SPL Audio Phonitor SE Headphone Amplifier with optional DAC 768xs

The Phonitor se is focused on the essentials – without compromising on quality.

Featuring the same audio signal amplification as its bigger brothers Phonitor x and Phonitor xe, with the optional DA converter, it can also play from digital sources.

The Phonitor Matrix provides two of the most common Phonitor Matrix settings as switchable presets. It lets you experience music on headphones as being played back through speakers. Thanks to VOLTAiR technology in the highest sound quality.

EVERYTHING UNDER CONTROL

The volume is adjusted with a massive, milled aluminium, rotary knob. The Alps RK27 “Big Blue” potentiometer gives a pleasant “spoon in the honey” rotary feel. In addition to an analog source, three additional digital sources can be connected to the Phonitor se with the optional DAC768xs.

HEADPHONE OUTPUT WITH POWER

The Phonitor se offers a 6.35 mm jack for connecting headphones with jack plug. Up to 2 x 5 watts of output power is available at this socket. This allows even very power-hungry headphones such as magnetostats or electrostats to be driven effortlessly.

THE REVOLUTION: PHONITOR-MATRIX

The Phonitor Matrix is the revolution in the headphone amplifier.

Thanks to the Phonitor Matrix, music can be experienced on headphones as if it was played on speakers. The tiring super stereo effect is a thing of the past. Now you can enjoy music without listening fatigue and exactly the way it should be heard.

Unlike the bigger Phonitor models, where the “Angle” switch can be used to select the opening angle of the stereo stage, this parameter is fixed at a default value of 30° for the Phonitor se. The “Cross feed” parameter can be set in two stages – “C1” and “C2”. “C2” provides higher crosstalk/cross feed than “C1”.

Music is normally produced and mixed for playback on stereo speakers.

Listening on headphones is different from listening on loudspeakers. The biggest difference is the lack of crossing signals of the sound signal from the left speaker to the right ear and from the right speaker to the left ear. These crossing signals are missing in conventional headphone listening, because there are no signals crossing from one side of the headphones to the other.

This results in an unnaturally wide stereo image and the various sound sources of the audio signal are not localised as the sound engineer intended them to. This effect is often referred to as “super stereo effect”. During conventional listening on headphones, our brain can balance the false representation of the playback to a certain extent – but this is very exhausting.

The SPL Phonitor Matrix can correct this false stereo image with an analog circuitry. The Phonitor Matrix therefore not only ensures a correct representation of the stereo image, but also a relaxed listening experience.

SOURCE OF JOY

The Phonitor se is equipped with gold-plated RCA sockets for the analog input. The optional DAC768xs adds three more digital sources: USB, COAX und OPTICAL.

PCM audio is received in S/P-DIF format, both coaxial (RCA) and optical (Toslink F06). Both PCM audio and DSD audio can be converted via USB.

The DAC automatically picks up the sampling rate and resolution of the digital playback source. No matter if a streamer, computer or CD player is connected. No further settings on the Phonitor se are necessary.

THE DAC768XS

The converter chip in the optional digital-to-analog converter is the highly acclaimed AKM AK4490 Velvet Sound™ premium DAC chip, which thanks to its architecture reproduces the finest sound details.  It converts PCM audio at 32-bit resolution and a sampling rate of up to 768 kHz, which is 16 times the resolution of a CD. Direct Stream Digital is also supported up to a resolution of DSD4 or DSD256.

Unlike the DAC768, which is built into the Director Mk2 for example or available as an option for the Phonitor xe, the DAC768xs does not offer an AES/EBU digital input. The SPL DLP120 with VOLTAiR technology was also not included in the DAC768xs. Nevertheless, it offers a great performance that is unparalleled in this league.

SOUNDS GOOD

With all devices of the Professional Fidelity series SPL engineers develop not only according to plan, but also by ear. Many components are fitted to the circuit boards using Through-hole technology. This way we can ensure that we can use the best sounding components.

THE VOLTAIR TECHNOLOGY

The 120V technology is our reference technology. The 120V technology is unique in the world. It operates at a DC voltage of 120 volts. This is four times that of IC-based semiconductor op-amps. In our Professional Fidelity series, we refer to this unsurpassed technology as VOLTAiR technology.

The highest possible audio quality requires the highest possible audio operating voltage.

The 120V technology works with +/-60 V. To be able to handle such a high voltage, SPL have developed special proprietary operational amplifiers that can operate with a DC voltage of +/-60 V: the SPL 120V SUPRA operational amplifiers. This high voltage would destroy conventional components and operational amplifiers.

The 120V technology achieves exceptional technical specifications and sonic benefits. Technically, in terms of dynamic range, signal-to-noise ratio and headroom. Sonically, in terms of richness of detail and an absolutely relaxed listening experience.

“120V” in the name of the technology has nothing to do with the local mains voltage from the mains power socket. This is about the operating voltage inside the device with which the audio signals are processed.

The mains voltage from the mains power socket is transformed to the required secondary voltage in the device’s internal linear power supply with toroidal transformer. Rectifiers convert this AC voltage into DC voltage required in the audio device.

PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS

Analog input: RCA

Maximum input gain
32.5 dBu

Input impedance
20 kΩ

Digital Inputs: DAC768xs (optional)

Coaxial SPDIF (RCA), PCM sample rates
44.1/48/88.2/96/176.4/192 kHz

Optical SPDIF (Toslink F06), PCM sample rates
44.1/48/88.2/96/with Glass fibre <1m, 176.4/192 kHz

USB (B), PCM sample rates
44.1/48/88.2/96/176.4/192/352.8/384/705.6/768 kHz

USB (B), DSD over PCM (DoP), sample rates
2.8 (DSD64), 5.6 (DSD128), 11.2 (DSD256) MHz

0 dBFS calibrated to
15 dBu

Standard Headphones Output, 6.35 mm (1/4") TRS Jack

Wiring
Tip = Left, Ring = Right, Sleeve = GND

Source impedance
0.18 Ω

Damping factor (40 Ω)
180

Frequency range (-3dB)
10 Hz – 300 kHz

Crosstalk (1 kHz)
-90 dB

THD + N (10 Hz – 22 kHz, 0 dBu)
0.00091 %

Noise (A-weighted)
-103 dBu

Output power (1 kHz, 1% THD, 600 Ω)
2 x 2.7 W

Output power (1 kHz, 1% THD, 300 Ω)
2 x 5 W

Output power (1 kHz, 1% THD, 32 Ω)
2 x 1 W

Dynamic range
135.5 dB

Internal Linear Power Supply with Shielded Toroidal Transformer:

Operating voltage for analog audio
+/- 60 V

Operating voltage for relays and LEDs
+12 V

Operating voltage for DAC768xs
+7 V, +3.3 V

Mains Power Supply

Mains voltage (selectable, see fuse chamber)
230 V AC / 50; 115 V AC / 60 Hz

Fuse for 230 V
T 315 mA

Fuse for 115 V
T 630 mA

Power consumption
max. 30 VA

Stand-by power consumption
< 0,3 W

Dimensions & Weight

W x H x D incl. feet)
278 x 57 x 300 mm 

Unit weight
2.8 kg 

Shipping weight 
5 kg