Pro-Ject Audio - Phono Box DC - MM/MC Phono preamp with line Output (Black)

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.

Once in a while an electronic item is purchased and it does not work. You never think it is defective so we spent two days troubleshooting the cord set up and everything else. The great thing is Amazon has such a simple and convenient return/replacement policy. We did it and got the replacement and hooked it up and it worked flawlessly. This happens rarely but it happens and it shows that Pro-ject audio makes a fantastic preamp product and allows for a quick/easy replacement. We have been using it now for about a week and it sounds terrific. I would 100% recommend Pro-ject to anyone who needs a preamp.

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.

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.

Bought in hopes of eliminating a nasty ground hum. Having already tried a ground plug lift, new ground wire, and power conditioner, I thought I’d try this phono preamp. Seems well made for the price.

When I resurrected my old Pioneer PL-115D turntable to connect to my new Sonos amp, I purchased an inexpensive preamp to see if the turntable and cartridge it still worked. The sound was surprisingly good, but I suspected there might be room for improvement with a higher quality preamp. So I did some research, and this one from Pro-Ject seemed a good bet for the money. As other reviewers have noted, the quality of the design and manufacture is excellent, and the fact that it will work with just about any cartridge should I decide to upgrade to a different turntable later is a strong plus. I wondered if I would actually detect an improvement in the sound of my turntable and vintage Ortofon cartridge, and was pleasantly surprised as soon as I played one of my favorite classical albums. The sound quality is much fuller, clearer, and sounds superior at lower volumes. This is not exactly a budget preamp, but it doesn't break the bank either. At this price point it seems an excellent choice and definitely worth the money. It's a great fit with my new Sonos amp and PolkAudio speakers.

Worked for one month. Just enough to be out of warranty. $100.00 down the toilet. Junk.

If you need a separate phono preamp to connect your turntable to an amplifier, active speaker set, receiver, or computer, this little device is perfect. My configuration, at the time, was really simple - Techniques MK 1200 II turntable, Grado Premier 2Z+ cartridge, and a set of Bose computer speakers. :-) My awesome turntable setup was sitting in the closet collecting dust, and I wanted to start listening to my vinyl! I now have the a much better pair of powered loudspeakers to replace the Bose... the relevant item here is that the results were completely the same..... When I first connected everything and plugged in the Phono Box I wasn't sure it was working ... this was prior to playing a record. There is NO HUM, HISS, or background noise AT ALL! NONE! I had a Pyle preamp that I purchased from Amazon on sale... lets put it this way, you certainly get what you pay for. Horrible piece of junk. I really can't imagine ANY application where this would be useful. When I played my first record, I was absolutely convinced that I had made the right decision to get something professional. The sound was amazing and crystal clear. I SO pleased with this pre-amp. Like I'd mentioned, I have a higher end pair of loud speakers connected now, and the sound is, obviously, much better. I highly recommend this, as I'm quite happy!