Infuse Your Turntable with High-end Tube Sound
Featuring low-noise, microphonic-free E88CC tubes, the Pro-Ject Tube Box DS3 B elevates the sound of your favorite LPs with amazingly detailed low end and sublimely warm highs. Like all of Pro-Ject’s high-end units, this tube-driven phono preamp supports True Balanced Connection, ensuring unparalleled sound quality and superior noise rejection. High-precision RIAA equalization and ultra-low-noise audio circuitry deliver hyper-accurate frequency reproduction with incredibly low distortion. You’ll be blown away by the exceptional channel separation afforded by the Tube Box DS3 B’s dual-mono design. Beyond that, it offers ample cartridge loading options, including selectable gain and continuously variable input impedance. Additionally, a subsonic filter effectively eliminates rumble. Finally, the Tube Box DS3 B’s aluminum housing provides both an eye-catching look and effective isolation against interference. Are you looking for a tube-fueled phono preamp to maximize your vinyl playback experience? The high-end tube sound of the Tube Box DS3 B strikes just the right chord.
Elevate your turntable’s sound
The Tube Box DS3 B boasts a wealth of high-end features. It starts with ultra-low-noise audio circuitry, ensuring an ultra-clean signal path for the best possible sound, bolstered by low-noise, low-microphonic E88CC tubes. Additionally, high-precision RIAA equalization guarantees spot-on frequency reproduction. Furthermore, the Tube Box DS3 B’s dual-mono design provides heightened channel separation. Finally, its heavy aluminum casing protects against vibrational and electromagnetic interference.
A bevy of cartridge loading options
You’ll be hard-pressed to find another phono preamp with as many cartridge loading options as the Pro-Ject Tube Box DS3 B. It accommodates gain ranges from 40dB to 65dB, enabling seamless matching with a wide range of cartridges. Beyond that, integrating the Tube Box DS3 B with the rest of your system is simple, thanks to its multiple gain staging options that allow you to match its volume level to other sources, such as CD players and music streamers. Additionally, you can set load impedances continuously, enabling you to adjust the impedance seamlessly during playback and immediately assess the impact of different loading options. In summary, no matter what cartridge you’re using, the Tube Box DS3 B can match it perfectly.
How True Balanced Connection technology optimizes the vinyl listening experience
As its name implies, True Balance Connection technology employs a balanced audio connection to ensure a stable, interference-free signal between your turntable and preamp. Balanced connections comprise two legs independent of ground: a positive one and a negative one. Since the two signals are opposite in polarity, anything common to both will get canceled. Given that any noise induced into the line will be common to both signals, it will be canceled when it reaches its destination, which is referred to as common mode rejection. Balanced connections are crucial when using microphones, as the audio signal they produce is extremely weak and susceptible to noise (hence the need for a mic preamp). Due to their inherent noise rejection, balanced connections are the industry standard for professional recording and live sound reinforcement.
Interestingly, microphones and phono cartridges have a lot in common. Both are electromagnetic transducers, both produce extremely weak signals, and both require a preamp. Moreover, microphones and phono cartridges produce a balanced audio signal. Unfortunately, typical phono preamps (with RCA connectors) sport a single-ended design and only process one leg of the cartridge’s signal, leaving it open to all sorts of interference. True Balanced Connection technology, on the other hand, uses the full signal, employing common mode rejection to eliminate unwanted noise.
In order to employ True Balanced Connection technology, your turntable needs to be equipped with a moving coil or Pick it PRO Balanced MM (moving magnet) cartridge. Moreover, the connection between your turntable and phono preamp needs to employ one of Pro-Ject’s True Balanced cables, regardless of whether your turntable outputs are on RCA, mini XLR, or 5-pin DIN connectors. Finally, you’ll need one of Pro-Ject’s True Balanced phono preamps.
With True Balanced Connection technology, nothing will inhibit your vinyl listening experience. You’ll say goodbye to unwanted noise and enjoy your LPs with crystal-clear sound.
Pro-Ject: projecting sonic purpose and premium playback performance
Since its founding in 1991, Pro-Ject has pursued a singular mission: provide premium analog listening experiences for music lovers. During a time in which the succession of CDs and digital audio over analog and vinyl seemed all but inevitable, company founder Heinz Lichtenegger doubled down. Lichtenegger and his talented team were determined to introduce new listeners to the world of genuine, true-stereo, hi-fi audio, complete with a menu of value-laden products. Considering that the RIAA reported that vinyl outsold CDs in 2022 — the first time it had done so since 1987 — it’s clear that Pro-Ject’s long-term wager paid off. The company’s initial major success stemmed from the inaugural release of its debut turntable, the Pro-Ject 1. Since then, Pro-Ject has materialized as a worldwide window into the world of high-fidelity analog listening. The company collaborates with manufacturers, engineers, and designers around the world to produce parts from scratch, ensuring everything from the smallest screw to the most complex components maximizes quality. This all-encompassing commitment has manifested in an extensive line of turntables, speakers, cables, amplifiers, tonearms, cartridges, and more. Whether you’re a newcomer to the format or a veteran collector, Sweetwater invites you to chart your vinyl voyage with Pro-Ject — supreme style and sonic substance are only the beginning.
Pro-Ject Tube Box DS3 B Features:
- A phono preamp fueled by low-noise, microphonic-free E88CC tubes
- XLR connectors leverage True Balance Connection technology for superior noise rejection
- High-precision RIAA equalization ensures hyper-accurate frequency reproduction
- Ultra-low-noise audio circuitry yields incredibly low distortion
- Dual-mono design supplies maximum channel separation
- Accommodates both moving magnet and moving coil cartridges
- Gain-setting options ranging from 40–65dB
- Continuously variable input impedance loading allows seamless adjustment — even during playback
- 20Hz subsonic filter eliminates low-frequency rumble
- Heavy aluminum casing safeguards against interference
