SPL Phonitor x balanced Headphone Amp/Preamp with 24bit/768kHz DAC

Description

PREOWNED – FULLY TESTED – INCLUDES DAC768xs, ORIGINAL BOX/PACKING, MANUAL, POWER CABLE – IN BLACK

Our Phonitor headphone amplifiers found a huge fan base among Hi-Fi enthusiasts. With the Phonitor x we have accommodated the wishes of our Hi-Fi customers.

The Phonitor x is the ultimate headphone amplifier. It offers connections for headphones operated both balanced and unbalanced. With up to 3.7 W output power the Phonitor x delivers an impressive performance.

The revolutionary Phonitor Matrix delivers the most realistic playback on headphones. As almost all music was mixed for speaker playback the Phonitor Matrix lets you experience music on headphones as being played back through speakers.

The Phonitor x is not just a headphone amplifier, but also an excellent preamplifier that can also drive power amplifiers or active monitors. All in all five input sources can be connected. Two of which are analog stereo inputs (XLR und RCA) and three more are digital stereo inputs (USB, coaxial and optical). 

• 120V rail headphone amplifier and preamplifier

• Separate connections and power amplifiers for headphone driven balanced and unbalanced 

• Suited for all headphones with impedances >10 ohms

• Balanced and unbalanced analog inputs (XLR and RCA)

• digital inputs: USB, coaxial and optical

• Balanced and unbalanced analog outputs (XLR and RCA)

• Innovative Phonitor Matrix: speaker-equivalent listening on headphones

• Laterality control: super-fine balance control

• Mono switch function

• Volume remotely adjustable (learns any IR remote control)

• Maximum output power: 2 x 3.7 W (into 120 ohms)

• Frequency response: 10 Hz – 300 kHz (-3 dB)

• THD+N: 0.00091 % (HP), 0.00085 % (Line)

• Dynamic range: 135.5 dB (HP), 136.3 dB (Line)

• AMP CTR connection with Performer power amplifier for coupled On/Off switching 

• Made in Germany 

The technical basis of all Professional Fidelity units is our proprietory 120 V Rail Technology, which we also call VOLTAiR technology. The name makes reference to the unequalled high voltage of 120 V (+/-60 V DC) and the huge dynamic range of over 140 dB that goes with it.

Phonitor is a success story. Designed and developed for the sound engineer and producer giving them a tool to be able to mix on headphones Phonitor soon found a big fan base among Hi-Fi aficionados around the world.

For us it was only logical, that we develop an optimized for those who enjoy ‘just’ listening to music.

What is new about Phonitor x?

Dual power amp for balanced headphones

Now your headphones can be operated ‘balanced’. Phonitor x has an advanced dual power amp built-in that drives headphones balanced which twice the power of the standard 1/4″ jack. This tightens the bass response and makes the overall playback even more relaxed and transparent. The front houses a 4-pol XLR connector to connect the balanced headphone. Both the standard and the 4-pol headphone outputs can be used simultaneously.

Optimized Phonitor-Matrix

The Phonitor matrix is become simpler, because the Phonitor x is purely designed for audio playback. Features like Center Level adjustment, Solo and Polarity are of use in music production and have therefore been left off in the Phonitor x. We have also reduced the amount os selectable Speaker Angles from six to four leaving off the 15° and 75° angles.

Crossfeed

The Crossfeed switch allows you to adjust the frequency-dependent crossfeed simulation of both channels by adjustments of interaural level difference – as if this characteristic would be heard from monitors when in their own room ambiance. One can compare variations in crossfeed values as approximating the influence of different room sizes and characteristics on a given loudspeaker setup. This adjustment can be made in six steps ranging from “minimum” to “maximum”. Crossfeed interacts with the Angle value to simulate the width of a stereo image

Angle

The Angle switch provides for frequency-dependent simulation of your stereo image width by adjustments of interaural time difference. This influences the moment in time which a signal‘s wave form arrives the ear and corresponds to a particular variation in the angle of an actual loudspeaker pair. The time constants of the interaural time differences between the left and right channels occur within a range of 90 to 635 microseconds. As a starting value select the 30° position.

Preamplifier

Phonitor x is not just a headphone amplifier but also a full-fledged stereo preamplifier. There is provision for connecting up to five stereo sources – two in the analog domain offering XLR connectors for a balanced source and RCA connectors for an unbalanced source. With the optional DA converter installed three more digital stereo sources can be connected via USB, coaxial and optical connectors.

You can connect your active loudspeakers or power amplifier directly to the Phonitor x. The rear Speaker Outputs provide both balanced (XLR) and unbalanced (RCA) connections. 

Remote Control

To control the Volume you can use any IR remote control. The cool part is that the Phonitor x learns your remote! Take your remote control for the CD player for instance. There are many buttons and there are least two you don’t really need. Assign Volume Up and Volume Down to those buttons and let the Phonitor x learn them. Please check the manual for more.

AMP CTL (Amplifier Control)

When Phonitor x operates as a preamplifier together with the Performer  as power amplifier both units can be wire-linked for simultaneous power on/off. Therefore both units AMP CTL sockets need to be connected with a 3.5mm mono-jack cable.

When switching to headphone listening the Performer can automatically be powered down. To engage this feature set DIP switch #6 on the bottom of the Phonitor x to ON.

Professional Fidelity • Pro-Fi-Serie

Phonitor x is part of our Pro-Fi series of products. Pro-Fi stands for Professional Fidelity and it expresses that these products have their roots in professional studio technology being optimized for high-fidelity music playback. 

