PRO-JECT CD Box - DAC Box RS
Digital sources
The boxes of Pro-Ject's Box Design are very compact and can be stacked like LEGO bricks: phono preamps, headphone amps, integrated amps, preamps and power amps, monoblocks, docking stations, D/A converters and USB DACs, media boxes, streamers, players and transports, receivers, tuners - simply anything that is needed in one's audio life. Welcome to the world of Pro-Ject.
Function and form
CD Box is a top-loading transport that can accept external clock signal and sends out digital data through multiple digital outputs – coaxial, optical S/PDIF, AES/EBU and proprietary Sonic output.
The CD mechanism comes from Austrian OEM supplier Stream Unlimited and it is mounted in all aluminum chassis. The disc has to be inserted into the loading bay and clamped with a magnetic clamping ring plus the bay has to be sealed with an aluminum cover plate in a lid-on-a-pot fashion. All the parts are precisely machined so it needs patience and certain cautiousness to make everything right before you can push PLAY. Should you not place the clamping ring ort he cover plate proprely, the CD will not play.
The central part of the CD Box RS is a full colour LCD screen that shows usual information about program material that is played back. You can switch between three display modes with the PLAY VIEW button on the remote controller – I liked the default one the least as it provided too much information in low contrast so I settled on the 2nd mode for my listening sessions which was less cluttered. I think that a switch-off option for display could be a good idea for implementing in future.
I liked that, when the cover plate was lifted during playback, the CD disc immediately stopped, stayed put clamped. It prevents the disc to fly away or scratch itself, a common thing with low-cost players.
The miniature toggle switched were another thing I had fallen in love with immediately. Luckily, the rest of the RS line had them too.
Bass management
The Pro-Ject DAC does the conversion from digital to analog via two PCM-1792 Texas Instruments´chips with 8x oversampling. The remarkable part of the DAC is its master clock communication with the CD Box RS. When you connect those two with through „Sonic“ interface with RJ-45 and BNC cable (I used the original cable supplied by Pro-Ject as well as superb Audioquest Forest) the DAC is capable of ‘Sonic Scrambling’ to further improve its linearity through decorrelation of the signal´s least signifacant bits. Separating the clock and serial data with I2S bus – the solution that is used by top high-end brands – drastically minimizes jitter.
The DAC Box RS boasts of multiple input options – apart from Sonic, that I highly recommend to dig out the best sound quality, there is the 24/192 asynchronous USB input, S/PDIF, coaxial and four optical inputs. It is more than enough so that the DAC Box could become a nerve center of any digital audio system, especially when it supports 32/44,1/48/88,2/96/176,2/192 kHz sampling rates as well as DSD 64/128.
The Pro-Ject takes the versatility of the DAC one step further by incorporating two switchable digital filters (phase optimised and frequency optimised) and possibility to route the signal through solid state or tube (6922) output stage.
Clarity & delicacy
No Way Out (Peter Gabriel, UP) surprised me with how easily the RS boxes differentiated between a bass and a double bass. The Pro-Jects highlighted the ambience of both instruments and revealed that one was recorded drier with a close miking technique whereas the other is the result of mixing DI and an amp's mike. Considering the price of the boxes I have found such a level of resolution quite exceptional.
The powerful bass is usually - in our thinking - linked to wardrobe-sized amplifiers so the fact that it was really powerful through a such mini device caused a jaw-dropping effect with the visitors I had in my house during the review's period.
Tonal accuracy
There is the possibility to experiment with digital filtration. The FIL1 option delivers a bit softer and more comfortable sound with deeper soundstage. The FIL2 option is more immediate and slightly forward. Also I found the latter to be more accurate for my ears.
Spatial resolution
The vocal tracks - like La Grande Sophie's Quelqu´un d´antre - were beauiful. I heard no sibilance or frequency imperfections, the sound was natural and clean. Sure, when you compare the Pro-Ject RS to much pricier high-end gear then you may lack a thing or two, but in its category the RS boxes excelled with juicy, dynamic and resolved sound that was very entertaining.
Most of my audtioning was done with the CD transport and the DAC connected via the´Sonic´communicator with AudioQuest Forest (this is what Pro-Ject recommends). When I switched to Toslink the sampling frequency automatically dropped to 88 kHz. This also may be the reason for the music to become more sterile and fuzzy.
Recommended resellers
AQ s.r.o., Červenka, tel. +420 585 342 232
Manufacturer's website: http://www.project-audio.com
Associated components
- SACD player: Accuphase DP-78
- Amplifiers: Pro-Ject Stereo Box RS, Accuphase 2410 and A-60
- Interconnects and speaker cables: Krautwire Fractal, Audioquest Forrest, Pro-Ject
- Loudspeakers: Bowers & Wilkins 802 Diamond
- Power conditioning: Nordost Thor (modified), Nordost Valhalla, Block Audio Snakeblock
ACCUPHASE DG-58
The Accuphase DG-58 is a 4th generation 'voicing equalizer' of Japanese manufacturer. The device won me over with its impeccable finish, top notch operation and a friendly user interface. It comes in traditional satin gold with high ...
Recommended resellers
Nisel SK, Bratislava, tel. +421 905 203 078
ACCUPHASE DP-720 SACD
Accuphase engineers further expanded on the features that had made their DP-900/DC-900 transport/DAC combo so phenomenal - the result is the one-box DP-720. This player is built with almost fanatical attention to detail. The ...
Recommended resellers
Nisel SK, Bratislava, tel. +421 905 203 078
AUDIOLAB 8300CD
The 8300CD is a preamplifier, a CD player and a DAC (ESS Sabre), all in one neat package. Audiolab offers 8300MB monoblocks that are half-width of the 8300CD so the two monos and one source component create a compact high end system. ...
Recommended resellers
Horn Distribution, Praha, +420 272 656 485
AUDIOQUEST Dragonfly Red
The original USB DAC of Audioquest happened to be a small revolution back in 2012. Four years later there are already more newborn dragonflies – v1.2, Black and Red. This review is focusing on the latest Red version that has ...
Recommended resellers
AQ s.r.o., Červenka, tel. +420 585 342 232
AYON CD-07s
Smooth liquidity is another typical element of the Ayon sound. The sound is analog-like, viscose, fluid, flowing, smooth. You may as well discard all these adjectives and replace them with the single formulation: the Ayon is a ...
Recommended resellers
Nisel SK, Bratislava, tel. +421 905 203 078
AYON CD-35 Signature SACD
The CD-35 is one of the most versatile digital players available. In its “Signature” version (the one we used throughout this review) it replaces a CD and an SACD player, a highly capable DAC, and an excellent preamplifier. Thus the ...
Recommended resellers
Nisel SK, Bratislava, tel. +421 905 203 078
AYON CD-5s
The Ayon CD-5s is not a revolutionary different CD player from Ayon CD-07s which we used as a benchmark. However, its topology and component base are fine tuned to perfection plus a bit of high-end attractivity is thrown into the ...
Recommended resellers
Nisel SK, Bratislava, tel. +421 905 203 078