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HOME USB DACS £500-£800
GROUPTEST
VACUUM PACKED
Pro-Ject DAC Box RS £800 Here’s a digital-to-analogue converter that does many other things besides – happily most of them well DETAILS PRODUCT Pro-Ject DAC Box RS ORIGIN Austria/Czech Republic/Slovakia TYPE DSD-capable DAC WEIGHT 1.1kg DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 206 x 72 x 210mm FEATURES l Format support: PCM 32-192kHz; DSD64; DSD128 l Inputs: 2x coaxial; 4x optical; 1x USB; AES-EBU; clocklinked I2S for Pro-Ject CD Box RS l Outputs: RCA phono; XLR DISTRIBUTOR Henley Designs TELEPHONE 01235 511166 WEBSITE henleydesigns. co.uk
www.hifichoice.co.uk
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ACs have been an important part of the Pro-Ject range for some years now and the DAC Box RS sits in its flagship series. It is unusual to find a Pro-Ject product as the most expensive in a test, but it goes a fair way towards justifying the cost. For starters, it is the unquestioned winner in terms of inputs. There are nine of them, including two coaxial and four optical. Like the Pioneer, there’s an AES input and a proprietary I2S connection for attaching the matching CD player which then locks the clocks via a BNC connection. The USB input is DSD capable and supports up to DSD128. The RS adds a pair of switchable digital filters and the ability to switch between a solid state output and one that makes use of a 6922 valve. If you have a great many digital sources and you enjoy tweaking, look no further. This is a line-level-only design and offers no volume preamp or headphone functionality, but does give the choice of RCA and XLR outputs. It is also upgradeable. As tested, it uses an external 20V ‘block’ type power supply but single output and a multiple output options in matching casework are also available. The casework is very impressive with the RS feeling solid and well thought
out. The control switches won’t be to everyone’s taste but are easy to use, and Pro-Ject does supply a remote to help choose between all those inputs.
Sound quality
With the ‘Optimum’ filter selected and the solid state output in use, the Pro-Ject manages to please the panel without quite going that extra last step and wholeheartedly enthralling them. The general tone of the commentary is almost universally positive, however, with the London Grammar opener sounding big but deft and engaging. The DAC Box RS
With Take Five the Pro-Ject is arguably at the very top of the group of DACs manages to combine refinement and a sense of drive in a way that ensures that it doesn’t become overly bright or fatiguing while also not being soporific. It lacks the truly toe-tapping delivery of the Rega, but it manages to keep everything ticking over nicely. These traits give the Pro-Ject an assurance and consistency across the test material that somehow manages to elude much of the competition. While one panellist feels the DAC Box RS never truly engages, the consistently positive comments they make about the bass and the three dimensionality of the performance suggest that Pro-Ject is doing something right. There is a sense of proportion to the way that the DAC makes music – regardless of the scale of the recording – that makes it a very
The switchable output on the DAC Box RS is fairly unusual, but in practise the difference that it makes to the performance is not really quite as dramatic as might be expected. The DAC Box RS could probably have participated in blind listening with the output switched into the circuit and not been fingered as a tube design. There are some slight gains in the scale and presence of the midrange but conversely a slight deadening of that well judged top end. Interestingly, the effect of the ‘Steep’ filter is often more pronounced resulting in the Pro-Ject sounding punchier and more aggressive with it selected. Ultimately, it doesn’t reveal any issues with the DSD test material and the clear sample rate indicator on the front panel makes it easy to see what it is that you’ve selected. The other digital inputs also perform as you would expect, although using that switch selector in order to flip between all of those nine sources is likely to become something of an arduous task.
satisfying partner. With Take Five, for example, the Pro-Ject is arguably at the very top of the pile. The skills it demonstrates with soundstage and presentation coupled to the refinement and detail give the track real presence and enjoyment. The balance between guitar and vocals is consistently well handled and it does a better job of handling the curiously left/right nature of the recording. The DAC Box RS might be the most expensive model in this test but the extremely strong performance coupled with its impressively extensive specification and the added promise of upgradeability further down the line is enough to ensure that it more than holds its own l
OUR VERDICT VALUE FOR MONEY
LIKE: Refined yet entertaining performance excellent spec and build
BUILD QUALITY
DISLIKE: Lacks a little trace of excitement; high price
SOUND QUALITY
WE SAY: A clever DAC that offers an extensive feature set and great performance
FEATURES
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