The trick to “pairing down” is to only buy one new item for every two (or more) you unload.
This week … you’re going the other way! 
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Fair…lol next up on the block is my THX 788 and 789 but still on the fence about the 789
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After the Phonitor X, I immediately sold my THX 789 and I don’t miss it at all so don’t worry man, your Phonitor XE will make you not even notice that the 789 is not around anymore.
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Yeah, I just really dislike selling things online lol…
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I’ll buy it from you in person, as long as we can meet at my place
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I sold mine on ebay in 30 minutes. I should have asked for more. Ebay will take 10% + a couple bucks, buy it now or best offer. You will probably drop it of at the UPS store before the day is done. $500.00 is a good place to start.
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Once i saw SPL amps i cancelled my THX 789 order and started saving to get one. Look forward to getting one in the near future.
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have to blind out this thread somehow 
and find a way to mount paper-cut-out vu-meters on my 789 the moment it arrives in october 
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It is hard, if you read the whole thread you probably saw my journey to getting a Phonitor XE lol…it is a fantastic amp and current end game solid state for me. That being said, you will love your 789, so don’t worry just know you have an upgrade path option out there. Also @andrew and @taronlissimore usually have them in stock or a good deal on them either on the For Sale section or directly from Headphones.com
My problem is when I want something I tend to laser focus and agonize over it until I get it…impatient and having funds readily available doesn’t help my impulses…I’m just impressed I’m not completely broke, I try very hard to set limits per month on spending habits lol, also I do my best to put whatever I spend on toys back into savings at a 1:1 ratio…I just ordered another expensive toy that I probably don’t need but I want…time to move some funds around lol
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I am the same type
my journey in photography was similar and I had friends in the proffesion with the craziest glas at work for lets say oldtimer rallye audi urquattro meetups and races with Striezel Struck in the original S1 where we both ran with one carrying 2 Rucksacks(front and back) with each 25kg full of Leica and Pro Canon glas and the other a Sigma 200-500 f2.8/“the bazooka”) in one hand and over the shoulder the big fat tripod - for kms thru the alps - not only to earn a bit, but foremost shooting with the toys and have fun
another one is active shooting in concerts as freelancer so I went with her and got my first rock concert shoot in the pit - 2 weeks later my 5d2 was bought
if I “laser focus” on something - without telling my wife - hahaa - these days are over
I stopped beeing crazy up- und sidegrading and am happy with the gear - analog helps in this regards a lot
my wife stops me from beeing to crazy(not sleeping, dreaming, starting research still happens) most of the times and we earn a bit of funds here and there for new gear since years - what is not possible with audio gear
nono - I know that I will be perfectly happy with it for a good time- if there weren´t these hypnotizing vu-meters… I have a big 3 day wedding coming… so lets see
like you said - there are options for the future and even now I enjoy the hole day fine sounds with the gear I own
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Oh man is this ever true. I get interested in an audio product and that’s a wrap.
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Well I went and ordered a SPL Phonitor E from the store and can’t wait to hear it with my RME-Adi 2 FS. I was initially going to get the XE but for me personally I think the E will be a better fit. I wont deny though that the VU meters look amazing.
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SPL Phonitor XE Review
Thanks to The Headphone Community (forum.headphones.com) I was able to borrow and audition the SPL Phonitor XE DAC/amp unit as part of the Community Preview program. I will preface that I don’t normally review source gear beyond impressions and I tend to not prioritize megabuck territory DACs or amps. But when reviewing really high end headphones I do find many are quite revealing and can benefit from using very high quality source gear (though not all expensive gear is high quality).
Regarding my source gear, I own Schiit Modi Multibit (run through Eitr), Magni 3, Audio-gd NFB-11, Audio-gd R2R11, EC ZDT Jr, and RME ADI-2 DAC. Any of my comparisons will be in reference to the RME ADI-2 DAC.
