Pro-Ject Phono Box MM, Phono preamplifier with metal case and special low-noise ICs

Excellent and cost effective way to put vinyl records back in your life if your amp does not have a turntable (phono) input. It simply pre amplifies the turntable output to the level suitable for any line level (cd, dvd, tuner, etc) source. Has a binding post for the earthing lead some turntables require (ie my 32 yr old dual CS505). Sound quality is fine and exactly what I remember from using the turntable through previous amplifiers. It also works well with my new Rega turntable. Thoroughly recommended! PS only suitably for moving magnet, (MM), cartridges, which is what all budget to £1000 turntables are supplied with. You would expect to use something far more esoteric if you had a moving coil cartridge anyway.

gr8 product, price and service

I recently upgraded from a plug & play Audio-Technica AT-LP60 to a Pro-Ject Essential iii A and was pretty nervous that after spending so much money I wouldn’t be able to hear the difference. I’m new to this! So knowing I needed a phono stage I complimented my new turntable with Pro-Ject’s Phono Box. It arrived before the Essential and I was curious to how it would work. So I bypassed the Audio-Technica’s built in phono stage and plugged it into this. The difference to my lowly turntable was night and day. This made a tremendous difference. It was like hearing my favourite records for the first time. Unbelievable difference in sound quality. Now it’s plugged into the Essential and my vinyl is getting a whole new lease of life. If like me you’re nervous about spending money on something you’re not quite sure how or if it works, then don’t be. Incredibly easy to set up (why was I ever worried!) and the sound quality is fantastic. Put it together with a decent entry level turntable and you’ll never look back. My only worry now is how much this hobby might cost me. Next up, new speakers!

First impressions weren't great, the sealed plastic wrapper around the Phono Box was torn open and one of the small feet had fallen off. Looks like a used item to me. Power supply looks very fragile and there is no information on whether the unit can be left powered up - there is no on/off switch. Anyway, setup is as easy as it gets, and up and running, it sounds good for the money. Definitely a step up on internal pre-amps, so I am happy with the sound. It's a budget unit for sure but I think a little more thought to the information and presentation would result in more satisfied customers.

I bought this unit based on reading the excellent reviews (avoiding the cheaper units available as advised) to transfer my vinyl to digital having unsuccessfully tried several routes involving USB soundcards PCs etc. I bought this together with a Roland R05 digital recorder, connected my Pioneer 512 fitted with Ortofon FF15e via good quality cables to the R05 and Instant success!! The sheer quality of this pre-amp (no hum or interference; superb S/N ration) gives a clear signal perfect as the line input for the R05. As the R05 can record directly to Mp3 job done with outstanding results. I would give this 10 stars if I could!

I bought this to use with a Pro-Ject Elemental, which does not possess a phono stage, thinking that it should work well with the same brand....and it does! It’s a very compact unit and does not have a gain control, power comes from a wall wart. The sound is pretty good too. I’m thinking of trying this with my Denon DP300 to see if it’s better than the built in phono amp which I’m currently using, in which case I will happily buy another.

I was using a cheap battery operated pre amp before buying the Project. The main problem on the battery powered one was that the treble was a bit harsh and sibilant. I connected the project Preamp to my Project record deck, attached the ground lead and tried it out. Excellent sound. Rich bass, good midrange, and good treble. No sibilance at all. Also no hum, as I see other people have experienced. Well worth the cost compared to my previous pre amp. You get what you pay for, I guess.

Pretty underwhelming to be honest. My turntable is an Audio Technica LP120 which already has a built in pre amp. I wanted an external pre amp as I believed it would sound better…..To be honest, not much difference really. If anything I hear much more buzz/hum than before. I have attached the earth cable etc . Overall I am underwhelmed and disappointed .

Aún no lo he usado muchas horas y por tanto no puedo decir nada sobre su durabilidad, pero yo soy de los que desconectan la alimentación con el interruptor de la regleta y supongo que eso ayudará en ese aspecto. La calidad del sonido es excelente con mi cápsula MM y el ruido de fondo es ridículamente bajo. Apenas es perceptible con el volumen del amplificador a 70, hay que estar en completo silencio para notar cuando pones/quitas el mute. Algunas personas se han quejado de mucho ruido de fondo o de que al tiempo de instalarlo a aumentado mucho. Hay que recordar que la señal phono es analógica, de MUY bajo nivel y de alta impedancia, eso obliga a que necesite mucha amplificación para equiparar su nivel con el de la salida de linea y la hace muy sensible a cualquier ruido eléctrico aunque se conecte correctamente la toma de tierra entre el tocadiscos y el preamplificador. Por eso es muy importante como se colocan los cables para eliminar o reducir al máximo ese ruido, alejando todo lo posible el cable phono y la entrada del preamplificador de los cables de alimentación. En mi caso concreto, partiendo de un plato de más de 40 años, le he añadido este preamplificador y un emisor bluetooth 5.3 para poderlo usar sin que esté cerca del equipo de sonido. He montado todo en la parte trasera del plato. Hice una primera prueba para distribuirlos junto con una regleta en la posición que me resultaba más cómoda para encender/apagar las tres cosas. Con esa distribución tenía un ruido de fondo enorme, totalmente inasumible. Cambié la distribución para que coincidiera el cable de salida del plato con la entrada del preamplificador, enrollé y sujete el cable a su lado. En el otro extremo puse la regleta junto a la toma de corriente del plato, y en medio el emisor. Todos los cables recogidos y sujetos para que no se puedan mover y produzcan zumbidos indeseados. El zumbido desapareció y ahora puedo escuchar mis viejos vinilos con el plato en un lugar más cómodo, práctico y sin perder calidad de sonido.

I couldn't review this for a while because at the time of purchase, it didn't work with my setup. Apparently my cheap-o weak turntable already had a preamp built in. I just upgraded to the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon, which requires an external preamp, and now it's put to good use. I love it. Obviously it's a bit difficult to isolate what the preamp specifically brings to the table, because to use it, I introduced a higher end TT. But I will say this: with my old TT I kept the stylus clean, and cleaned my records, so even though it was chincy, I had little to no surface noise. BUT the sound felt weak, not present. Almost flat and far away. Cranking up the volume helped. With my current setup: pioneer receiver, Bose pseudo-vintage pedistal speakers, the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon TT, and this Phono MM Preamp, I have no complaints. The clarity is insane, the presence, depth and warmth are all there. In buying just these two pieces (turntable and preamp), it's like I replaced my whole stereo setup. For the price, I really don't think you'll find a better preamp. It's very solid, metal and has weight to it, so it's not delicate. It could sustain a drop. The sound quality is great: I get no signal noise whatsoever. I love this brand, and would recommend them to anyone. And in all honesty, I almost cheaped out and bought a preamp for half the price (albeit with another brand I do like), but I'm glad I didn't. I'll be happy with my current setup for a while.

So wie beschrieben. Funktioniert tadellos. Kann nichts bemängeln.

Da muy buen sonido, solo que no tiee interruptor de encendido.

Worked exactly as advertised. I was nervous about getting a classic technics SL-1200 turntable to play on my Sonos system and this pre amp did the job, beautiful sound, loud and easy to install.