Pro-Ject Phono Box DC MM/MC Phono Preamp with Line Output (Silver)

About a year ago, I got back into vinyl by setting up an old turntable with a pair of studio monitors. Since I wasn't using a receiver, I had to get a separate pre-amp to go between the turntable and the monitors. I started with a $25 no-name preamp. It was terrible — harsh, thin sound that was awful to listen to. That one went back immediately. Then I bought the $25 Beringer pre-amp. It sounded much better than the no-name — much warmer and richer — but it had some weird electrical issues. Every time I plugged it in, my speakers made an awful popping sound. They would also make a harsh click when I shut the entire system off. They only made the harsh popping and clicking when I used them with the Beringer pre-amp and I didn't get any of that when plugging in digital sources. After a year of this, I felt that the Beringer was potentially harming my speakers over the long term. I've come to deeply appreciate my studio monitors and I don't want to damage them over time. Out went the Beringer. I browsed for a better preamp went with this $100 Pro-ject over the ~$75 Pro-jects because I liked the magnet/coil switch on the back. That gives me flexibility to try different cartridge types in the future, which means I'm less likely to have to replace this preamp in the future. I also appreciated the solid build quality and lack of LEDs. It seemed like a no-fuss piece of equipment so I went for it. I've had it playing in my system for about a week now and, in short, this thing is wonderful! It doesn't have any of the weird popping and clicking that the cheap Beringer did, and that's a relief as it's the main reason I upgraded. But also... it sounds FANTASTIC. I was expecting somewhat of an improvement in sound quality, but wow — I didn't think a better preamp would this much of a difference! The sound is cleaner, much more detailed, seems to have a bit more range to it, and individual instruments are easier to make out. The bass feels much more controlled, and the sound goes in my ears more smoothly (if that makes any sense). The most striking difference is in drums — drums sound much closer to what you hear when you out and listen to live music. This preamp sounds fantastic and I don't see myself needing to replace it again in the future. I'm sure there are better preamps out there if you're willing to spend more money, but I also doubt there's as much of a difference between this preamp and the more expensive ones as there is between the cheap Beringer and this one. This is where the buck stops for me, and in the world of audio, there's a lot to be said for that. If you're looking for quality audio without delving into the whole "audiophile" world, I think this preamp is a great way to go.

I bought this box after receiving numerous recommendations to do so. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed. In fact, I was blown away. I recently bought a new AT LPW50BT turntable and wanted something to ensure excellent sound quality, after adding this to my set up, holy smokes it’s alive!!! This pre amp took my setup from great to incredible. It’s small yet very powerful. The only change I would make is a gain knob, so it’s a little more adjustable other than that it’s perfect. Took my setup from upper lower level to solid mid level audiophile sound.

The Pro-Ject Audio Phono Box DC is a compact, no frills phono preamp at a reasonable price. Properly grounded and hooked up to an analog power amplifier, the sound is clear with no noticeable hiss or humm.

I was sceptical at first how this small preamp box can change sound of my Audiotechnica AT-LP5X paired with small Denon amplifier. The sound change was very noticeable, not just better signal and volume, but it actually improved highs, mids and base and add even more depth to the stage. I do not have high end speakers or subs, but sound that I got now is compatible to very high end equipment. The only drawback is slight noise on max volume, but it does not distract from listening and noise level is minimal. It is almost impossible avoid noise with turntables, ground cable helps and it reduces electrical hum. Overall the only reason for 4 star is slight noise at max volume, but it completely okay. Good value for money. The AT-LP5X built in preamp is quite bad compared to this little box.

I bought this for my AT-LP120XUSB turntable, bipassed its internal preamp, and the difference is night and day. I’m really amazed. It’s so much more present, and I can hear a much broader range of frequencies. The low end is absolutely more defined. I keep trying it with different records and genres and each time the improvement is quite noticeable.

Really impressed with the sound impact this unit made. Night and day difference between my built-in phono pre-amp and this item. Added much more vibrant sound and power to my vinyl. Highly recommended, especially for the price. I have traditionally used built-in phone pre-amps that come with my receivers however my 1980 Pioneer SX-D7000's built-in seemed to be failing in the left channel. I added this external unit and was blown away at the improvement. I am using it with my Pro-ject Classic SB turntable that has a Sumiko Blue Point No. 2 MC cartridge.

This preamp gives you nice, clean sound without breaking the bank and is built around a minimalist yet functional design featuring an all metal enclosure. Simply connect your RCA cables from your turntable and out to your amp (or, in my case a Sonos Port), connect a ground cable between the preamp and your turntable, and then plug it into power. It’s always on and ready to receive the signal from your turntable. There’s no power light or anything distracting on the front so it will easily blend into your setup without attracting unwanted attention. This is a very basic setup with no adjustments other than a push button on the back that let’s you switch between moving magnet and moving coil cartridges so you do have some flexibility if you want to explore moving coil cartridges in the future (or if you already have one of course). Performance is fantastic with crystal clear sound and no noticeable hiss or other sound floor effects. Plug it in and forget about it.

Great item, lousy Seller. Unorganized (had no idea about my order, super late), when received by me looked like a return was re-sold... kept it anyway for a while.. and sure enough it crapped out on me. When it worked it was great; increased overall sound fidelity from my MM cartridge. Will re-buy this somewhere else 1/2 star treatment of my order.by seller. Will look at Crutchfield - may be a little more expensive there, but a lot less hassle.

prodotto esattamente come raffigurato. ha la vitina per attaccare la massa e esegue benissimo il suo lavoro. imballaggio e spiegazioni nella scatola ottime.

Hat den Klang deutlich verbessert. Bin sehr zufrieden.

Goed geluid,. No nonsens. Had iets meer volume verwacht,. Mischien straks met de kabel upgrade,. Zoja meld ik me weer

Ho cambiato la testina del mio giradischi passando da una MM (AT-VMN95SH) ad una MC (AT33PTG II) e avevo bisogno di un preamplificatore esterno che mi desse questa possibilità. Con questo aparecchio è bastato un clic per passare da una tipologia all'altra senza alcun probema. Non si sentono rumori, ronzii o fruscii e il mio piccolo upgrade è risultato emozionante. Suono pulitissimo a tutti i volumi, ricco di dettagli nuovi. Stupendo. Dato il minimo ingombro l'ho posizionato in verticale sulla schiena del mobile del giradischi così non si vede nemmeno. Promosso.

Parfait, fait son job. Simple à brancher, à utiliser et le son est bon. Si vous cherchez à brancher une platine vinyle sur un ampli sans entrée dédiée, c'est ce qu'il vous faut.