Features: The Phonitor XE is a very versatile and well implemented unit. This particular one has the built-in DAC as well as a fully balanced headamp that has 2 balanced XLR outputs (one on front, one on rear) and 2 single ended 1/4" outputs also on the front and back. The DAC section has digital inputs for USB, Coax, Optical, and AES, which is rare for a DAC to implement all those connection types and much appreciated. The amp section allows you to bypass the built-in DAC and use an external DAC by either balanced XLR balanced inputs or single ended RCA inputs. With all these connection inputs and outputs, this is one of the most flexible and accommodating units I have seen and I applaud SPL for the well designed implementation. Note that the Phonitor XE model provides an extra set of balanced XLR and single ended 1/4" outputs on the rear by omitting a pre-out/line-out section. The Phonitor X model has the pre-outs instead of the extra rear headphone outputs.
Beyond the plethora of input/ouput options, SPL includes their “Matrix” system which is basically an analog crossfeed. I don’t personally use crossfeed myself, but I do like how SPL implements it here. No only can you control how much crossfeed you want with six different levels, but you can also control 4 different crossfeed angles (22, 30, 40, and 55 degrees) for each level. These angles are meant to simulate speaker placement angles and in testing them out it is quite clear they each sound slightly different. Again, I don’t really mess with crossfeed, but for those that do I think the way it is done on the Phonitor XE is nicely implemented. The other directional feature the Phonitor XE includes is a L/R manual channel balance. Again, this isn’t something I use, but it is meant for people with hearing imbalances as well as for headphones that might have a channel imbalance. It is definitely nice to have even if I don’t have a use for it.
And finally, one of the most distinct and fun bonus features of many SPL products are the analog VU meters. While I do love the digital spectrograms that my RME ADI-2 DAC displays, there is something so pleasing and clean about the Phonitor’s VU meters dancing around. I ended up liking those meters more than I originally thought I would. Just a nice touch and something that makes the Phonitor a bit more special.
Now while the Phonitor XE has a ton of features and offers a lot of stuff most other combo units don’t, it still doesn’t come close to all the features that RME ADI-2 DAC has. And that is to be expected since the RME’s main selling point is its features. RME has built-in parametric EQ, presets for saving those, pre-outs, digital filters, IEM output, etc. However, the Phonitor does have 2 balanced XLR outputs which the RME lacks.
Build: One of the standout qualities of this DAC/amp combo unit is the build quality, First of all, this is a beefy unit. This thing is quite large and in charge. For comparison, it is about the size of 2 Xboxes or 2 Playstations put together. And the weight is probably similar to 2 of those units too. It feels heavy, sturdy, and very premium. Even the knobs have a very tight and notchy movement that inspires confidence that this thing will hold up in the long run. I am extremely impressed with how well made the Phonitor is and the weight of it is nice when integrating into a system with other devices such that plugging things into and out of it are easy and never feel fragile. While this unit has a premium price tag, in just build quality and features you get what you pay for.
Compared to the RME ADI-2 DAC, the Phonitor feels more industrial and professional. The RME is also built very well, but it is much smaller, lighter, and just compact in a way that is meant for general consumers. I think the RME works well for sitting on a desk tucked nicely into a small space. The Phonitor is so large that it really needs to be put into a cabinet or at least on a shelf. Or I suppose you could just use it as a base for stacking things on top of. Either way, for people used to smaller, sleeker gear like a Schiit stack, JDS Labs stack, even a Massdrop medium stack (e.g. Airist DAC/CTH/789) something like RME just slides right into place. The Phonitor would require a re-arrangement.
Sound: Describing sound is one of the reasons I typically shy away from reviewing source gear. Particularly with solid state amps I don’t have a ton of experience with lots of high end gear and I also don’t immediately notice differences like I do with tube amps. While I do subjectively feel I hear some differences compared to my other gear, I would also say I’m not confident I would be able to pass blind tests. So with that warning aside, I would describe the Phonitor XE as sounding very clean, clear, and controlled. It provides a really good grip on every headphone I throw at it. The bass feels very powerful and full in a way that I don’t hear from my RME ADI-2 DAC. If there were any way I would try and blind test those apart I think the bass is where I could potentially do it. Phonitor’s bass is just very clean and forward. The RME feels more polite and not as dynamic in comparison. Phonitor’s mids and treble are just even and smooth. Even my more borderline harsh headphones like Fostex TH-X00 and HD800 are well controlled and tame in the treble, which isn’t always the case with solid state amps. I am even able to power my most power hungry headphones, HE-500, quite well with the amp.
