Phono Preamp Reviews

Into the hi-fi audio fray strides the dual-mono Pro-Ject Tube Box DS3 B tube phono preamp ($1,099) — yet another high-value, smartly priced product from the brain of Pro-Ject founder Heinz Lichtenegger. Made in Europe, of course, and ready for me to dive right into testing — so here I go!

Features & Specs
The Pro-Ject DS3 B phono preamp, following on the heels of my recent review of the quite impressive Pro-Ject T2 Super Phono turntable — which posted here on AP, back on September 9, 2024 — presents itself with lofty expectations. For one thing, the Tube Box DS3 B boasts a suite of customizable options usually found in higher-tier equipment. Practically demure in size, the DS3 B’s front-panel controls consist of a series of small, pinky-sized buttons — buttons so small you may need glasses to read just what they represent.

The one large dial that’s smack-dab in the middle of the DS3 B offers what Pro-Ject calls “[Continuous] impedance loading,” which means load impedance can be set in real time via a large dial, “allowing you to seamlessly adjust the impedance during playback.” (This is a first in my experience.) The dial ranges from 10R up to 1k, with nine steps in between.

The other, tinier buttons address power, loading ohms (“Variable” to 47k), RCA or XLR input selection (which it detects automatically), a subsonic filter, loading for moving magnet cartridges (50 to 400pF), and a gain button (40 to 65dB).

Around back on the DS3 B, inputs and outputs are configured in separate, dual-mono arrangements, which initially confused me. The unit’s inputs and outputs, RCA and XLR, are divided, each channel enjoying its own separate space on the back panel. Ground screw, trigger ins and outs, and power receptacle complete the offerings.

Open up the machine, as shown above, and you’ll see its true dual-mono design. Microphonics-defeating carbon shields hug the two E88CC tubes, each located on a separate circuitboard. The real-time loading dial is represented by a substantial control arm situated down the middle, with various chips, caps, and diodes arrayed on the boards like Lilliputians.

Dual E88CC tubes should bring a characteristically “tubular” quality — i.e., spaciousness, liquidity, presence, and richness. The tubes are deeply recessed within the DS3 B’s chassis, their delicate forms barely visible beneath robust cages.

All this functionality is housed in a compact, powder-coated aluminum frame, though its serious susceptibility to scratches and smudges (as happened with my test unit, alas) is a minor drawback.

Phono Preamp Comparo
For additional context, a word or three (or more) about some other phono preamps that I’ve spent a good amount of time with, both in terms of using and evaluating. I have two long-term workhorse phono preamps in my reviewer’s system — the Tavish Audio Design Adagio ($2,290), and the Manley Labs Chinook Special Edition MkII ($3,199).

The Tavish comes stock with a Jensen step-up transformer, a separate solid-state power supply (with a tube-regulated power supply available as an upgrade), and gain of 44dB for MM carts, and 64dB for MC carts. The MC input is transformer-balanced using a 1:10 step-up ratio Jensen JT-44K-DX. XLR and RCA input connectors are provided. The Tavish unit itself and its accompanying power supply are both half-size units, meaning the two will easily fit on one component rack.

The Adagio features a tube complement of three 5751s, two 6267/EF86s, and one 12AU7A. S/N is given as >84dBA (MM input) and >82dBA (MC input). Its reference output level is 750mV RMS, and THD is <0.008% at the reference output level into 10kohms, 1kHz. The Adagio is entirely front-panel adjustable with cart-loading on both MM and MC inputs (adjustable capacitance on the MM, adjustable resistance on the MC). One switch powers up the unit, another switch enables MM or MC, and a third switch provides muting. A heavy-duty, hospital-style power cord attaches the tube unit to the power supply.

I’ve used the Adagio phono preamp for eight years now. It’s a workhorse — it never goes down and has never required new tubes, though tube rolling would be a good idea. Its sound is big, juicy, and more rounded and uber-tonal than microscopically resolving. It has tons of color and drive, and sounds good in every system configuration. There’s a reason the Adagio is backordered for six months at a go.

The Manley Labs Chinook is in some ways superior to the Tavish, in other ways not. The Chinook Special Edition MkII is the brainchild of Upscale Audio’s Kevin Deal, in conjunction with Manley designer/owner EveAnna Manley. It adds two additional gain settings of 50dB targeting high-output MC carts, and 65dB for low-output carts. The SE version exchanges the Chinook’s stock Electro-Harmonix 6922s with Upscale Audio cryo-treated Gold Lion 6922s, and adds color options. Single-ended ins and outs, chassis ground, and IEC inlet complete the rear end. The Chinook is infinitely adjustable, literally offering dozens of loading options from its back-panel dip switch array. A single pushbutton dominates the control panel, which lights up after a brief power-up period, indicating this big fish is ready for action.

Compared to the Tavish, the Manley offers a gargantuan soundstage, extremely detailed yet human sounding resolution, meticulous tonality, and a certain, atmospheric mien that makes recordings lovely and enjoyable to hear while remaining clear, forthright, and direct. I deliberately went long here on describing both the Adagio and the Chinook to give you a better idea of what universe the Pro-Ject Tube Box DS3 B phono preamp is circulating within. Can it punch above its weight class? Let’s find out.

