SPL Phonitor XE

So I originally felt the Phonitor might just be a bit more pulled back, with what I perceived to be a ‘wider’ sound stage… So I thought maybe the “Matrix” crossfeed circuit which you can turn off and on might be permanently embedded a bit into the design of the amp to some extent… and the RNHP and THX amps were simply going for a more straight forward amping sound.

But now ABing with the RNHP, I think the difference is a lot more straight-forward. The Phonitor is just a good deal more resolving. There’s a very noticeable difference in the articulation and separation of sounds, which does a lot for the overall imaging and makes sounds more 3 dimensional and separated, hence why I had my initial impression…

More thoughts tomorrow or later this week for sure. Including more comparisons for the internal DAC vs the Topping D90.

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That’s in line with @Darthpool’s summation of the Fidelice (re-cased) RNHP compared to the Phonitor X. The Phonitor is a good step up from an already fantastic RNHP.

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@M0N has said likewise.

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Would love to know if your experience is the same on both SE and balanced outputs :+1:t2: The red unit looks absolutely gorgeous compared to the RNHP.

Some quick testing, balanced seems to push more power (More volume), but otherwise, they seem to sound pretty much identical as far as I can tell for any practical purpose. I’ve only been using the amp at ‘low gain’ as well. Ive tried ‘high gain’ a bit… but definitely way too overkill with the Focal Clears… a bit past 9 o clock gets way too loud.

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So here’s my ‘brief’ SPL Phonitor E Review,

Listening through the Focal Clears and using the Topping D90 as a source… primarily listening to a mix of genres through Amazon Music HD, along with some light gaming and movie watching as well.

First to answer the question, “Is this a tangible, noticeable upgrade over a THX amp or RNHP or any number of cheaper, very well measuring amps?”

The short answer is yes. It’s a very noticeable upgrade in resolution, detail, separation… etc. It’s the type of difference I think anyone would be able to hear relatively easily. This is not like going from a THX amp to the RNHP, which very much surprised me, but I’d still more or less put a 789 and RNHP in the same ‘tier’ of amp. The SPL Phonitor E definitely sounds like a higher tier amp.

I don’t want to oversell it, but I also don’t want to undersell it either.
So for the record I love the sound coming from this amp, but if I play devil’s advocate and try to imagine how someone else who didn’t like the changes this amp was introducing, I might say it sounds ‘thin’ or too ‘clinical’. Yes, even compared to a THX or RNHP.

A note to the ASR Crowd, click arrow to read

Yes, I know there’s a preconception that an amp cleaner sounding than THX isn’t possible, I had that preconception as well. I am well aware and VERY wary of phychoacoustic affects and placebo. I’ve second guessed myself multiple times and it gets to a point that it becomes more ‘maddening’ to deny it and simply accept what I’m hearing is actually what I’m hearing, especially after multiple A/B sessions and sleeping on it after hours of listening, waking up and hearing the same differences consistently. I’d simply implore anyone with any lingering doubt to not take any one person’s or group of people’s point of view as being ‘infaluable’ and to simply try things and judge for themselves.

That being said, it’s not clinical in the sense of being fatiguing or harsh. It just very plainly and simply has extremely high resolve. It’s very similar or in the direction of the fast, transient sound detail you get from an electrostat.

When I spent time ABing this amp against the RNHP, I didn’t hear any differences as far as ‘tonality’ or ‘width’ so I knew for certain there was nothing happening there, but the difference in separation was distinctly obvious. It’s the type of thing I had surmised just came down to recording quality/source material (and it probably still is to an extent).

Sounds on the RNHP just kind of mash together more, and overall music turns more into a ‘messy ball of sound’. The RNHP is still great, but we are just talking relative comparisons here. When I switch over to the SPL Phonitor E, comparatively, everything suddenly gets a lot more delineated by a pretty noticeable degree. It’s almost like the impulse response of the Focal Clears suddenly improved… but they didn’t, it’s just the amp.

As a result, music overall sounds a lot less ‘noisy’ and more ‘articulate’. It makes listening a lot less fatiguing. And it also does a great deal for imaging as well, improving the already stellar imaging of the Focal Clears.

But again, I don’t want to oversell it. It’s not a stark night and day difference. If I were to put an arbitrary percentage on it, I’d go with 10-15% of improved resonance detail for an amp that is 300%-400% the price of a THX 789. It doesn’t do anything to add any ‘body’ or ‘warmth’ to the sound. It makes the Focal Clears sound even more ‘neutral’. But it’s definitely more than enough of an improvement to justify putting it over $1000 in my opinion, but like most solid-state amps, they are more alike than they are different.

Personally, I am very happy to have this amp on my desk. It sounds very nice and I likely won’t be moving on to another amp for a while now. For my limited experience, especially when it comes to $1000+ amps, it’s definitely the nicest amp I’ve ever heeard and it’s the best my music has ever sounded.

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I’m reminded of that scene in Half Baked, where the guy quits his job at the burger place by saying “F You, F you…you’re cool. AND F YOU!!”

You guys are super bad influences. I bought a Phonitor e and I blame all of you. :grin:

I’ll receive it within my RHNP return window so I can do some AB testing. That Phonitor sure it big! I’ll miss my little compact setup.

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Or it could be that the clear scales with higher end amps lol

Nice review :+1:, I have similar experiences to yours, it’s a pretty sweet amp. I don’t know if I am ready to relearn another amp for studio use so I stick with rnhp for now (still swear by it even though I have plenty of “better” amps in the other room lol

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I’m reminded of a time where I was golfing my Dad, one of his friends and my brother. The friend was a perfectly decent golfer, and showed up in Calloway clothes, a Greg Norman hat and with a bag of the latest clubs.

My brother shows up in cargo shorts and a T shirt, with a bag of great quality but older and scuffed up clubs shoved in a well worn bag. The friend doesn’t look twice…until my bro hits his 1 iron 300 yards off the tee (no kidding) and birdies the first hole. Turns out my scruffy brother was a 1 handicapper.

Anyway…point is that trusted equipment is better than the latest tech or specs.

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I would like to upgrade, but I haven’t found an amp that I really like for studio as much as the rnhp.

That being said, I have a feeling that the microZOTL MZ3 waiting at home WILL replace the rnhp, and I can’t wait lol. Most natural yet neutral amp I have heard so far

Spoiler: it didn’t really, better amp overall but not direct upgrade

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oh- nice little box from pictures and what I read

Just sounded amazingly natural, was not expecting that

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for with your 8000 Pro?

These and the yesterday named HeadAmp GSX mini mkII are not as wildly known in our enthusiast circles
At least what I saw in the last 1.5years of the hobby

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With most of the headphones I demoed with them, have heard them with the clear, Aurorus Audio Borealis, a diana phi, and a lcd4

They make a mini mk2? I only thought they made the mini and the mk2 as separate components. (I have the mk2 not the mini)

Oh sorry - was on the wrong product- browser on the phone had it still open from yesterday after the call…
Read all on the homepage from front to back:)

isn’t this still in prototype status? or Beta status?
Sorry going off topic like crazy

Correct, that was an amp I demoed these on

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This could be a interesting topic for itself