Comments on Profile Post by Torq

Just be careful when plugging in any HP's w/ SE jacks (you probably don't use any SE HP's, but still, even when testing)...

You MUST first MUTE this Amp via the "Speaker-Mute-HP" Rocker-Switch & NOT by lowering the Volume; or else you risk destroying this Amp (or blowing it up by frying the internal circuits like @gbeast accidentally did, during his Review of it)!
Apparently the Manual didn't have a concise warning.

Link for context: http://earphiles.org/2017/01/spl-phonitor-x-e-review/

The manual doesn't have a specific "warning" at all. It just says to turn the volume down when connecting or disconnecting headphones (something I do with all amps, anyway), and even that doesn't show up until page 21.

Fortunately I always use any available "mute" function when changing headphones anyway, so I've not run into problems with this one.

Good, better safe than sorry!

Torq, I'm not sure if you've yet posted any impressions of this Amp (if so, may I please have a link to the thread/post, then?; or if you haven't yet, that's perfectly fine. no worries), but if I may ask:
How's the build quality & do you think that it could withstand years of knobs & levers use w/ constant ongoing adjustments (which of course would depend on which HP's are being used)?

Also, (despite it's costing so much, at $2500 USD) for some weird reason, I was curious to know if you think this Phonitor X Amp (w/ its fancy extra Soundstage/Angle/Spaciousness emulation functions) would play nice, or perhaps even synergize well, w/ an upcoming Smyth Realiser A16?

Since I'm most likely getting the Realiser A16, sooner or later & was very curious if such an SPL Amp would play along w/ it or not...

...Especially if I'd use my HD650's/HD800(S)'s, for Atmos/DTS:X multi-channel Gaming or just for simply emulating & virtualizing surround-sound-effects in Movies/BluRays/Streaming-media.

Of course w/ A16 being Upstream of the SPL Amp, & an Yggdrasil A2/Gungnir Multibit, in the middle... since I know that it would, in fact, work 100% as intended & function well, too—as the technical side of such a chain was long settled per the Dev's & Users advice—as any standard 2ch DAC/PRE/AMP, Downstream of Realiser A16, would work.

As I fully-despise Digitally EQ'ing HP's; but doing it in an Analog Domain sounds oh-so-enticing!

I haven't posted my impressions/review yet. That'll happen this week though. They're written, just need tidying up/formatting.

Can't comment on pairing with the A16, but can't imagine it'd be a problem.

Switchgear on the Phonitor is very solid. Absolutely what I'd expect for high-end studio gear.

Nice, happy to hear of such a good & sturdy build quality!

I'll patiently await your Phonitor X impressions/review, whenever you get a chance to post it, on here, HF or elsewhere. Thank you!

Just wondering, do you know if the current retail/sale price, of the Phonitor X, from the US-based dealers, still around $2500 to $2800, or did it ever come down in price over the years?

And since the A16 is still some ways off... we'll have to sit tight (personally I can't freaking wait for the A16 to come out to general public, since I, unfortunately, never got in on their initial KS Campaign, nor their lower-priced Pre-order offers; but oh well; as I'm still quite excited for it) before anyone & myself, one day; get their units in for testing/evaluation.
But hopes are high that it fully-delivers!

I believe current US retail prices are still $2,499 w/o the DAC module and $2,799 with it.

How close to "retail" you pay is, as ever, as much a factor of how good your dealer relationships are as anything else.