Pro-Ject Tube Box S3 B | Balanced phono preamplifier (MM/MC) - Silver

Audiophile tube sound

The Tube Box S3 B is an audiophile phono preamplifier that gives your vinyl playback a true analogue sound. It features a balanced, discrete amplification stage, a balanced 5-pin mini XLR input and balanced XLR outputs. Simply adjust the settings on the front panel and enjoy clean, interference-free playback thanks to the robust aluminium housing. Available in silver or black and manufactured in Europe, the Tube Box S3 B is an upgrade for any discerning vinyl setup.

‘B’ stands for balanced
Connect your turntable with the 5-pin mini XLR cable and benefit from the balanced signal path. Balanced transmissions consist of a hot and a cold (also referred to as + and -) signal. Both signals effectively carry the same but inverted information. A balanced amplifier stage can now extract the musical information from the +/- signals and remove any noise that may have been added during transmission. Since there are two separate signal chains, two separate amplifier sections are also required.

Cartridge settings
You can now conveniently adjust everything on the front panel. You can connect two turntables at the same time. All input settings are saved. Gains from 40 dB to 65 dB are possible. The symmetrical design makes all the difference here. The Tube Box S3 B can be perfectly matched to a wide range of cartridges and integrated into the rest of your HiFi system by precisely adjusting the volume levels to other sources such as CD players or streaming devices. The MM and MC settings are designed so that a wide variety of cartridges work perfectly with the Tube Box S3 B. With ultra-low values such as 50 pF or 10 ohms, you can take special situations into account, e.g. suboptimal high-capacitance cables. With the Tube Box S3 B, you are always fully equipped.

Features and highlights

• NEW symmetrical 5-pin mini XLR input
• NEW balanced XLR outputs
• NEW balanced & discrete gain stage
• NEW easy adjustment on the front panel
• 2x ECC83 tubes (replaceable)
• MM and MC compatible
• Dual mono design
• Semi-passive RIAA equalisation
• Low noise & low distortion
• Aluminium housing protects against interference
• Available in silver or black
• Manufactured in Europe

Input impedances: 10, 50, 100, 1k, 47 kOhm
Input capacities: 50, 150, 300, 400 pF
Gain (+ 6 dB with XLR output): 40, 45, 60, 65 dB
SNR MM (40dB): 97 dBV, 105 dBV - “A” weighted
SNR MC (60dB): 83 dBV, 88 dBV - “A” weighted
THD at 1 kHz: <0.005% MM, <0.01% MC
THD (20Hz-20kHz): <0.1% MM, <0.03% MC
RIAA equalisation: <0.4 dB / 20 Hz - 20 kHz
Subsonic filter: at 20 Hz with 18 dB/octave
Inputs: 1x 5-pin mini XLR / 1x pair of RCA sockets
Line level output: 1x pair of RCA, 1x pair of XLR
Power supply: 18V/500 mA
Power consumption: 18 V/800 mA DC, <0.5 W in standby
Dimensions: 206 x 81 x 153 (164 with sockets) mm
Weight: 1010 g (without power supply)