PRO-JECT PHONO BOX RS2
Austrian-based manufacturer Pro-Ject first made a name for itself in the phono stage arena with products such as the Pro-Ject Phono Box S2, which set a new performance standard for entry-level phono stages. The company now seems to have set its sights somewhat closer to the topshelf with the introduction of the Pro-Ject Phono Box RS2 Phono Stage.
Don’t be confused by the similarity in the model names. The Phono Box S2 (which is still available) retails for $249 most places, while the new Phono Box RS2 sells for $2,499.
The new Phono Box RS2 is undoubtedly the finest phono stage Pro-Ject has ever built. Not only is the circuitry fully balanced and fully dual-mono from input to output, but there’s also not a single operational amplifier used: the circuitry is completely discrete even down to the RIAA equalisation, which is a split passive topology in order to enable better impedance matching and lower deviation from the ideal RIAA curve. But in addition to the standard RIAA curve, the RS2 also offers the Decca curve, again with split passive circuitry.
Unusually, but totally appropriately, the RS2 has a balance control to allow you to compensate for the fact that all (and we mean all) phono cartridges output different voltages on each channel, due to inherent design and manufacturing limitations. The Phono Box RS2 has a balance control that allows you to compensate for channel imbalance, so you can centre the sound stage exactly where it should be. The 4dB range is more than sufficient to compensate for any phono cartridge.
Also unusually, the Pro-Ject RS2 has continuously variable input impedance for its moving coil input, so you can vary it between from 10 and 1000 . Moving magnet impedance is fixed at 47k . Load capacitance is also variable, but only fixed values are available: 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, and 400pF. Gain is also variable for both MM (40–50dB) and MC (60–70dB) inputs.
“No other phono preamplifier in the world has the gain range offered by the Pro-Ject RS2,” said Sam Encel, of Interdyn, which distributes Pro-Ject in Australia, “nor does any other offer the unique continuously variable impedance control, which was developed by Pro-Ject’s engineers. This is a true reference-class phono preamplifier in every sense of that expression.” Available now, the Pro-Ject Phono Box RS2 sells for $2,499.