Pro-Ject Tube Box S2, High End Valve Phono Preamplifier (Black)

Out of the box this little phono preamp sounded great. Lots of detail and warm overtones. The stock valves are ok but can definitely be upgraded. Note, for those interested the stock valves are JJ ECC83-S rebranded with the Projects own branding. These are a fine tube in their own right and certainly do the job.I had a couple of pairs of other valves in my collection to try for a bit of upgrading.My comparitive impressions were:Stock JJ:Very warm presentation definitely giving that tube sound, a rich bass with a smooth if maybe slightly rolled of treble. I can see why these were chosen as the stock valves.Tung Sol 12AX7:A more balanced sound across the range with better treble extension and detail, a tighter bass and generally more controlled presentation. I liked this setup very much.However...NOS Mullard ECC83 Short Grey Plate:I'm a bit of a fan boy of NOS Mullards already using them extensively throughout my system to be honest. So... Think all the good bits described with the tubes above all rolled up into a single valve and you get this. Balanced presentation throughout detailed highs and extended bass with a full lush midrange and that all important Mullard yummyness that draws you in.I'm not going to even bother trying the Shuguangs I have as I already know they won't even touch the stock valves.I think it would be interesting to hear it with some GE Jan as well but I only have one of those in my collection.So in all I'm very, very impressed and this was a worthwhile upgrade to my original Cambridge Audio CP1. The NOS Mullards really do elevate it as well so it's well worth giving them a try if you can get your hands on some. To setup correctly all you need to do is find out the preferred input impedance of your stylus and if you have an MC cart it's preferred input capacitance as well, flick a couple of tiny switches on the bottom of the device to set it to those settings (all covered in the instructions) and your all set. Personally, I prefer the Subsonic filter turned of as with it on it felt like the sound was kind of missing something.

The media could not be loaded. Been using my Marantz integrated amplifier for some time and was happy with the sound but wanted to try a separate pre amplifier and having a Pro-ject Dark Side Of The Moon edition TT I thought a Pro-ject pre amp would be a best match although I was torn between the Tube Box S2 and the ifI Zen Phono 3. But did decide on this Pro-ject pre amp and first impressions is that I am very impressed. Nice volume with the gain settings which I have set on 43dB on my Pick-it pro cartridge with an Ortofon LVB 250 stylus fitted and have the capacitance set with 2 up and all others off. And the music is full with lots of details coming through. The Pick-it pro cartridge which is basically same as Ortofon 2M series recommends 150pf - 300pf so thought setting to 220pf seemed right to me and what I'm hearing tells me that I was correct, to try and help some people with difficulties setting the capacitance up.

This question is always asked which is better CD or vinyl ? well I can tell you if you get one of these there’s no competition. This will bring the best out of your vinyl records. The detail is so clear and precise and bringsI out things you haven’t heard before on your records Even though I have a very good system and it sounds fantastic. This has improved it even more. So I would highly recommending this to anyone looking to rediscover vinyl for the first time or even if you’re thinking of bring it out all your old records again to play. And it’s true vinyl does sound better than CDs

A much smoother rendition, velvety lows, expanded stereo scene - you can really distinguish between a top-quality recording and a not-so-top. Prompted me into re-listening all my collection for a full immersion.Please note that to truly enjoy, your other components should be of reasonable standards, and the unit takes a couple of minutes to warm up when started - wait until you hear a click and the blue light on the left glows solid.

You would never expect low quality from Pro-Ject but this pre-amp is unreal yes its high end and yes its amazing I have replaced my Cambridge audio Azur pre-amp with this and there's just no comparison the sound quality is incredible I cannot explain the difference if you love vinyl and have a good system upgrade to this you won't look back.

Transformed my vinyl listening to what I consider audiophile kennel now.If you're not sure if it's worth it... it's worth it. It's possibly one of the best purchases I've ever made.

The media could not be loaded. This is a stunning little devise, I was a bit apprehensive about paying 345 to change my sound, so glad I did, what a difference, I would 100% buy this if you are thinking about it

Very pleased with this S2 Tube Box, which sounds great and nicely lives up to my expectation