SPL Phonitor se Headphone Amplifier and DAC

SPL Phonitor se Headphone Amplifier and DACPhonitor se Our entry model into the world of VOLTAiR headphone amplifiers. The Phonitor se is focused on the essentials without compromising on quality. It has 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

Phonitor se

Our entry model into the world of VOLTAiR headphone amplifiers.

The Phonitor se is focused on the essentials – without compromising on quality.
It has 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 aluminum, 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.

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 “Crossfeed” parameter can be set in two stages – “C1” and “C2”. “C2” provides higher crosstalk/crossfeed than “C1”.

Phonitor Matrix

Thanks to the Phonitor Matrix, music can be experienced on headphones as if it was played on speakers.

Crossfeed

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.

Conventional

This results in an unnaturally wide and wrong stereo image.

The various sound sources of the audio signal are not localized as the sound engineer intended them to.

Correct

The SPL Phonitor Matrix will correct this false stereo image with an analog circuitry and ensures a correct representation of the stereo image and a relaxed listening experience.

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 localized 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.

The two main parameters of the Phonitor Matrix are Crossfeed and Angle:

Crossfeed determines the crossing signals of the channels, the so-called interaural level difference.
Angle determines the opening angle of the stereo image, the so-called interaural time difference.

Crossfeed

Level and frequency adjustment of the right (red) and left (green) audio channel at maximum crossfeed.

Angle

Settings for the speaker placement angle to determine the interaural time difference.

Center of Attention

To make the listening experience even more perfect, the level of the center of the stereo image needs to be attenuated when the Phonitor Matrix is active. This ensures that not only the position of all sound sources is correct but also their volume.

In the Professional Fidelity Phonitor devices this value is set to a fixed attenuation of -1 dB, which is the best choice for getting an authentic representation of the sound stage.

Everything you need to know about the Phonitor Matrix

Everything you need to hear about the Phonitor Matrix

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.

DAC768v2 – the SPL reference DAC in the newest revision!

The highly acclaimed AKM AK4493 SEQ VELVETSOUND^TM premium DAC chip is used as the converter chip in the digital/analog converter within the latest version of the SPL DAC “DAC768v2”, which thanks to its architecture reproduces the finest sound details. It impresses with even lower distortion characteristics and a wider dynamic range than its predecessor.

It converts PCM audio with a resolution of 32 bits and a sampling rate of up to 768 kHz, which is equivalent to 16 times CD resolution. Direct Stream Digital is also supported up to a resolution of DSD4 or DSD256. The DAC768v2 features the newest version of the Spartan FPGA – Spartan 7.

In contrast to the smaller SPL DAC “DAC768xs”, it not only offers an AES/EBU digital input, but also the new, optimized SPL SLP120 with VOLTAiR technology.

The SLP120 (Super Low-Pass)

The analog output of the DAC chip must be filtered by a low pass filter. In contrast to all other DACs in the world, the low pass filters here are built using VOLTAiR technology, which provides a plus in dynamics and headroom and sound. The filter specially optimized for the new SPL DAC768v2 is called SLP120 (Super Low-Pass).

The DAC768v2 inside the Phonitor se is equipped with the SLP120 – an analog “Super Low-Pass” filter with VOLTAiR technology.

DAC768v2 – what's new:

1. AK 4493 SEQ

The DAC768v2 is equipped with the latest generation of the premium DAC chip – the AK 4493 SEQ – from Asahi Kasei (previously AK 4490).

The AK 4493 SEQ not only supports the playback of PCM signals at up to 768 kHz and DSD signals up to DSD512 – this 32-bit stereo DAC with “VELVETSOUND™ technology” impresses with even lower distortion characteristics and a wider dynamic range than its predecessor.

2. Spartan 7

The DAC768v2 features the newest version of the Spartan FPGA – Spartan 7 (previously Spartan 6).

3. The newest generation of the SPL low-pass filter “SLP120”

The DAC768v2 comes with a completely new tuned low-pass filter, which perfectly matches the sonic strengths of the new converter chip. It ofers an even better representation of the stereo image as well as a three-dimensionality we never experienced from any other DAC before.

The new DAC revision can be recognized by the “DAC768v2” label on the serial number sticker.

The design of the DAC768v2 is unfortunately not compatible with devices that were built with DAC768.

In addition to the original DAC chip (previously AK4490, now AK4493), other components in the digital environment that are no longer available, such as the previously used version of the Spartan-6 FPGA (now Spartan-7), had to be updated. As the technical characteristics of these components are different from those of their predecessors, further technical adjustments had to be made to the device in order to achieve the best possible sonic performance of which SPL is known for. The analog low-pass filter with 120V technology is also different in the devices with DAC768v2.

It is therefore not possible to simply replace the DAC768 module with the DAC768v2 module.

Sounds good

With all devices of the Professional Fidelity series we develop not only according to plan, but also by ear. Many important components are installed on 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, we 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.

By the way, the “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.