About The Pro-Ject Tube Box DS2 Phono Preamplifier
The Pro-Ject Tube Box DS2 is a precision Tube Phono Preamplifier which has connections for two turntables and can handle quality MM or MC cartridges to produce vibrant energetic sound with absolutely no harshness.
This precision tube phono preamplifier benefits from outstanding circuit technology from Dr. Sykora and uses ultimate components. Compatible with both MM and MC cartridges. It offers connection for two turntables plus two selectable line outputs and a continuously variable selection of input impedance for low output MC cartridges while playing a record! Other features include input capacitance for MM cartridges and switchable subsonic, that protects your amplifier and speakers from ultra-low rumble below 20Hz. All components including tube output and polypropylene capacitors are audiophile grade and guarantee a breathtaking sound experience.
A Perfect Upgrade for Ambitious Vinyl Lovers!
Pro-Ject Audio Systems, an industry leader in turntable manufacture and design based in Vienna and with manufacturing facilities in the Czech Republic, offers a wide range of electronics, including phono stages. The Tube Box DS2 is in the upper half of the company's range of phono stages -- it's a member of the DS2 line, which is just below the top, RS line, with a few features not included in the standard DS models or, below that, the S models.
Pro-Ject's outgoing Tube Box DS has two 12AX7 tubes in its output stage, and input impedance and capacitance that can be set by the user for moving-magnet (MM) cartridges, or set with a rotating dial for moving-coil (MC) cartridges. The DS2 takes this a step further by making these settings adjustable via front-panel pushbuttons, adding a gain pushbutton, and doubling the inputs and outputs to permit the simultaneous connection of a second turntable.
Also unlike the Tube Box DS, the DS2 is available in silver or black aluminium -- with, in either finish, wooden side panels (add $100) veneered in walnut, rosenut, or eucalyptus, to match the plinths of some of Pro-Ject's higher-end turntables.
Comprehensive Feature Set
What first stands out when you see the Tube Box DS2 are the tops of the two 12AX7 tubes, each with their own protective cover. The rear panel's RCA input jacks and outputs are aligned with the tube circuitry within. Pro-Ject calls this "dual mono circuitry for optimized channel separation." Essentially, the DS2 is two phono preamps in a single case.
The DS2's front panel is dominated by a central knob, for adjusting the input impedance of an MC cartridge from 10 to 1000 ohms. In standby, this panel is aglow with blue pinpoint lights, which indicate its settings. At the right of the front panel is a column of three buttons for setting, per RIAA standards, the input impedance (47k ohms or Variable), input capacitance (100, 220, or 320pF), and gain (40 to 65dB, in increments of 5dB), all clearly labelled. To the left of these is another column of three buttons: Input 1 or 2, Output 1 or 2, and a Subsonic filter to deal with extreme bass and other unwanted rumbles.
The Tube Box DS2 offers versatility: for listeners with one or two turntables, and/or who have different kinds of cartridges from any number of brands, and/or who might be inclined to tweak and adjust with each LP, or even while playing a single disc.
About Pro-Ject
Pro-Ject Audio Systems was founded in 1991 by Heinz Lichtenegger. The products are designed in Mistelbach, Austria and exclusively made in Europe at manufacturing plants in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and then shipped to more than 80 countries world-wide. Pro-Ject are best known for their high quality belt drive turntables which are often seen as the best in class at their various price points. In particular the Debut series of turntables has been the go-to record player of choice for many a budding music lover at the affordable end of the price spectrum.
Pro-Ject turntables allow you to experience again the clarity, warmth and magic to be found in the grooves on your vinyl, at very reasonable prices. With simple designs and high construction standards, performance has always been the priority. Fully manual operation coupled with the best materials and components available at each price level ensures the best possible value. Of course, here at Audio Trends, we've been selling them since the beginning of time (almost) and due to our passion for all things analogue - read vinyl - can tell you everything you need to know about our fantastic range of their products.
Whilst turntables are a large part of the Pro-Ject story the company has also ventured into high quality micro sized audio products in recent years including phono preamps, DAC's, streamers and amplifiers.
Pro-Ject Tube Box DS2 Phono Preamplifier Reviews
In the Tube Box DS2, Pro-Ject has engineered a versatile phono preamp that can be fine-tuned to suit any listener's preference. It could play with enchanting transparency, and with bass reproduction that was an accurate representation of what was on the LP. Its soundstaging was exceptional, creating greater space behind and around instruments, and moving voices to the front of the stage. Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald sounded as if they were singing in my room. With a Beefheart or a Howlin' Wolf, the results were force, forward propulsion, and a next-level quality that the highest calibre of singers possess but that audio electronics frequently don't. It replaced solid-state aggression with tubed dynamic authority that let me play music louder than I usually would, and spurred me on to play the next record.
Thirty years ago, when vinyl was declared obsolete and phased out by the major record labels, electronics manufacturers began to produce amplification products without phono inputs. Now that vinyl is "back" -- it never went away -- listeners find themselves in need of outboard phono stages. Certainly, the DS2 can serve this utilitarian function. For that matter, so can the NAD PP2i, the Pro-Ject Phono Box S, or any number of solid-state phono preamps. The DS2 elevated the performance of my otherwise modest components, like Michael Jordan making everyone around him better on the basketball court. It fulfils the needs of the day, and you won't have to get a second phono stage if you get a second turntable, a 'table with an alternate cartridge, MM or MC, or even a turntable dedicated to 78s. As an affordable phono preamp, the Tube Box DS2 might not be the place for vinyl consumers to start, but it just might turn out to be where they finish. Jeff Stockton - Sound Stage Access
Main Features & Specifications
- Suitable for MM and MC cartridges
- Precise RIAA equalisation
- Ultra low noise circuitry
- Selection between 2 phono inputs & 2 line outputs
- Dual mono circuitry for optimized channel separation
- Selectable input impedance (for MC: fix or variable)
- Selectable input capacitance (for MM)
- Selectable subsonic filter
- Gold-plated RCA in & outputs
- Sandwich aluminium/metal casing protects from vibrations and electromagnetic interference
General
- Tube assembly: 2x ECC83 (12AX7)
- Input impedance: variable 10-1000 Ohms, fix 47 kOhms
- Capacitance: 100 / 220 / 320 pF
- Gain MM / MC: 40 / 45 / 50 / 60 / 65 dB
- Output voltage typically: 500 mV/1kHz at 5mV/1kHz (at 40dB)
- Signal-to-noise ratio: 88dBA
- THD: < 0,04%
- RIAA curve accuracy: +/- 0,2dB/20Hz - 20kHz
- Subsonic filter: 20Hz @ 18dB/octave
- Input / Output: 2x RCA
- Power supply: 18V/1000mA DC
- Power consumption: max 490mA DC / < 0,5 watt standby
- Available Finishes: Silver or Black
- Dimensions (WxHxD): 206 x 91 x 227 mm
- Weight: (without power supply) 1.5kg
- Manufacturer's Warranty: Electronics 2 Years, Valves 90 Days
Note: Features & Specifications Subject To Change Without Notice. E&OE