The analogue section of the HA 200 is based on the unique T+A HV technology. Our first headphone amplifier is a new and ground-breaking development in which the analogue amplifier section, the converter section and also the case mechanics operate to perfection. Share: For smartphones and inexpensive stationary audio devices, but also in the studio, one should refrain.The HA 200 headphone amplifier.
Headphone Amp With Crossfeed Series Of DipswitchesThat will have to wait for a follow-up. It was not yet in production when I received the Phonitor X, so I could not put it through its paces. You can also set up the Phonitor X so that a chosen input will go directly to the RCA or XLR outputs on the back without attenuation from the volume control.On the back panel there is space for the optional DAC card. You can boost the factory default headphone output by either 12 or 22dB. Maximum output is 3.7 watts into 120 ohms, but you can change the output settings via a series of dipswitches on the bottom of the unit.Headphone Amp With Crossfeed Upgrade At AThe front panel itself is about ¼-inch thick and is available in silver, black, or red. On the right side of the volume control is a pair of input level VU meters, balanced and single-ended headphone connections, and an on/off switch. The front panel has a large, centrally located volume control flanked on the left by analog and digital source selector switches, an output selector switch, crossfeed angle control, crossfeed switch, and the matrix on/off switch. The chip can even support DSD, but as of now that is not included in its feature set, though it could be added via a firmware upgrade at a later time, depending on feedback from customers.Compared to some high-end audio gear that sports a “super-luxury finish” the Phonitor X cosmetics are more about function than bling.Headphone Amp With Crossfeed Manual On MyThe back panel also has a pair of trigger controls to activate other SPL products, and an IR PGM that allows you to pair the Phonitor X with any remote control. If your Phonitor has the optional digital interface it will also have a coaxial SPDIF, TosLink, and USB input. I spent the first week of use with the owner’s manual on my desk, turned to the page with pictures of the front panel so I could see (and memorize) the control’s labels.The back panel of the Phonitor X includes one pair of balanced and unbalanced analog outputs and one pair of balanced and unbalanced inputs.
First, whenever the Phonitor X is in mute mode they turn red, which makes it easy to tell if signal is really being passed through the Phonitor X to your headphones or power amplifiers. SPL’s experience in making pro gear is probably the main reason the controls are so logical and easy to use.On some devices VU meters are more for show than for practical use, but the meters on the Phonitor X have utilitarian value. The large central volume control is easy to find, and from there, depending on what function you wish to adjust, you can find your way to every knob and switch without looking. I listened to both the analog and digital volume controls set at -9dB, and settled on digital volume attenuation as the most sonically transparent solution.After the first ten days of use, I began to appreciate the Phonitor X’s ergonomic excellence and started using it primarily by feel. Fortunately, the Phonitor X has a switch that calibrates the meters so that 0VU is +12dB. Reservoir dogs streamingWith my most sensitive in-ear monitors, the Empire Ears Zeus (115dB sensitivity), there was noticeable hiss and some low-level hum and noise. With my least efficient headphones, a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 990 600-ohm version, the Phonitor volume control barely edged past midway on my lower-output live concert and field recordings, without the need for any additional output boost from the dipswitches. Given that the Phonitor not only has that 120-volt rail but also the option for an additional 12 or 22dB of gain, it’s hard to imagine that there are any “difficult to drive” headphones that the Phonitor X can’t power successfully. The Phonitor has adjustable output levels, but it has no adjustments for input.Unlike many high-gain or high-output headphone amplifiers, which have adjustable gain settings, the Phonitor X has no way to compensate for extremely high-sensitivity or low-sensitivity headphones. Finally, the VU meters point up one potential problem with the Phonitor X: If the input levels are too high or low, you will need to alter them before they are routed to the Phonitor X because the unit itself has no way to attenuate input levels. Prodiscover basic errorsEven SPL’s Phonitor II, which had even more matrix and crossfeed setting options than the Phonitor X, did not generate a “better” soundstage implementation for me. Whether coupled to the new, lightning-fast Focal Utopia headphones or the venerable Grado RS-1 on-ears, the Phonitor X exerted a level of finesse that put it on par with the top echelon of headphone amplifiers, tube or solid-state, designed to handle difficult-to-drive headphones.In the past I have not been impressed by the vast majority of headphone amplifiers’ implementations of “crossfeed.” This is usually a setting or collection of settings that adds some amount of right-channel information to the left, and left-channel information to the right. Both the Utopia and Ether C were attached using Moon Audio’s Silver Dragon cable with balanced terminations, while the ATH-W3000ANV was connected via its permanently attached, single-ended connection.My first and last impression of the Phonitor X was one of unfettered power and control. That is not surprising given that in my experience very few headphone amplifiers have the ability to drive both sensitive in-ear monitors and inefficient large-diaphragm over-ears with equal efficacy.Three headphones spent the most time tethered to the SPL Phonitor X: the new Focal Utopia, the MrSpeakers Ether C, and the Audio Technica ATH-W3000ANV. With the crossfeed and matrix settings engaged, the lower midrange lost a bit of harmonic complexity and richness, while the upper midrange gained a bit of additional lucidity. The matrix and crossfeed circuits also introduced some shifts in the harmonic balance of all the headphones I used with them. But the sonic changes were not all universally benign.
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