Review on 🔊 Pro-Ject Audiophile Silver Home Audio/Video Product (Box Tube Box S2 Silver) by Mike Groover

This little Pro-Ject phono stage sounds great! I used some sort of DJ Pre II phono stage which I think is very good value and practically unmatched for the price. But I had Revain gift certificates in my pocket. I did a lot of reading before buying the Tube Box S2 as I wasn't too disappointed with the Art DJ Pre II. My biggest concerns when purchasing the Tube Box S2 were that it was not intended to be a 'tube' phono stage and that the cost was high, but not that high for 'premium' audio equipment. What ultimately drew me to the Tube Box S2 is that while not all tubes offer RIAA gain and equalization, presumably high quality capacitors and FETs (transistors) are used rather than less expensive op amps or chips. As an audio consumer, I have nothing against solid state electronics, so I appreciate that Pro-Ject designed and built the Tube Box S2 with quality in mind. While it's not all tubes, it's built with the highest quality circuitry and parts you can get at this price point, and yes, tubes are definitely used in the output and probably some amplification. The build quality, fit and finish on the outside of this little box is also top notch. It's a nice solid-feeling piece of metal, probably aluminum, and the silver version has a nice satin finish. Normally a phono preamp is a box that can be placed discreetly at best, but the Tube Box S2 looks good too. But the most important thing is the sound - WOW! That puts my Art DJ Pre II in the shade. The adjustable gain is amazing and covers my entire audible spectrum. Bass, mids and treble are well represented and explained by the pleasing RIAA rollback favored by vinyl enthusiasts. The sound is clear enough. The Tube Box S2 also has 2 features I have yet to use which are also very good at this price point. 1.) It features flexible phono cartridge loading, allowing you to use MM or MC cartridges with a variety of impedance and capacitance settings. This phono stage gives you the opportunity to try a variety of pickups if you so choose. 2.) Finally, and I'll definitely try that, you can roll straws! You can use any 12x7 compatible bulbs with this little box. To sum it up, yes it does seem a bit pricey for a phono stage, but compared to other "boutique audio" products: it's relatively cheap; it appears to be thoughtfully designed and well built; it has a really good feature set; and it sounds great!