SPL Phonitor X vs. Benchmark HPA4
Clipdat
Posts: 12,949
I've been looking at and researching two big boy headphone amps (plus built in preamps) and wondering which one is "best".
SPL Phonitor X - $2,500 (without DAC)
Which of course I would get in red, naturally.
vs.
Benchmark HPA4 - $3,000
They both have a similar feature set, so I'm not sure if there is one clear "winner". It's possible the only way to know for sure which is "best" is to listen to both of them back to back.
Anyone have experience with either of these pieces?
SPL Phonitor X - $2,500 (without DAC)
Which of course I would get in red, naturally.
vs.
Benchmark HPA4 - $3,000
They both have a similar feature set, so I'm not sure if there is one clear "winner". It's possible the only way to know for sure which is "best" is to listen to both of them back to back.
Anyone have experience with either of these pieces?
Comments
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Guts!
Phonitor X:
HPA4:
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Both look the part for sure.
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I agree!
And they both have a perfect feature for my specific use case, the ability to have a fixed or variable preamp output!
The SPL has the interesting crossfeed feature and VU meters going for it. The Benchmark has a superior relay stepped volume control, a touchscreen and great specs. It's also $500 more expensive though.
I'm leaning toward the SPL, even though it's slightly too large for where I want to put it. -
And they both have a perfect feature for my specific use case, the ability to have a fixed or variable preamp output!
Why not get a preamp with headphone output? I have a pre that I used for headphones at work, and it was great.
Lumin X1 file player, Westminster Labs interconnect cable
Sony XA-5400ES SACD; Pass XP-22 pre; X600.5 amps
Magico S5 MKII Mcast Rose speakers; SPOD spikes
Shunyata Triton v3/Typhon QR on source, Denali 2000 (2) on amps
Shunyata Sigma XLR analog ICs, Sigma speaker cables
Shunyata Sigma HC (2), Sigma Analog, Sigma Digital, Z Anaconda (3) power cables
Mapleshade Samson V.3 four shelf solid maple rack, Micropoint brass footers
Three 20 amp circuits. -
Typically products like these that are "headphone amps first", will have much higher headphone performance versus regular preamps that happen to have a headphone output.
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Okay. Thanks. I can respect the desire for the best sound, but, to me, it seems like overkill.Lumin X1 file player, Westminster Labs interconnect cable
Sony XA-5400ES SACD; Pass XP-22 pre; X600.5 amps
Magico S5 MKII Mcast Rose speakers; SPOD spikes
Shunyata Triton v3/Typhon QR on source, Denali 2000 (2) on amps
Shunyata Sigma XLR analog ICs, Sigma speaker cables
Shunyata Sigma HC (2), Sigma Analog, Sigma Digital, Z Anaconda (3) power cables
Mapleshade Samson V.3 four shelf solid maple rack, Micropoint brass footers
Three 20 amp circuits. -
I would think any one of us have overkill in our setups, all depending on perspective.
I like the look of the SPL better. But gotta love the touch screen
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Just FYI.
One for sale. No affiliation.
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/ele/d/san-francisco-benchmark-hpa4-headphone/6893677375.html
Cheers -
Okay. Thanks. I can respect the desire for the best sound, but, to me, it seems like overkill.
Heh, "overkill". That's funny coming from someone with 600 watt Pass Labs monoblocks.
One for sale. No affiliation.
Saw that. Also listed on USAM for $2,400. -
I don't know, sounds about right to me.
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I ended up ordering the Phonitor X in red.
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Buds got cables that cost more than my system.Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2
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Update: I still haven't unboxed the Phonitor X.
I have issues. Deep and troubling issues that may never fully be addressed. -
Typically products like these that are "headphone amps first", will have much higher headphone performance versus regular preamps that happen to have a headphone output.
I totally agree...my Woo WA3 is special as is my Bottle head crack I built myself....or as Arron can contest, as he has built many of these headphone amps... I still think their awesome seriously special head phone amp's out theirs that when use with the right amp can sound so special..like many sennhiesher cans are 300 ohms and need a different head phone amp then many of the 32 ohms cans do!
you must match the correct amplifier to the cans you are using or your results will suffer big time!2 ch- Polk CRS+ * Vincent SA-31MK Preamp * Vincent Sp-331 Amp * Marantz SA8005 SACD * Project Xperience Classic TT * Sumiko Blue Point #2 MC cartridge
HT - Polk 703's * NAD T-758 * Adcom 5503 * Oppo 103 * Samsung 60" series 8 LCD -
Nice to see you around these parts, Darryl! Speaking of Woo Audio, I tried this amp from them recently and was impressed: https://wooaudio.com/amplifiers/wa11
Anyway, I'll get the Phonitor X unboxed one of these days. Before the end of the year with any luck! -
Before the end of the year with any luck!
Made it, just barely!
Just trying it in "pass through" mode right now, where it's taking the output from my DAC and passing it through un-attenuated to it's the RCA output along to my powered speakers. This was one of my requirements, so I can effortlessly go between headphone and speaker listening.
Previously I had the output of the DAC connected directly to my powered speaker's preamp/control module. Definitely noticing a difference in sound having it running through the SPL. So far right out of the box with zero hours on it, it sounds like maybe the imaging/space is better but it sounds clinical and sterile. Hopefully that improves with the break-in of whatever circuitry that controls the signal pass through functionality.
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Interesting, based on my research and reading of the instruction manual, I thought that the "pass through" function was still dependent on having the front panel switch in the "speaker" position.
But now that I'm testing it, I realize that the output is on constantly and independent of the switch's position. So even when it's on mute, it's passing the signal through.
Not entirely what I had in mind, but not a "huge" deal, since I can just turn the volume on the powered speaker's controller down all the way. But I will have to decide if this is something I want to live with or look for another headphone amp that will do exactly what I'm looking for. -
This amp sounds so good when driving headphones that I'm willing to overlook the slight inconvenience about the "pass through" being always active regardless of the position of the switch on the front panel.
I've only tried my inexpensive ($120) Koss Pro4S headphones so far, but the biggest standout is the bass and the dynamics. The bass is rich and bold, but still fast and agile. The dynamics are effortless and as a result it conveys a great sense of rhythm.
Also worth noting is that the background is completely black. No hiss, hum, etc. This thing is clean!
Truth be told, I haven't really been a huge fan of these headphones ever since I bought them, but they sound better than they ever have when running off this amp. Just goes to show how you can really maximize the performance of inexpensive headphones (or speakers) by hooking them up to a really nice amplifier.
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Nice. I would like to get into a good cans setup but don’t need another rabbit hole right now.
