Tasos1:
I attempted to inform some people about this unit earlier in 2018. It’s one of the finest I’ve ever heard. I was looking at one of the ARC phono stages ($14k) and I saw this unit. Listened to them in the same system and to my ears the SPL slapped the caps out off the ARC. I now have an AMR PH 77, Luxman EQ 500 and SPL Phonos.
I recently auditioned for the second time the DS Audio optical cartridge system, the one second to the Master 1. Based on some reviewers gushing over this system I was reconsidering the Master 1. I’ve compared its speed and dynamics to the London Reference. I have a London Ref and use it with the Phonos. I have never heard anything do a drum kit like that combination and I mean nothing. The DS Audio doesn’t approach the SPL Phonos in my opinion. I found the original DS Audio extremely phasey as it relates to noise artifacts. The newer version is better but still phasey with noise and surface artifacts, not the music. It’s almost as though they’ve incorporated some type of (non advertised) noise cancellation circuit and it’s filtering for a select b.w. but some funky phase anomaly is present. I also think it sounds extremely bland, like the equivalent of unseasoned food.
All that to say the Phonos smoked it along with smoking the ARC, a Pass Lab XP25 and others.
I’m not given to hyperbole, but in this case the word “smoked” is apropos. Its one of the best I’ve heard.
I did change the fuse to the AMR MKII Gold. I’m about to add one of my Audio Magic Ultimate Bees Wax fuses which are simply the best fuses I’ve ever experienced. If your device uses more than one fuse, I’ve found that one of the bee wax fuses is enough, it will overpower the sound. I use one bee wax fuse and the others are replaced with AMR fuses.
I attempted to inform some people about this unit earlier in 2018. It’s one of the finest I’ve ever heard. I was looking at one of the ARC phono stages ($14k) and I saw this unit. Listened to them in the same system and to my ears the SPL slapped the caps out off the ARC. I now have an AMR PH 77, Luxman EQ 500 and SPL Phonos.
I recently auditioned for the second time the DS Audio optical cartridge system, the one second to the Master 1. Based on some reviewers gushing over this system I was reconsidering the Master 1. I’ve compared its speed and dynamics to the London Reference. I have a London Ref and use it with the Phonos. I have never heard anything do a drum kit like that combination and I mean nothing. The DS Audio doesn’t approach the SPL Phonos in my opinion. I found the original DS Audio extremely phasey as it relates to noise artifacts. The newer version is better but still phasey with noise and surface artifacts, not the music. It’s almost as though they’ve incorporated some type of (non advertised) noise cancellation circuit and it’s filtering for a select b.w. but some funky phase anomaly is present. I also think it sounds extremely bland, like the equivalent of unseasoned food.
All that to say the Phonos smoked it along with smoking the ARC, a Pass Lab XP25 and others.
I’m not given to hyperbole, but in this case the word “smoked” is apropos. Its one of the best I’ve heard.
I did change the fuse to the AMR MKII Gold. I’m about to add one of my Audio Magic Ultimate Bees Wax fuses which are simply the best fuses I’ve ever experienced. If your device uses more than one fuse, I’ve found that one of the bee wax fuses is enough, it will overpower the sound. I use one bee wax fuse and the others are replaced with AMR fuses.