SPL 2Control

The SPL 2Control is an excellent sounding compact monitor controller.

The 2Control combines loudspeaker and headphone monitoring in a compact, user-friendly and high quality control device. Control near-field and full-range monitors as well as headphone monitoring for two listeners in one central device.

It allows for connection of two sources, two stereo speaker sets and two headphones. Each of the three speaker outputs (2 stereo sets, 1 x mono speaker) is driven by its own balancing stage. Each headphone output is supplied by a separate amplifier to allow for completely independent operation of two headphones.

A majority of D/A converters and sound cards do not provide analog monitoring level control. Instead they lower the bit rate, which leads to a loss of audio quality. The advantages of an analog monitoring controller become especially apparent in combination with modern audio and video production tools such as ProTools™, Nuendo™, Cubase™, Logic™, Deck™, etc. Monitor levels and source management can be handled independently of the software and with virtually no loss in quality. In addition, you won’t have to worry about over- or underdriving the converters when changing monitor levels.

Volume is controlled with a high-quality potentiometer (ALPS RK27 "Big Blue") and active electronics. In contrast to passive circuits, the 2Control’s active design does not influence impedances when levels change. Altering impedances would again have negative effects on the frequency response, so the 2Control’s active design guarantees linearity.

There is more than meets the eye in working with headphones. Many musicians and producers might wish to – or be able to – mix at home. Then headphones become a clear must, enabling an evening or late night session. Now each and every careful headphone user should know about the analytical advantages of headphone monitoring, but also about the main disadvantage: the difficulty (if note impossibility) in properly judging room ambience. A new feature of the 2Control is the Crossfeed control for both headphone outputs, which was derived from the high-end headphone amplifier Phonitor. Headphones have the disadvantage of producing a super stereo image. The Crossfeed control corrects the stereo panorama. Based upon the imaging of a speaker set positioned on angle of 30 degrees, the crossfeed can be adjusted in a way to match the stereo imaging of the speakers. Whenever speaker monitoring may not be possible or if an monitoring alternative to speakers is required, the 2Control allows for mixes on headphones.