Cantaloupe Island: An ARP Odyssey synth without any reverb or effects was the first instrument through the speakers. Cleaner, more defined—and dare I say with deeper bass—and texture that somehow seemed to make my subwoofer better get along with my speakers and room. If you want something that is very good and very solid straight out of the box, I still think think it is worth it to spend the premium and get the Pro-Ject Tube Box S2. Cost significantly less than most high-end tube preamps but still a costly preamp for casual vinyl spinners

I was quite negative towards cheap tube phono preamps in the intro of this article, but if it is a company that seems to have nailed the task of building decent cheap tube phono preamp, it appears to be Fosi. The Pro-Ject Tube Box DS2 is basically a more elegant and more versatile version of its little brother, the Tube Box S2. The T11 is an upgrade of the T10 and it seems like Nobesound has done a very good job with this version and fixed the commonly reported issues with the T10. The Pro-Ject Tube Box S2 phono preamplifier is a tube-based preamplifier designed to enhance the sound quality of vinyl records. Here’s what I can tell you about what vinyl setup should be used with the Tube Box S2 and what can be gained from it:I cannot critique the sound it produces for the money too much, but the build quality is far below what I expect when I buy professionally manufacturer audio gear today. The other way is to use a phono preamp that has a warm sound characteristic. A tube phono preamp or a solid state prone preamp that has a warm character.

The story stays the same regardless of whether the Pro-Ject is used with our laptop and headphones or as the digital hub in a two-channel speaker-based set-up.One thing the Vincent PHO 701 offers that the Tube Box S2 doesn’t is the option to use it to digitize records. Its USB feature was not important to me, but if this is something you might use, then the Vincent PHO 701 could be the best choice for you. The DS2 essentially utilize the same signal-path circuitry and has very similar key specifications as the S2. Input capacitance/impedance: 47pF, 147pF, 267pF, 367 pF, 487 pF and 587 pF* / 47 kΩ, together with other input impedance settings without any influence! When I plugged it into my vinyl setup and put it on sound, I immediately noticed an annoying clipping of the sound.

I have not tested the Little Bear T11 myself, but from research it seems to be a much better product than its little brother (Little Bear T7) and its predecessor (Little Bear T10). In addition to using the low and adjustable input capacitance to reduce the Ortofon 2M’s signal level peak at 10 kHz, the warm sound character of the tubes will perfectly match the 2M’s tendency to sound bright and analytical. The Ortofon 2M range is also known to be a little on the bright and analytical side when it comes to sound characteristics. This is for sure a topic for discussion and to a large degree down to personal taste and preference. But the majority of vinyl enthusiasts seem to agree that they sound slightly bright on most systems. The new S2 casing is a big additional asset to the design, as not only does it deliver the highest visual appeal, but it is also sturdy enough to protect the internal circuitry against unwanted interferences and vibrations, which can cause unpleasant listening experiences. The Tube Box S2 also benefits from protective cages around the valves – inspired by the superior Tube Box DS2 design.

Most of the time when a tube is put in some audio product the result is a disaster. It is as if they think stuffing the tube in there is all they need to do, performance to be damned. Not here. The Pro-Ject Tube Box S2 seems to have been designed well to do what people expect a tube to do: produce a gradual rise in distortion with level.