Quiet, warm, clear and "on time."
Michael C. from El Paso, TX on 6/15/2020
I had been wanting to upgrade my equipment and since most of my listening is vinyl I thought I would start there. I don't have the most expensive turntable etc by a long shot, but I found the experience was missing something. I couldn't put my finger on it. I read up on this item and decided I would try it out and if not, just return it. I had also been advised by many and read, to make sure and give it time to burn in (tubes). I have left is on since I got it, and every day I have noticed things on vinyl records that I never noticed before. The music sounds "alive," and I also noticed so little noise in between songs, during softer passages or in general. So far I'll say after about almost two weeks, this was one of the best purchases I made for my listening experience. You would think a phon pre isn't going to make much of a difference, but it so has. I also found that now my Ortofon 2M RED sounds amazing, where as before I thought it sounded clinical to me. I have several cartridges and switched from the MP110 to the Ortofon Red just to experiment and it has stayed on since. All in all, i feel this phono pre- amp has made my other equipment sound better, and done it's job in spades, and I can't recommend highly enough. In the "audiophile " world this is relatively affordable. If too much I would say look at the tubebox ds, I've hear good things.
Pros: Sound stage improvement was real. Clarity without being sterile. Quiet. I can't even tell it is on, despite having tubes. No hum that I could notice at all. Made listening to vinyl so much fun. Rewards quality vinyl.
Cons: Though I haven't done so yet, I can see how changing the tubes is going to be a pain in the a**. Not impossible, just inconvenient. Wish they would make that more than an afterthought. On the other side of this pre amp rewarding quality recordings and vinyl is the fact that inferior quality and recordings will become obvious to you.
3 of 3 found this helpful
Excellent sound, flexible settings, great value
Robert from West Bloomfield, NY on 5/16/2020
I ordered this pre-amp to use with a brand new Audio Technica LP7 turntable and Audio Technica AT-33sa cartridge. I love the sound of this pre-amp with my new set-up. The sound quality is warm and clear. There is no hum or noise and the flexibility of the DS2 allowed me to fine tune the load and gain to make sure I was getting the best sound from cartridge. I'm very glad I spent the extra money to get a truly excellent pre-amp for my worthy turntable and cartridge. If you get a DS2, you won't be disappointed.
Pros: Great sound, ability to make adjustments, quiet, warm sound, equal to more expensive units
Cons: Takes a few moments to warm up, didn't play nice with the phono input on my receiver
2 of 2 found this helpful
Pro-Ject Tube Box DS2
Crutchfield customer from Queen Creek, AZ on 8/1/2019
Great imaging really seperates the instruments Has a 'tubey warm' sound which I really enjoy when listening to the higher end audio scale.
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5 of 5 found this helpful
JD Rhodes
Crutchfield customer from Coventry, CT on 6/18/2019
This is an instance of an overperforminh product that is a hidden gem. This is not the most expensive tube phono stage but it is very flexible and that is huge. This is a great option for those of us who really like tubes but don't want to spend a fortune. The sound is very neutral and the adjustability is meaningful. The load creates noticeable change in the sound delivered and this means you really can hear a difference with quality speakers. I wish it had an independent power supply, that is the only limitation. Otherwise this is a great buy. I would recommend it.
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14 of 15 found this helpful
