Hot on the heels of the talented RS
Phono comes an affordable, petite pre-power duo from Pro-Ject.
The Phonox RS from Pro-Ject was probably
the single most surprising product I tested in 2012. I had no doubt, given
Pro-Ject’s experience in the field, that it would be perfectly capable, but I
wasn’t expecting something built like a tank, fitted with options rarely seen
at three times the price and capable of producing a very grown up sound. So
when I was offered the chance to audition the partnering pre-power amplifiers,
I was keener than a particularly large dollop of mustard…
The Pre Box RS and Amp Box RS both weight
in at $898.5, which is exactly the same price as the aforementioned Phonobox.
The range is completed by an interesting looking media streamer, which is
exactly the same price as the aforementioned Phonobox. The range is completed
by an interesting looking media streamer, which we hope to review soon. Black
and silver finishes are available, usefully. While phono stages are familiar
ground for a turntable manufacturer, pre and power amplifiers are rather more
off piste and at $1,800 all up, this Pro-Ject duo finds itself facing some
stiff competition from various one and two box units.
Pro-Ject
Pre Box RS
First impressions are very positive. The
Pre RS takes after the Phonobox RS and has a thoroughly impressive
specification for the price. For $900 Pro-Ject is offering a fully balanced,
Class A, dual mono preamplifier with no negative feedback and a pair of ECC88
values. Other niceties include an ALPS Blue volume pot and the same
exceptionally solid casework as the Phonobox RS. Despite being a half width
design, the Pre RS offers six inputs, three of which are balanced. This is an
impressive number of XLR connections but has potentially been done at the
expense of unbalanced, ones as three inputs are slightly limited in this
regard. Juice comes courtesy of an Offboard wall wart-type power supply.
The matching Amp Box RS is a 110W power
amplifier fitted with a matching set of balanced and unbalanced inputs to make
full use of the Pre Box. The most interesting part of the design is what
happens between those inputs and the actual amp. The Amp Box also uses values,
in this case a ‘tube buffer’ comprising another pair of ECC88s that process the
signal before amplification.
The
matching Amp Box RS is a 110W power amplifier fitted with a matching set of
balanced and unbalanced inputs to make full use of the Pre Box
This is a decidedly unusual fitment, and
not one I’ve encountered before. Matching a valve preamplifier with a
solid-state power amp is far from unheard of and external tube buffers have
been sold to sit between sources and amps, but building what is effectively a
solid-state power amplifier with a valve ‘signal processor’ is something a
little different…
The other features are more logical. A
single pair of reasonably high quality speaker terminals provides the output
and like the Pre RS it uses an external power supply. In this case, in order to
deliver 110 watts, the power supply is rather larger affair with a screw-in
type connector on the rear panel and a hefty mains block at the other end that
has a conventional IEC socket. When placing the Amp Box RS in a rack, you will
need to take this into account.
Pro-Ject
Pre Box RS
The overall effect is an impressive looking
duo although there are a few cosmetic and user niggles. The volume control
might be a high quality pot, but it feels very stiff in use and the gearing is
somewhat abrupt – the difference between no output and very loud is rather less
than a centimeter. Input selection on the Pre RS is also a little curious.
Instead of series of buttons or a rotary selector there is a toggle switch that
you press multiple times to select the input of your choice. This is novel but
depending on how many sources you have, potentially rather annoying. The small
plastic remote is also not something to get too excited about, then again is
excusable at the price.