Setup
I set loading on the DS3 B phono preamp to 100R, conforming to the suggested >100ohms loading for the Kuzma CAR 30 cartridge I used in this review. Other equipment in the mix includes my trusty Thorens TD 124 turntable, with a new Retrotone single-billet aluminum upper platter, set in a Moldovan hardwood plinth. The Thorens table was outfitted with a Jelco TS-350S tonearm using a Korf ceramic headshell, and all went through an Aurorasound HFSA-01 integrated amp and Voxativ Ampeggio loudspeakers. Cabling comprised ArgentPur interconnects, and Auditorium 23 speaker cables. Korf supplied output cables, complete with DIN connector.

Listening Sessions
I used an assortment of dissimilar-sounding LPs for this review, including the 2014-released mono edition of The Beatles’ November 1963 classic LP With The Beatles (Parlophone 5099963379914), the French-released version of the self-titled 1978 Guem et Zaka Percussion LP (Le Chant Du Monde LDX 74674), a reissue of The Louvin Brothers’ 1956 Tragic Songs of Life (Capitol Nashville 7243-8-37380-2-1), and Miles Davis’ 1967 effort Sorcerer (Columbia CS 9532).

Like a thunderbolt out of a clear blue sky — or a bracing punch from a best friend, and/or perhaps akin to some brainwave-altering medicinal activity — the Pro-Ject Tube Box DS3 B phono preamp charged out of the gate like a bull headed straight for my ears. Not to say it wasn’t refined, gentle, or atmospheric when called for — but the DS3 B’s overall footprint, while somewhat light compared to my reference phono preamps, simply knocked me over with its sense of exhilaration, layering, pristine but sun-flecked treble, transparent mids, and generally tight if not entirely weighty bass.

Calling this or that component a giant killer is the kiss of death in the reviewing game, but I feel safe stating the Pro-Ject DS3 B phono preamp is like nothing I’ve heard at its price point. It offers an unerring sense of fun, plus brilliant, touch-the-sky treble, pliant bass, and a wide/large/tall soundstage that invigorated every record I played through it. There’s no doubt the DS3 B found excellent synergy with the Aurorasound integrated amp, Thorens turntable, Jelco arm, Korf headshell (which I’ll be reviewing separately here on AP fairly soon, I might add), and Kuzma cart. But this was mad< synergy, like Dr. Frankenstein smiling with glee as his creation springs to life, excited to take on the day and find the female monster companion of his dreams!

I’d previously spun the Louvin Brothers LP at Alex Halberstadt’s on a system of higher cost, including gargantuan Klipsch La Scala loudspeakers. I was hearing a similar aesthetic at work playing that same LP with the Pro-Ject unit. The soundstage, once merely a flat canvas, now stretched into infinity, a terrifying, three-dimensional expanse. The Louvin Bros’ eerie, nasal vocals hung in the air, spectral and menacing. It was a chilling experience — a blood-curdling descent into hillbilly madness.

Similarly, I’d played that mono version of With The Beatles LP using an Ortofon mono cart, and experienced serenity. I heard some of that same flavor with the Pro-Ject DS3 B (with the integrated amp set to mono mode), and heard George Harrison’s lead guitar filling the room like electric liquid gold on “All I’ve Got to Do” (Side 1, Track 2), along with the booming ring of Ringo Starr’s bass drum in “All My Loving” (Side 1, Track 3), with pronounced energy from John Lennon’s rhythm guitar.

The DS3 B phono preamp brought all the texture and touch of the hand-drumming stampede of the African troupe Guem et Zaka Percussion’s self-titled LP, and the intensity, darkness, and flow of Miles Davis’ Sorcerer. The DS3 B played with clear-headed precision, with the pacing and timing of a more expensive unit.

Conclusions
In absolute terms, the Pro-Ject unit didn’t exactly match the deeper tonality and massive stage of the more expensive Tavish, nor could it equal the fuller resolution, soundstage depth and scale, and professional studio-quality-like mien of the also more expensive Manley. That said, the Pro-Ject Tube Box DS3 B phono preamp, though a “mere” budget contender, surprised with its sheer, unadulterated joy. The DS3 B delivered a performance that was both engaging and exciting — a sonic rollercoaster that demanded repeated listens.

While the DS3 B’s treble could occasionally exhibit a certain sharpness, this was largely record-dependent. And while the low-end might not have possessed the raw power or subtlety of its pricier counterparts, it still managed to deliver a satisfyingly robust bass response. At $1,099, the Pro-Ject Tube Box DS3 B phono preamp is an outright steal and a sonic sorcerer all its own, no non-vinyl stimulants required. If your holiday budget allows further investigation, check it out.

For more about Pro-Ject, go here.
To find an authorized Pro-Ject dealer, go here.

Author bio: Former musician, former artist, and former legal wastrel Ken Micallef has written numerous hi-fi equipment reviews for Stereophile and Analog Planet, and his byline has also appeared within Mojo, Electronic Musician, and The Grammys. You can also find him at YouTube (Ken Micallef Jazz Vinyl Audiophile).