“If you are looking for a headphone amplifier that performs on a professional level and also offers clever features such as a crossfeed function, the SPL Phonitor One d should definitely be on your shortlist.”
At the online platform delamar you can find a review about our headphone amplifier SPL Phonitor One d. Find the complete review (in German) online – here we provide you with a short summary.
First impression:
“German manufacturer SPL is known for their outstanding audio products, so it comes as no surprise that our test candidate is already convincing at first sight. The headphone amplifier already looks very well manufactured at first glance. All controls, switches and jacks are solidly built and leave a high-quality impression.”
“The latter can also be said for the metal housing and the aluminum front panel. Both front and rear panels are very clearly designed; there is plenty of space between the control elements and inputs and outputs – there is no need to fiddle around here, everything is in its place.”
“In contrast to the SPL Phonitor One, the Phonitor One d is not just a pure headphone amplifier. With an integrated digital-to-analog converter and an additional line-out pair (jack), the device can also function as an audio interface.”
Pre and output stage:
“The prestage of the SPL Phonitor One d uses two Burr-Brown OPA 2134 SoundPlus operational amplifiers, whose features include a FET stage (slew rate of 20V/µs). This ensures very low distortion as well as a low noise level. The output stage of the SPL Phonitor One d is a push-pull amplifier in Class-AB. The transistors of the output stages are thermally coupled and should therefore run particularly coherently, with the result of delivering a more harmonious sound.”
Converter:
“Conversion is done via a 32-bit digital-to-analog converter, more precisely a premium AK4490 chip. The SPL Phonitor One d supports sampling frequencies of 768 kHz PCM, which is 16 times the CD resolution. Direct Stream Digital (DSD) is supported with a resolution of DSD4 or DSD256. So there is really nothing to complain about in terms of resolution here.”
Sound:
“We tested a number of mixes from very different genres with the SPL Phonitor One d – from old classical recordings and jazz to metal and punk, techno and hip-hop. What surprised us most during these test runs was the sound that remained perfectly in balance across all these styles. Perhaps this is the best way to put it: The SPL Phonitor One d sounds effortless even with demanding sound material.”
Conclusion:
“The manufacturers have conceptually limited themselves to what really matters: sound. There are no technical gimmicks and other fancy effects. Equipped with a high-quality technical inner workings and well thought-out, useful features, this product is nevertheless more than just a technical accessory – the SPL Phonitor One d is a device that can make the essential difference for audiophile listening in the living room as well as for working in a recording studio.”
