Phonitor 2
13
Tech Talk
But the voltage level acts in circuitry much like the cubic inch capacity
to the productive power of a combustion engine: Cubic inch capacity
is replaceable with nothing but more cubic inch capacity – and in the
productive power of electronics, voltage level functions similarly.
For some years, now, SPL has addressed this issue in all of its master-
ing product series through its own specifically developed 120 volt tech-
nology. Consoles and signal processors of the SPL Mastering Series
appear as central elements in installations of today’s most renowned
mastering houses (for example Bob Ludwig’s Gateway Mastering &
DVD in the USA, Simon Heyworth’s Super Audio Mastering in Great
Britain, the Galaxy Studios in Belgium and the legendary Wisseloord
in the Netherlands). This 120 volt technology is based on discrete op-
eration amplifiers from SPL’s own production, developed and perfect-
ed over many years by SPL’s co-founder and chief developer, Wolfgang
Neumann. These OPs work with high-performance semiconductors in
Class A technology at a symmetrical voltage of +/-60 V.
The Phonitor 2 is the first unit to employ the 2nd generation of our 120
Volt OPs with improved specifications once again. They have Signal To
Noise Ratio of 116 dB and offer a nearly 34 dB headroom – that yields
an unequalled 150 dB dynamic range.
The musical result is not to be mistaken: Regardless of the monitor-
ing means, regardless of how loud you monitor – the Phonitor 2 always
remains a distant, impartial factor unaffected when used to capacity
and beyond being overloaded. The phase stability is always perfect,
its THD next to immeasurable.
The Phonitor 2’s OPs cannot be stressed in the most stressful circum-
stances, and for precisely this reason its musical sound is always re-
laxed and spacious. All frequencies are reproduced in balance, bass-
es are stable and tight, mids are clear and differentiated and highs re-
main transparent and soft. Particularly striking is the fact that you can
easily listen to every detail. Hearing fatigue makes it usually harder to
carefully listen to and understand complex signals over a long period
of time. The Phonitor 2 reverses this situation turning it into a pleasant
listening experience that leaves you longing for more.
Such supreme and heretofore unreachable neutrality in audio repro-
duction is the direct consequence of our technical approach and basis
in 120 volt technology: Possible disturbances from such as noise or
distortion are so slight that we even arrive at the boundaries of the
best measuring equipment, and what remains is quite simply unalt
