In German Sound & Recording magazine you can find a review about our audiophile headphone amplifier from our Studio series, the SPL Phonitor One d. In contrast to the Phonitor One, the One d model has a DA converter, so the device can be directly connected to a computer via USB. Thanks to the integrated Phonitor Matrix, you can use the Phonitor One d to create perfect mixes on headphones. The complete review can be found in the current edition (2/22) of the magazine – here we provide a short summary as usual.
Features:
“On the aluminum front of the otherwise black metal housing sits an analog volume control, a red power LED, a switch for selecting the line inputs 1 & 2 as well as the selection option USB for playing the computer signal. On the right sits the headphone output in the version as a TRS jack, and to the left of it is also for me the main feature of the Phonitor One d: the crossfeed control!”
“But what does the crossfeed do? Simply put, the crossfeed uses an analog circuit to simulate the crosstalk of the left or right speaker to the left or right ear.”
“For me, it feels like it creates a more airy sound and also more spatiality.”
Sound:
“Sound quality also plays a crucial role, of course, although you expect high quality from SPL anyway, and the expectations are indeed fulfilled.”
“The DA converter in the Phonitor One d operates at 32 bits and a sampling rate of 768 kHz, which provide sufficient sound quality to the ears of any audiophile.”
“The highs frequencies are clearer and the bass is well-rounded. However, if you turn up the crossfeed control, the sun rises sonically. And that is clearly noticeable!”
Conclusion:
“The price is absolutely justified because of the excellent sound quality, the superior manufacturing of the hardware, the analog circuitry of the Phonitor Matrix and the high-quality DA converter inside the One d.”
“Paired with high-quality headphones, the Phonitor One d takes the listening pleasure of mixing, and not just the monitoring situation in the home studio, to the next level. That’s why the Phonitor One d has become an essential part of my setup. And it’s also a lot of fun to listen to music with!”
