Best Buys Audio & AV 2019-#2http://www.avhub.com.auPro-Ject Audio
Phono Box S2 phono stage- mc/mm stage with four gain selections
- Selectable input impedance/capacitance
- Switchable subsonic filter
- No negatives here
Price: $280Input: 1 x pair RCA sockets plus grounding
post
Output: 1 pair line-level RCA sockets
Input gain: 40dB, 43dB, 60dB, 63dB
Input impedance: 10ohms, 100ohms,
1kohm, 47kohm
Input capacitance: 100pF, 200pF, 320pF
and 420pF at 47kohms
Noise floor: 94dBA (40dB/43dB input gain);
75dBA (60dB/63dB input gain)
THD: <0.01% (40dB/43dB input gain);
<0.05% (60dB/63dB input gain)
RIAA accuracy: <0.4dB 20-20kHz
Subsonic filter: at 20Hz with 12dB/octave
Dimensions (whd): 119 x 37 x 103mm
Weight: 340gContact: Interdyn
Telephone: 03 9426 3600
Web: http://www.projectaudio.com.au41
tonally more thrumsome spectrum by the Pro-Ject
in comparison to the built-in phono stage, again
keeping the highs in check atop a full and natural
sound. Only the Yamaha phono stage (this on a
$13,000 amplifier) achieved a more refined result,
and the S2’s delivery was hardly less enjoyable.
With our resident Thorens TD 203 turntable,
twice the price of the first, we repeated this
listening for three of the four phono stages — the
Thorens not having its own. The Pro-Ject (no DIP
changes required) again served the Thorens’ higher
detail and soundstaging with a natural, full and
controlled sound. The Kate Bush... oh, we were
going to make notes, but we clean forgot.
We enjoyed it too much. Good sign.
What of that subsonic filter button? The RIAA
EQ curve, boosting up previously reduced bass
frequencies, also emphasises any low frequency
mechanical noise, such as rumbling from the
bearings, or from warped vinyl, which can be
further emphasised by resonance between the arm
and cartridge; they can affect speakers even if you
can’t hear it. So some phono stages — including
this Phono Box S2 — include a rumble filter to
sharply attenuate very low frequencies. Pro-Ject
describes its subsonic filter as applying a -12dB/
octave filter below 20Hz. The turntables we used
in this test didn’t suffer from audible rumble
or visible speaker cone subsonics, but for those
that do it’s an essential function — we once
sat through a vinyl session watching some very
expensive speakers making frightening physical
distortions due to the want of a subsonic filter in
the phono stage. Some don’t include one at all, or
have one switched in permanently, which can then
adversely affect low frequency performance.
We’ll mention an initial glitch with the S2
only in case this happens to someone else — the
Australian clip-on plug for the power transformer
didn’t work; the S2 wouldn’t power up. We
thought to try the UK clip-on plug instead (into a
UK powerblock left over from a former life), and
the S2’s front LED immediately illuminated, so we
used it like this throughout the review.
CONCLUSION
In matching the phono stage of our Musical
Fidelity preamp for quality, the Phono Box S2
performed above its price and showed the quality
of its componentry as well as its design. It also had
the harder task of competing with the phono stage
of Yamaha’s 5000 Series preamplifier, and it was
impressive that it was no distant backrunner there
either. This performance supports two welcome
surprises — firstly its hidden ability to be tuned
to specific cartridge requirements by those DIP
switches underneath, and secondly its effective
and musical performance as the vital link between
turntable and amplifier, treating those tiny vinyl
signals with the respect they deserve. You won’t
find a better standalone phono stage at the price.SONY PS-HX500
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