ProJect Phono Box DS3 B
Contents
Also from High End Music we get the ProJect DS3 phono stage in (569 Euro). This is a new model, with both single ended and balanced outputs. The price is very pleasant for such a complete model!
The Phono DS3 is suitable for MM and MC elements and allows both capacitance and resistance to be set. That makes this Pro-Ject pretty versatile.
The ProJect has an 18 Volt adapter in the box. This is a somewhat crazy voltage, but there are certainly other, better power supplies available. We definitely recommend replacing the power supply immediately or later, because even this adapter is a bit dirty, we see in the measurements.
Yung calls the sound of the Pro-Ject “loungy”. It is pleasant, but a touch on the slow side. Martijn endorses this … it’s nice, but it could use a little more ‘schwung’. We estimate that a nice power supply will certainly take care of this! After all: by now we did hear the effect on both the MOON and the Musical Fidelity…. The nice thing in this case: you stay nicely under the 1000 Euro mark if you couple a nice power supply to it.
Measurements Pro-Ject Phono Box DS3 B
The Pro-Ject measures nicely considering its price. The noise floor is slightly higher than that of the Musical Fidelity. Especially in the low end. The response is neat, but does show a very different graph at ‘high-gain’ than at ‘0dB’ gain. That doesn’t seem quite right to us… high gain colors without a doubt in the mid-bass. The phase hardly deviates, fortunately.
The Pro-Ject’s power supply is just not the best. That makes pretty good sense, considering the price, but we really recommend investing in a decent 18-volt power supply if your budget allows it.
| Type | Pro-Ject Phono Box DS3 |
| MM/MC | Yes, both |
| Curves | No |
| Adjustable impedance / capacitance | Yes, both |
| Power supply | External, switching |
| Price | 569 |