practices if nothing else. This falls well short of where it should for the money, as Lambda says. Next!

 

[peniku8]

Crazy to think that I wanted to buy a phonitor (the small model) once to 'upgrade' from my RME (Fireface UC).

 

[ALex_hha]

I can't recommend the SPL Phonitor X

 

[EJ3]

From my perspective I like the styling and the performance is adequate so I would be prepared to buy it if I wanted the headphone cross fade effects.
Plenty of my HiFi is more expensive than it strictly needs to be from a SQ POV because I like the styling or functionality, I'm afraid.

GDR

I quite like the styling but for me, it has to have the performance first, Functionality second & styling 3rd. If those stars line up, then: does it fit my budget.

 

[amirm]

It may be possible to get better measured performance but the existing data shows that it will be audibly transparent, being way better than any music recording I know of, so as I wrote the performance is adequate, in as much as being indistinguishable from perfect.

It is not audibly transparent with low impedance headphones.

 

[Frank Dernie]

It is not audibly transparent with low impedance headphones.

It is also not something I would buy as a person who only uses headphones mowing my lawn and on bus/train/plane so I didn't pay enough attention to the various headphone loads, sorry.
I'll delete my irrelevant posts.

 

[Chromatischism]

If we need 16 bits for transparency, why is 17 bits poor? Sorry if already asked.

 

[MaximXXL]

Jitter is excessive:

Amir, hello. I would like to know your assessment of the feasibility of performing the following measurements for the DAC:
1. DAC susceptibility to input jitter, for example: https://www.ap.com/download/apx-j-test-jitter-measurement-utility-12/
2. The absolute level of jitter at the DAC output (nanoseconds). A paper authored by Eric Benjamin and Benjamin Gannon (Document 4826 of the 105th AES Convention) describes case studies that have found the lowest jitter that becomes audible at around 10 ns rms. The test was carried out with a high level 17 kHz signal. In music, jitter was invisible, starting from 20 ns rms and below.
Best regards, Maxim

 

[ALex_hha]

I can't recommend the SPL Phonitor X

It was my dream ((

 

[elguapo]

I reviewed another model in the Phonitor series that has the crossfeed feature. November AudioXpress.

I read your article. But just would like to verify that Phonitor One d's voltage for amp. I thought SPL didn't put VOLTAiR 120V rail in Phonitor One d? The internal voltage is 17V...

 

[SIY]

I read your article. But just would like to verify that Phonitor One d's voltage for amp. I thought SPL didn't put VOLTAiR 120V rail in Phonitor One d? The internal voltage is 17V...

The schematic they provided me shows the +/-60V rails.

 

[elguapo]

The schematic they provided me shows the +/-60V rails.

This would be a hidden gem of Phonitor One d. Glad I own it.