And even though this amp sounds very clean and precise, it manages to not sound flat, dull, or boring. It doesn’t quite engage me the same way a good tube amp does, but I definitely love listening to it. In comparison, I think my RME just overall sounds more “plain”. Like there is nothing wrong with it, but there isn’t anything particular about it that draws me in. I would say that is how I feel about my Magni 3 as well. In terms of just pure musical enjoyment, there’s something about the Phonitor that I like. For a solid state, I really like what I hear from the Phonitor XE across the board and there really wasn’t a bad headphone pairing in my collection.
I mostly focused all my listening on using the amp section being fed through my RME’s balanced DAC. However, I did try out the Phonitor’s built-in DAC and find it quite good as well. DACs are even harder for me to differentiate so I really can’t say I tell much difference between the RME. Both are very clean and neutral without influencing the overall sound in a particular way.
Overall thoughts: The SPL Phonitor XE is all in all a really well made, well designed, aesthetically pleasing, powerful, and excellent sounding DAC/amp combo unit. Overall, I like the sound even more than my RME ADI-2 DAC, and by a decent margin. I really don’t have anything negative to say about it. I can absolutely understand the praise it gets and see why it is has been gaining popularity. And while I do think its asking price makes sense given how premium of a product it is and how well it stacks against its competitors, I personally just don’t currently feel the need for a super high end solid state amp. I really enjoy my RME ADI-2 DAC for DAC duties as well as all the features is provides. And even though I prefer the Phonitor’s amp, I am still quite satisfied with RME’s built-in amp for the few times I need to use a solid state.
In my own daily usage, I rarely ever use solid states and mostly use tube amps. There is something just more engaging about tube amps that I am drawn to. Now I do think the Phonitor is one of the best solid states I have heard and isn’t boring by any means. But it still sounds like a solid state. If you aren’t into tube amps though, I can happily recommend this unit and think anyone considering TOTL solid state source gear should definitely consider SPL. I would personally probably opt for the SPL Phonitor X (with the pre-amp) since I don’t have a use for a second set of rear headphone outputs and I also wouldn’t get it with the built-in DAC since I still prefer my RME. I think the RME fed to an SPL could be a killer setup for anyone with really any headphone needs. It is definitely “endgame” territory for those that believe such things exist.
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Great review. Really easy to read for us non scientists.
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Great read! I’m kicking myself a little bit for being cheap and not opting for the X version…but I have used the dual headphone outs a couple times now to compare headphones, which is awesome! If I was a hardcore reviewer I think the dual HP outs would be a necessity lol.
I’m using the RME as my DAC as well…I concur that for solid state, this is pretty much it.
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Hi there. What would be the benefit, sound-wise of adding Phonitor X/Xe to my system if I already had Hugo TT 2? Given that my headphones are HD800s, Verite and maybe Stellia or HE1000se. Should I try a tube amp insteads? Thanks.
There’d be no benefit, sound-wise, to adding a Phonitor X or XE in that setup. I say that as someone that owns both, among other things, and have tried them together.
A tube amp will give you a different presentation, not necessarily better or worse - a lot of which will depend on which tube amp of course.
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Would you please suggest some tube amps for me to try? The budget is about 2000-3000$. Audition is not possible here.
How are you going to try them, if auditioning is not possible?
But … regardless, models I would look at in that range, for the headphones you cite, in no particular order:
- Donald North Audio - Stratus(*)
- Eddie Current - Zana Deux Super (ZDS), Aficionado and probably the Studio Jr.(+)
- Decware Taboo MKIII/MKIV
- ZMF - Pendant
- Woo Audio - WA6-SE
- ampsandsound - Mogwai OG or SE
(*) I hear the new Starlett is is very close to the Stratus, at lower cost and with shorter lead times, but I've not heard the Starlett myself.
(+) The Aficionado is discontinued, and I have not heard the Studio Jr., but if it’s as good as the Aficionado, it should be quite special.
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Thanks a lot. I mean I have to buy and try and sell if I don’t like it.
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