Audiophilepure

https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/spl-phonitor-xe

This is a product that doesn’t go out of its way to hype up a recording to make it sound more exciting, but there is still enough in the way of rhythmic drive to get our feet tapping to tracks such as No Love. While Recovery is not the most bass-leaden album, there is still enough here to show that the amplifier is taut and tuneful at low frequencies. Subsequent listening to the bass-fest that is Massive Attack’s Heligoland reinforces the point.

We shift genres to Stravinsky’s The Rite Of Spring and the SPL responds with a controlled performance that brims with insight, punch and composure. The music’s demanding dynamic sweeps are delivered with power and there is a good impression of scale. By its very nature, listening to headphones usually comes second best to speakers when it comes to things such as scale or authority, so it’s fair to say that the SPL does a great job.

https://www.hifinews.com/content/earmen-staccatotraduttoch-amp-and-psu-3-streamerheadphone-amp

While its Staccato’s streaming experience could use more polish, this EarMen stack should still appeal to headphone buffs looking for an all-in-one system offering the advantages of separate components. The adroit CH-Amp can handle most cans, and the Tradutto digital hub is no slouch either. It really is a miniature powerhouse, bringing a very big performance to very limited deskspaces.

My past experience with amplifiers using NFCA technology has been very positive. Amplifiers have come a long way from a year ago and I’m very happy with the technological leap forward led by companies like Topping. The L30 II sounds very neutral to my ears and does exactly what it’s supposed to do. It amplifies the sound signature of your source, IEMs or HPs without saturating, distorting, or altering it. It does a very good job of conveying the signature of your equipment to you. It has plenty of power to feed every headphone in my inventory.

When I hooked up the Fiio K9 Pro to the L30 II using the pure DAC mode, I got almost the same performance as the impressive integrated amplifier used by the K9. Honestly, there is nothing much to say. It also performs very well with monitors using multi-BA configurations with low impedance values. With the 8-ohm Yanyin Canon, the channel balance at the low gain setting is quite satisfactory. Overall, this is an excellent amplifier that does exactly what an high fidelity focused amplifier is supposed to do.

For first-time buyers, if you match it up with the Schiit Audio Modi DAC and say the HIFIMAN DEVA Pro Headphones you would have an audiophile quality system for less than $500. And for die-hard solid-state buffs, you can see what all the fuss is about and experience a whole new world of musicality for the cost of one less Starbucks a day for two weeks. If you like to tinker, and many of us started in this hobby for that very reason, the VALI 2++ is a great way to explore the world of tube rolling, something I really looked forward to, but as it turned out, none of my 50-year-old tubes fit the pinout of the 6N3P but as you can see by the list above, there are plenty that do (many for as low as $19).