Pro-Ject Audio Systems

Tube Box DS3 B Phono Stage

£799

Ask audiophiles what product they associate with Pro-Ject Audio Systems, and the likely answer will be turntables. While it's true that the company has a fine reputation in the world of vinyl spinners, it also has an extensive portfolio of products right across the board. The Tube Box DS3 B you see here is one of thirteen – yes, thirteen –  phono stages available, offering valve amplification along with balanced connections for both input and output.

Although the Tube Box phono stage line has been a mainstay of the company's product range for a while now, Pro-Ject has incorporated balanced connectivity for the first time. This feature comes by way of a standard pair of XLR connectors or 5-pin mini XLR, alongside standard RCA inputs and outputs. As such, two turntables – or indeed a turntable with two tonearms – may be connected simultaneously, selectable via an input switch on the front panel.

UP CLOSE

The unit's fascia is busier than many phono stages, with switches for gain adjustment and loading options, as well as a subsonic high-pass filter. Where the DS3 B steals a march over most rivals however, is the inclusion of a continuously variable impedance control. It is common for fully-featured phono stages to offer loading options, yet it's usually via fiddly dip switches tucked away on the base of the unit.

Not only does the DS3 B's rotary dial allow for easy impedance adjustment when using low-output moving coil cartridges, but it also allows fine-tuning by ear as you sweep through the range to find the perfect match for your cartridge. Of course, users of moving magnets and high-output moving coils won't need to adjust impedance, and will select the standard 47k ohms setting; however, there are four selectable capacitance options (not required for low-output moving coils) to optimise the performance of this type of cartridge.

Input gain is switchable between 40 and 65dB in 5dB steps, which is more than enough juice for even the most insensitive models. Setting this level correctly is crucial for optimum performance. Too much gain will introduce a hard, aggressive sound, while too little will make your cartridge sound weak. My low-output Hana ML requires quite a bit of gain, yet using the full 65dB on tap is overkill. Step back to 60dB, and everything snaps into place, allowing the cartridge to show off all its musical joie de vivre. Also, at this gain setting with my Hana, switching between the Tube Box and digital sources doesn't produce a significant change in volume, which is a good rule of thumb when setting the gain.

Of course, a major draw for many users will be its tube complement, which, in this case, is two E88CC valves. These are partially visible, protruding from the top of the box, with each tube protected by its own cage. Here, the warm glow of the valves can be appreciated while the uneven top plate removes the temptation to stack other equipment on top. Balanced connectivity ensures minimal extraneous noise, but the unit does not run completely silent – it is a valve amp, after all. A tiny amount of hiss can be detected at higher gain levels, but only when no music is playing, and you have your ear pressed right up against the speaker.

Complementing the thermionic technology is a modern 12v trigger control, allowing the Tube Box to be turned on and off via another Pro-Ject Box design or enabling the phono amp to power up an external Box unit. These are activated by 2.5mm sockets on the rear panel; connections should only be made with the unit switched off and disconnected from the mains to avoid damaging the unit. When the Tube Box is powered up, there's a 30-second standby period before it becomes operational. Once it's good to go, all your stored settings are present and correct. The bundled wall-wart power supply reminds one of its modest retail price, but it can always be upgraded if you really feel the need.

One feature lacking on the DS3 B is a mono switch. This is a shame for those with a smattering of old monophonic recordings in their collection, as such a function can dramatically reduce extraneous groove noise when playing mono recordings via a stereo cartridge. That said, this isn't an issue for serious mono aficionados such as myself as I use a dedicated mono cartridge for single-channel listening, which is a better option. The design of this phono stage, with all its user-adjustability and dual turntable/tonearm compatibility, is ideal for those of us with various cartridges at our disposal.

THE LISTENING

It isn't always the case that valve gear sounds warm and cosy, but the Tube Box does indeed possess a rosy and inviting character. That doesn't mean it's thick-sounding or woolly, but rather it avoids the cool and clinical nature of many solid-state phono stages. For example, playing an original US mono pressing of Bob Dylan's Blonde On Blonde reveals this in no uncertain terms. The artist himself described this album as possessing “that thin, wild mercury sound”, and although his spiky, rasping harmonica playing comes across as sharp, the effect is certainly not as ear-piercingly shrill as I've heard through lesser amps. As this 1966 pressing is slightly warped, the subsonic filter cleverly removes any rumbling noise from my Garrard 401 of a similar vintage without altering the bass response in the recording.

Harmonically rich sounding amps such as this are sometimes accused of being off-the-pace tempo wise, but the Pro-Ject's timing is right on the money. Movement and metre are free-flowing, with no sense of mechanical rigidity. It doesn't attempt to create the illusion of pace by stripping the meat off the bones of notes and phrases, yet neither does the full-fat harmonic content put the brakes on musical momentum.

Spinning the title track of Lee Morgan's The Sidewinder – which is a groovy soul-jazz tune – unequivocally reveals the Tube Box's ability to swing. As the amp has no tendency towards hard-edged treble, horns sound nicely rounded with just the right amount of bite and rasp, and none of the added harshness I've heard elsewhere. I would normally engage the mono switch on my reference phono stage to eliminate unwanted groove noise when using a stereo cartridge to play this mono LP, but the sheer quality of sound lets me tune out the noise and enjoy the music.

While I find monophonic recordings useful for assessing timbre and timing, they are useless when it comes to stereo imaging. Listening to tracks with wide stereo panning, isolating each channel, reveals no sign of crosstalk, so channel separation is fine. Most impressive, though, is the tremendous depth of soundstage the Tube Box is able to conjure. And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow, the most recent release from Weyes Blood, possesses an epic and majestic quality, which the Pro-Ject replays in all its sonorous glory. While the more grandiloquent elements of this album – the sweeping strings and clangorous bells, for example – are correctly portrayed in all their pomp, there is a delicacy to vocals in particular that the tubes in this box express so beautifully.

THE VERDICT

Pro-Ject's Tube Box DS3 B is a fabulous phono amplifier that delivers hear-through clarity, a defining characteristic of an accomplished tube design. Its inherently musical nature brings out the best in your record collection, smoothing out the spikiness from poor recordings without introducing intrusive colour to great ones. Well-built and competitively priced, it easily holds its own in a system built around far more expensive components. Sonically, it performs at a level that precious few of its competitors can rival. Partner it with a neutral and transparent amplifier for a wonderful analogue audio experience.

Visit Pro-Ject for more information