Pro-Ject Phono Box DS3 B

Fully symmetrical, dual-mono phono preamplifier for both MM and MC systems with maximized performance/price ratio

Free your Hi-Fi stereo system from unwanted noise and interference. Get closer to the music you love and take your music experience to the next level. With the new Pro-Ject PHONO BOX DS3 B fully symmetrical preamplifier, you have all the ingredients.

ThePHONO BOX DS3 B is a highly flexible phono preamplifier suitable for both MM and MC phono cartridge systems. The letter B in the name stands for "Balanced", i.e. SYMETRIC. It is thus a phono preamplifier with a fully symmetrical design. When connected to a turntable using a 5-PIN mini XLR cable or a symmetrical cable with XLR connectors, you get a truly fully symmetrical signal path and maximum sound from your turntable.

A truly symmetrical preamplifier

In a symmetrical path, both signal wires effectively carry the same musical information with one reversed phase. When the source signal enters the symmetrical input, one phase of the signal is rotated 180°, preserving only the usefulsignal, because the interfering signals are in opposite phase to each other before summing and are of the same level, so together they cancel out. When the two waves are summed in a phono preamplifier, the final musical signal will be at twice the level and the noise will be removed.The fully symmetrical PHONO BOX DS3 B can extract the final musical information from the +/- signals and subtract, removing any noise that could potentially be added to the transmission. Because there are two separate signal chains, two separate amplifier sections are also required.

Fully discrete circuits

The DS3 B phono box uses fully discrete audio circuitry. A discrete circuit consists of electronic components that are disparate separate devices, also called discrete components. Countless hours of listening tests have shown that even the best operational amplifiers are not perfectly neutral, natural, dynamic or lively. Standard phono preamps with integrated circuits contain a few dozen or hundreds of components, but in comparison, discrete designs use hundreds or thousands of components.

Passive EQ

Symmetrical signals are processed after recombination by a fully passive and discrete RIAA equalization stage. Because the amplification stage is fully symmetrical and the signal-to-noise ratio is optimized, the EQ section receives the best source to work with. Fully separated passive equalization allows for better impedance matching and less deviation from the ideal RIAA curve. For symmetrical XLR outputs, the discrete stage generates a fully symmetrical signal. RCA outputs have their own fully discrete output stage for each channel, controlled directly by the RIAA EQ.

Perfect with any transmission

With customizable input impedance, capacitance and gain, this phono preamplifier is user-friendly and versatile, making it a leader in its price category. Simplicity is one of its main strengths.You can even connect two turntables (or a turntable with two arms) and make all settings for each cartridge separately directly on the front panel. The settings for each input are stored separately in memory. Plus, because the symmetrical design allows for high gain levels, settings can also have a large range from 40 db to 65 db.The PHONO BOX DS3 B can thus be perfectly adapted for each transmission and optimally integrated into the rest of your Hifi system, while the úthe volume levels will exactly match other sources such as CD players or streaming devices. The load impedance can be infinitely adjusted via the rotary potentiometer even during playback. This allows you to immediately evaluate the impact of the current setting on the sound. Finding the right load impedance for your transmission is very fast.

Practical, elegant design

ThePHONO BOX DS3 B has a very robust and vibration-resistant chassis made of aluminium panels.The design is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also provides excellent protection against unwanted electromagnetic interference and vibrations.

The component is offered in black or silver. A separate linear power supply can be purchased as a special accessory Power Box DS2 Sources or magnetic wooden side panels with walnut, eucalyptus or rosenut (walnut) veneer.

True Balanced Ready (true symmetrical connection)

To take advantage of true balanced connections, your turntable must have a Moving Coil (MC) transmission installed. True Balanced Ready turntables are ready for symmetrical signals, but come standard with an MM (Moving Magnet) type cartridge.

Virtually all Pro-Ject turntables have symmetrical connectors. The industry standard, however, is to use a conventional unbalanced RCA connection, as it is cheaper and much more widespread compared to a truly symmetrical connection. To take advantage of all the benefits of symmetrical wiring, choose a Tre Balanced Ready turntable - these turntables are marked with the letter B (Balanced) in their name, e.g. X1 B, X2 B or DEBUT PRO B.

HIGHLIGHTS

• - NEW - symmetrical XLR inputs and outputs
• - NEW - 5-PIN mini XLR symmetrical input
• - NEW - fully symmetrical and discrete amplifier stage
• - NEW - fully passive & discrete RIAA equalization
• - NEW - fully discrete audio circuitry - NO operational amplifiers!
• - Ideal for MM & MC type transmissions
• - Dual mono design
• - Infinitely adjustable input load impedance
• - Perfect partner for MC transmissions
• - Very low noise/distortion
• - Heavy-duty aluminum chassis to resist vibration and protect against interference
• - Available in silver or black
• - Magnetic wooden side panels available as a separate accessory
• - Made in Europe

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• -Input impedance:Fixed: 47 kΩ / Infinitely adjustable: 10 - 1000 Ω
• -Switchable capacitance:50, 150, 300, 400 pF
• -Signal to noise ratio:MM (40db): 104 dBV, 111 dBV / MC (60db): 85 dBV, 91 dBV
• -Gain: RCA:40, 50, 60 dB / XLR: 46, 56, 66 dB
• -THD (Total Harmonic Distortion at 1 kHz):< 0.001% MM, < 0.004% MC
• -THD (total harmonic distortion at 20 Hz - 20 kHz):< 0.005 % MM, < 0.01 % MC
• -Subsonic filter: - 18 dB @ 20 Hz
• - Inputs:RCA + XLR + 5-PIN mini XLR
• -XLR Wiring:1 ground, 2 "Hot" and 3 "Cold"
• - Outputs with line level signal: XLR + RCA
• -RIAA Accuracy:< 0.25 dB / 20 Hz - 20 kHz
• -Trigger In/Out: 12 V On/Off detector
• -External Power Supply: 18 V / 500 mA DC (included)
• -Power consumption: 18 V / max. 290 mA DC, < 0.5 W in standby mode
• - Dimensions: 206 (W) × 72 (H) × 194 (D) mm (205 mm with connectors)
• - Weight: 1480 g (without power supply)