As implied by the name, discrete circuits are made up of individual electronic components. The S3 B employs discrete rather than integrated circuits in its gain stages. Conveniently, the S3 B will store whatever settings were last used for each input, meaning that two turntables can be connected simultaneously. A fifth button toggles between the single-ended and balanced inputs. A button that engages a subsonic filter with an 18dB/octave rolloff below 20Hz is also selectable via the front panel. Gain can be set to 40, 45, 60, or 65dB, with an additional 6dB when it’s run balanced. Meanwhile, settings of 50, 150, 300, and 400pF are available for load capacitance. There are five options for the input impedance: 10, 50, 100, 1k, and 47k ohms. The pushbuttons control impedance, capacitance, and gain. I’ve never been able to do this with a phono stage before, and after having had these adjustments at my fingertips, fiddling with dip switches or jumpers seems cumbersome now. What I loved most about the Phono Box S3 B was the ability to match it to my cartridge and amplifier using a series of pushbuttons on the front panel, and then to effortlessly experiment with these settings. In fact, its best feature isn’t its balanced architecture, although I realize that this is easily its most sellable attribute for many people (including Pro-Ject’s marketing department). Happily, the S3 B isn’t like most phono stages. Phono stages usually have few buttons, since adjustments are typically made using dip switches or jumpers on the circuit board itself (if you’re lucky you can access them on the outside, as on the iFi Audio iPhono3 Black Label phono stage). When the balanced signals arrive at the phono preamplifier, they are received by a differential device that only responds to the difference in voltage between the two signal lines, thereby rejecting any noise that is identical on both wires. Marketed by Pro-Ject as its “True Balanced Connection,” the Connect it S cable with five-pin mini XLR carries two impedance-matched signal conductors per channel, and one ground connection. The balanced input is a five-pin mini XLR while the balanced outputs are full-size XLR connectors. On its backside are balanced and single-ended inputs and outputs. Available in black or silver, this small box feels surprisingly sturdy. While the owner of a $500 turntable isn’t likely to partner it with a phono preamp of equal value, the S3 B isn’t out of the question for someone who’s invested $1K or more in a record player.Ĭonstructed in Slovakia from a combination of electromagnetic-shielding aluminum and steel, the S3 B measures 8.1″W × 2.2″H × 6.4″D (including sockets) and weighs a smidgeon over two pounds (without its outboard power supply). As you’ll see, the S3 B deserves its own spotlight.Īt $499 (all prices in USD), the S3 B’s price skews toward the entry-level segment of the market-some of the phono stages we review at SoundStage! Hi-Fi sit comfortably in the four-figure range. In fact, I was so enthusiastic about the phono stage that I asked Gentec to send it to me again so I could review it on its own. However, as much as I liked the turntable, it was the Phono Box S3 B that most surprised me, with its combination of great sound and remarkable feature set. The X2 B’s good looks and clean, neutral sonics made it an easy recommendation. To remedy that, Gentec International (Pro-Ject’s Canadian distributor) provided me with a Phono Box S3 B phono stage and Connect it S mini XLR cable so I could evaluate the X2 B and S3 B in both single-ended and balanced configurations. Since it came premounted with an Ortofon Quintet Red MC, I was mostly set up, except for one thing: I don’t own a balanced phono preamplifier. The “B” indicates that the turntable can be run in a balanced configuration, provided the tonearm is fitted with a moving-coil cartridge (MC cartridges are inherently balanced). Last year I reviewed Pro-Ject Audio Systems’ X2 B turntable for SoundStage! Hi-Fi. Note: for the full suite of measurements from the SoundStage! Audio-Electronics Lab, click here. 2018-2019 EISA Awards Video Introduction.
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