Pro-Ject - Phono Box S2 (Black)
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They're similar but not identical; the ultra, I believe, is an op-ed piece. amp- I believe they are similar except for the lack of design. A comparison of differences should be available on the Project-audio website.
Yes, it works with both MM and MMX. Change the impedance and capacitance switches on the bottom of the unit to MC (warning: before changing the switches, unplug the unit from power). br>br>I honestly cannot recommend this unit, and I returned mine after one week because it did not work at the advertised "audiophile" level. I understand that my unit could have been defective, but it was a bad experience for me, and I've since replaced it with a Schiit phono preamp.
The box isn't very big. It's housed in a small cabinet that's only an inch away from my turntable. I've never felt hot, so I've never tried to measure it. br>On the front panel, there is also a very small power switch beneath a tiny blue light. When I'm done with the turntable, I turn off the little box, so I don't have to touch it very often.
The Phono Box did not come with any cables, as far as I recall. Any component, I've discovered, ships with an average to low-quality rating. I almost always purchase a compatible set of cables when purchasing audio equipment because they are of high quality.
Selected User Reviews For Pro-Ject - Phono Box S2 (Black)
I wish you luck in making it work! I'm still trying to figure out how to use this after three days. The provided instructions, as well as the instructions on the website, are both inadequate. There are TWO banks of switches, but the instructions do not specify which bank to use, and the back of the box is not labeled with "bank a" or "bank b" to make setup easier. Ugggh.
I spent a lot of time researching the best under $200 preamps. There were two options: The Pros and The Cons. The ifi Zen preamp, the projekt Phono Box S2, and the Schiit Mani There are two major factors that distinguish the Pro- The following features set this project apart from the others: the Pro- On the front of ject is an on/off switch. You may believe that this isn't a big deal because you can simply plug it into the amplifier's "switched" outlet. The issue is that if you don't turn the volume down when you turn on the amp, you'll get a huge pop through your speakers, which can damage them. The second, and more important, reason is that the Pro- In your preamp, you can adjust the capacitance load. The other two have a 100pF fixed capacitance load. The sound output to my speakers improved dramatically as a result of this. I'm using an old Shure m97xE cartridge, which is good for rock and roll but has a slightly rolled off high end. So I switched to an LP Gear vivid line stylus, which brightened the high end too much with my 100pF capacitance preamp. With the help of the Pro- ject, I can reduce the capacitance load to 200pF, and WOW, what a difference that makes. The sound was no longer too bright, and the bass had more punch, which was ideal for my rock albums. br>The gain was also much more in line with what my setup required. At first, I tried the 40db setting, but it was too quiet. So I changed it to 43db gain, which brought it in line with the rest of my system's components. For what I needed, a gain of 36db was far too low. This is why I chose the iFi Zen preamp over the others. br>I had no trouble following the instructions for setting up the dip switches. There are two banks of switches that must be set to the same configuration. One is for the left channel, while the other is for the right channel. They're set to 47 kohms, 43 db, and 200 pF for me. br>Another thing I noticed about this preamp was that it had much better stereo separation than my previous one. This is most likely due to the fact that the sound is separated by two mono circuits in this amp. br>The amplifier is also dead quiet, with no noise or hum that I can detect. The enclosure appears to be in perfect working order. This amp is dead quiet even when turned up loud.
This is without a doubt the best phono preamp I've ever heard for under $200. The dip switch settings underneath make this well worth it because you can fine-tune the sound to your specific cartridge. The sound is extremely clean. This is, in my opinion, a far superior piece of gear to the Schiit Mani, which costs a little less but is far more valuable. Pro- Ject produces a lot of great products, and I'm glad they're still around. Everything I've ever purchased from them has been excellent.
Following a 30-year hiatus, I've recently returned to vinyl. I purchased a Pro- Carbon Evo was Ject's first product, and we've been loving it since November. The Evo, a Yamaha a-1000, and a Yamaha a-2000 make up my current setup. Klipsh rp160m and the s301 br>br>As I grew my vinyl collection, I noticed that some records sounded better than others. This is to be expected, but even the better-sounding ones lacked separation and fidelity, so I began to wonder if the amp wasn't designed for vinyl playback or if I had simply grown accustomed to digital. I use a Raspberry Pi with a Hifiberry Digi Pro HAT running MoOde Audio into the coaxial of the a-v receiver to stream YouTube music and listen to FLAC files. s301. It appears to be fantastic. br>br>Now it's time to get back to the vinyl. External phono preamps came to my attention as I began my search for new amplifiers. The prices ranged from $25 to $100. Up to $2500. I decided to see what was available in the $200 and under price range, and I chose the Pro-Lite. S2 Ject Phono Box Ject Phono Box Ject Phono Box Jec It was beyond my budget, but I figured it would go well with the Evo, and all of the reviews I could find were positive. br>br>Suffice it to say, I'm no longer in the market for a new amp (at least for the time being). The S2 has completely changed the game. There's a lot of silence here. Records that were previously unlistenable due to pops and cracks are now enjoyable to listen to. The records that already sounded great have gotten even better. Bass, separation, and dynamic range have all been improved. It's the sound of vinyl that I've been longing for. Get a good external phono stage if you're using the built-in phono stage on a low-end amp or turntable. The $100 is what I'm thinking of. Most people will notice a difference in the $200 range. br>br>Here are a few records that sound great: • Bob Marley: br>br>br>br>br>br>br>br>br>br>br>br>b • Art Blakey: Rastaman Vibrationbr>• Rastaman Vibrationbr> • Fania All Stars: Roots and Herbsbr>• Roots and Herbsbr> • Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings: Live at Yankee Stadiumbr> Soul Time.
This is fantastic, especially because the capacitance can be changed. I went out and purchased some LC-based products. There are only a couple of Blue Jean cables in this room, and they have a very low capacitance. I only had a Cambridge 640p that I had modified by removing the 220 capacitors in order to fit an Audio Technica cartridge and lower the capacitance to AT's specifications - However, my Ortofon 520 cartridge required a slightly higher setting. I only have a MMF 5 at the moment. I didn't want to spend as much or more on a phono preamp because I only had one turntable. This was perfect for the job, and I'd say it outperforms the competition in its price range - At least, that's how I see it.
I invested in the Pro- The Ject Phono Box S2 was chosen primarily on the basis of Amazon and other online reviews. The unit I received was clearly not working because it had a noticeable boosted noise floor right out of the box; at first, I thought the settings might be incorrect for my MM cartridge, but they were correct, and the noise it added to the signal rendered it completely useless. I made the decision to buy a phono preamplifier. I bought an amp from Schiit because they promised it would be tested, and I couldn't be happier with the results. When I'm ready to upgrade, I'll probably look into another Schiit product.
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