We love simple elegance and a certain level of understatement. Therefore we renounce over-dimensioned housing milled out of a solid block and other mostly price-driving attributes of many high-end products. Our background is come from professional studio technology, where inner values and audio performance count the most.

Mastering studios give your records and CDs the final tough – with SPL 120V technology. And because the Phonitor x is built with the same technology it belongs to best headphone amplifiers on the planet. With its extraordinary specifications and enormous headroom Phonos plays back audio in the most relaxed and uncompromised fashion. Ear fatigue is reduced by far and hearing session stay delightful for a long. 

VOLTAiR is the synonym for our 120V Rail Technology within the Professional Fidelity series.

The audio signals are processing with an unequalled +/-60V DC.

The Sound

120V Rail Technology is our reference technology developed and manufactured to run on an operating voltage of 120 volts, which corresponds to twice that of discrete operational amplifiers and four-times that of semiconductor operational amplifiers.

120V Rail Technology reaches outstanding technical and sonic performances. Technically especially in terms of dynamic range and headroom and sonically especially in reproducing the finest details and delivering a totally relaxed sounding audio experience. Music sounds absolutely natural and hearing fatigue is drastically reduced.

Even the best audio measuring equipment arrives the boundaries. In same situations we ended up just measuring the Audio Precision Cascade 2 measuring device and we cannot say how good the 120V Rail Technology actually performs.
Comparisons
The direct relation between operating level and maximum level is fundamental for the classification: the higher the operating level, the higher the maximum level a circuit can handle. And since virtually all essential acoustic and musical parameters depend on this relation, a higher operating voltage also has a positive impact on the dynamic range, distortion limit and signal-to-noise ratio.

Do bear in mind that dB scales do not represent linear but rather exponential increases. A 3dB increase corresponds to doubling the acoustic power, +6dB correspond to twice the sound pressure level, and +10dB correspond to twice the perceived loudness.

When it comes to volume, the 120V Rail Technology exhibits a performance, in regard to maximum level and dynamic range, that is twice that of common components and circuits given that its values are approximately 10dB higher.

THD measurements of the 120V op-amp show a difference of more than 3dB compared to the OPA134 36V — in terms of sound pressure level, that corresponds to an improvement of more than 50%.

The operating level most commonly used for audio equipment is 30 volts.

XLR Input

• Neutrik XLR, balanced, Pin 2 = (+)

• Impedance: ca. 20 kohms

• CMR: -82 dBu ( 1 kHz)

• Max. Input Level: +32.5 dBu

RCA Input

• RCA, unbalanced (single-ended)

• Impedance: ca. 10 kohms

• Max. Input Level: +32.5 dBu

Digital Inputs

• Coaxial SPDIF (RCA)

• Optisch TOSLINK (F06)

• USB (B)

• Sample Rates (kHz): 44.1, 48 , 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192 

Balanced Headphone Output

• Neutrik 4-pin XLR connector 

• Pin wiring: 1= L (+), 2= L (-), 3= R (+), 4= R (-)

• Impedance: 0.36 ohms

• Damping Factor: 180 @ 40 ohms

• Frequency Range: 10 Hz to 300 kHz ( -3 dB)

• Crosstalk 1kHz: -90 dB 

• THD & N: 0.00091 % ( 0 dBu, 1kHz, 100 kohms load)

• Noise (A-weighted): -98 dBu

• Dynamic Range: 130.5 dB 

Unbalanced Headphone Output

• 6.35 mm TRS connector 

• Pin wiring: Tip = Left, Ring = Right, Sleeve = GND

• Impedance: 0.18 ohm

• Attenuation Factor: 180 @ 40 ohms

• Frequency Range: 10 Hz to 300 kHz ( -3 dB)

• Crosstalk 1kHz: -90 dB 

• THD & N: 0.00091% ( 0 dBu, 1 kHz, 100 kohms load)

• Noise (A-weighted): -103 dB

• Dynamic Range: 135.5 dB 

Max. Output Power ( +30 dBu @ 1 kHz)

• 2 x 1 W 600 Ohm impedance

• 2 x 2 W  300 Ohm impedance

• 2x 3.7 W  120 Ohm impedance

• 2x 2.9 W  47 Ohm impedance

• 2x 2.7 W  32 Ohm impedance

Speaker/Line Outputs

• Neutrik XLR, balanced, Pin 2 = (+)

• RCA, unbalanced (single-ended)

• Frequency Range: 4 Hz to 300 kHz (-3 dB)

• Crosstalk 1 kHz: -106 dB 

• THD & N: 0.00085 % ( 0 dBu, 1 kHz, 100 kohms load)

• Noise (A-weighted): -103.8 dB

• Dynamic Range: 136.3 dB 

Internal Operating Voltages

• Analog: +/- 60 V

• Digital: + 5 V and + 3,3 V (optional)

Power Supply

• Mains voltage (switchable): 230 V AC / 50 Hz or 115 V AC / 60 Hz

• Fuses: 230 V: T 500 mA; 115 V: T 1 A 

• Power consumption: max 40 VA

• Stand-by power consumption: 0.7 W

Dimensions (incl. feet)

• 278 mm W x 100 mm H x 335mm D

• 10.95 in W x 3.94 in H x 11.19 in D

Weight

• 4.3 kg; 9.5 lbs (unit only)

• 5.4 kg; 11.9 lbs (shipping)

0dBu = 0.775V. Specifications subject to change without notice.