SMSL VMV P2 MK2 vs SPL Phonitor se

Short answer

  • More power: the SMSL VMV P2 MK2, with 2.00 W into 32 Ω; the SPL Phonitor se has 1.00 W. The SMSL VMV P2 MK2 drives 1 headphone to 100 dB that the SPL Phonitor se cannot (Symphonium Titan).
  • Hiss with sensitive IEMs: cannot be compared — the maker of the SMSL VMV P2 MK2 publishes no noise figure.
  • Price: the SMSL VMV P2 MK2 costs $440 less, and wherever both makers publish a figure the SPL Phonitor se shows no advantage for the extra money.

Both are desktop amplifiers, $1160 against $1600.

The SMSL VMV P2 MK2 reaches 100 dB on 567 of the 567 models here, the SPL Phonitor se on 566.

Side by side

Every published figure, next to each other

SpecificationSMSL VMV P2 MK2SPL Phonitor se
Power into 32Ω2.0 W1.0 W
Power into 150Ω499 mW3.1 W
Power into 300Ω300 mW4.2 W
Power into 600Ω150 mW2.1 W
Output impedance<0.1 Ω0.18 Ω
Output noisenot published5.48 µV
Price$1160$1600
Headphones it reaches 100 dB on
out of 567		567566

Not published means the maker leaves it out, so that axis cannot be compared.

Balanced output

The 4.4 mm or XLR socket, rated on its own

BalancedSMSL VMV P2 MK2SPL Phonitor se
Socket4.4mm / 4-pin XLRno separate rating
Power into 32Ω8.0 W—
Power into 300Ω1.0 W—
Output impedance<0.1 Ω—
Output noisenot published—
Headphones it reaches 100 dB on
out of 567		567—

Only the SMSL VMV P2 MK2 has a separate balanced rating from its maker; through it, it reaches 100 dB on 567 of the 567 models here. The SPL Phonitor se may still have a balanced socket — its spec sheet simply gives no figure for one, so there is nothing to put beside it.

How solid these numbers are

Where each power figure comes from

LoadSMSL VMV P2 MK2SPL Phonitor se
32 ΩPublishedPublished
150 ΩDerivedDerived
300 ΩPublishedDerived
600 ΩPublishedDerived

Both makers publish a power rating. SMSL VMV P2 MK2 publishes at 32 Ω, at 300 Ω and at 600 Ω; SPL Phonitor se at 32 Ω. The other rows are worked out from those.

So the two columns are not equally firm row by row: at 300 Ω and at 600 Ω only the SMSL VMV P2 MK2 figure is the maker’s own. On those rows the derived number is the one to doubt first.

What the labels mean.

What separates them

The headphones that tell them apart

1 headphone reaches 100 dB on the SMSL VMV P2 MK2 but not on the SPL Phonitor se — Symphonium Titan.

566 of the 567 models here reach 100 dB on both.

On real headphones

Headroom and hiss on 8 models, both sources

Headroom is at a 100 dB SPL peak.

The widest gap on the list is the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω): SPL Phonitor se has +39 dB of headroom there against +27 dB. 12 dB is about 15 times the power, which matters for peaks rather than for how loud the music sits.

The hiss columns are empty for SMSL VMV P2 MK2 because that maker publishes no output noise figure.

HeadphoneImpedanceNeedsSMSL VMV P2 MK2 headroomSPL Phonitor se headroomSMSL VMV P2 MK2 hissSPL Phonitor se hiss
Shure SE8469 Ω0.04 mW+48 dB+38 dBnot published29 dB
Campfire Audio Andromeda 20209 Ω4.0 mW+28 dB+18 dBnot published9 dB
Audeze LCD-2 Classic70 Ω0.79 mW+31 dB+33 dBnot published7 dB
Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω)250 Ω0.63 mW+27 dB+39 dBnot published3 dB
HiFiMAN HE400se25 Ω7.9 mW+25 dB+20 dBnot published2 dB
Audio-Technica ATH-R70X470 Ω1.6 mW+21 dB+32 dBnot published-4 dB
Sennheiser HD 600300 Ω6.6 mW+17 dB+28 dBnot published-8 dB
HiFiMAN Susvara60 Ω50 mW+13 dB+15 dBnot published-10 dB
What the price difference buys

The gap in dollars, against the gap in numbers

The SPL Phonitor se costs $440 more than the SMSL VMV P2 MK2, and on these three axes the money buys nothing: among the 567 models here there is not one that the SPL Phonitor se handles and the SMSL VMV P2 MK2 does not — not on power, not on the one-eighth rule, not on hiss. The traffic runs the other way: the cheaper SMSL VMV P2 MK2 drives one model to 100 dB that the SPL Phonitor se does not.

Only published figures count here; blank axes are counted separately.

Next

Both pages in full

Each in full: SMSL VMV P2 MK2 and SPL Phonitor se.

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