I must admit that the idea of the 120-Volt technology really impressed me. I even let myself get carried away by the idea of briefly replacing the Einstein The Preamp in my signal chain with the Phonitor 2. And the SPL did an amazing job, even if didn't quite come up to the fascinating aura of the 18-tube, ten-times-as-expensive Einstein. The latter provides a bigger imaginary sound stage and spoils the listener with that special something that's so hard to put into words ─ but this is by no means derogatory to the Phonitor, which, apart from a preamp is also an extraordinary headphone amp that provides a speaker-like imaging. Coincidentally, a couple of days later, two fuses of my girlfriend's hi-fi preamp's PSU blew out. The preamp is part of her living room system, together with a Brinkmann Avance, an Accuphase-Tuner, Einsteins The Power Amp, and Acapellas Violon MK VI. Given the situation, the Phonitor 2 briefly took the place of the pricey but good hi-fi solid-state preamp, and I must confess that I had never heard this setup sound so open and clear. I can't really think of any other preamp at this price point that is so musical, clear and faithful as the Phonitor 2. And, to top it off, it's a headphone preamp, too. Anybody used to high-end devices will quickly notice the only point of criticism of the Phonitor 2, namely the housing cover. It resonates for quite a long time if you tap on it. A problem that SPL is aware of and has pledged to fix in a surprising way in the not-so-far future.

Since the best way to get to learn a device is with A/B testing, I went looking for a headphone amplifier anywhere I could. In the end, I bumped into the Teac HA-501, which Bert Seidenstücker had already reviewed and praised. First of all, I selected the appropriate damping for the LCD-X ­– high – and then played some records with the Audeze, toggling between both amps. There were almost no differences in the slightly overemphasized low end. Fine details, like the ebbing reverb tails, could be heard longer with the Phonitor. Put simply, it provides a better definition without sounding brighter or sharper. This difference was most obvious with "normal" pop and rock music, like Van Morrison and Tom Waits. At similar loudness levels, the Teac made me want to increase the volume a bit, while the songs played back with the Phonitor 2 exhibited a lot of punch and intensity, even at low volumes. At user-friendly levels, it really spoils you with lots of information and emotion – an indispensable requisite for long listening hours.

If only the stereo image wasn't so unnatural! But that sensation goes away immediately with the Phonitor 2, as soon as you choose "All" in the Matrix, activating the Crossfeed, Speaker Angle and Center settings. Sound detaches itself from the transducers, the stereo image turns more realistic (narrower). All headphones I know have too much lows, something that the Phonitor 2 reduces a bit, and while I couldn't really perceive a clear frontal localization, the inside-the-head sensation is less annoying. Yes, you can even make yourself a realistic idea of the size of a room. so that even loudspeaker fans can have some real fun!