At Project, balanced connections were exclusive to our RS range of products until now. The Phono Box DS3 B model offers some of the high-end features of the Phono Box RS2 at an affordable price and trusted Project quality. One of those is our new True Balanced Connection.

High-End Features and Limitless Loading Options

The Phono Box DS3 B employs a steel chassis enveloped by aluminium panels. This construction offers very high rigidity and isolation against interferences, which is essential for the new technology inside. Magnetic wooden side panels are available separately as add-ons. You can connect up to two turntables simultaneously – all parameters for each input get stored in the memory. Perfectly match the Phono Box DS3 B to a wide variety of cartridges. Load impedance can be set continuously via a potentiometer, a system invented by Project Audio Systems, to adjust the impedance during playback and assess the impact of different loading options in real-time. No other manufacturer implements this feature as elegantly.

Balanced by Nature

Cartridges are balanced signal transducers by nature. Due to the internal wiring of MM cartridges, you'll need a MC cartridge to access the entirety of that balanced signal. Together with the new True Balanced Connection cables you'll be able to access high-end features that were previously only available on the most expensive phono stages. And the best: any Project turntable with RCA, miniXLR or 5P output can do it.

A technical deep dive

The Phono Box DS3 B incorporates a true, fully balanced gain stage design. Whether you're using a single-ended RCA or balanced connection, both times the fully symmetrical gain stage can optimise the signal-to-noise ratios, feeding the fully passive and discrete RIAA equalisation stage with the cleanest signal to work its magic on. Entirely split passive equalisation allows for better impedance matching and lower deviation from the ideal RIAA curve. The Phono Box DS3 B uses fully discrete audio circuitry. A discrete circuit is composed of disparate, individual electronic components, also called discrete components. Years of experience have proven that even the best Op-Amps do not come close to the neutral, natural, dynamic, and vivid presentations of discrete circuit.

True balanced connection

The symmetrical design is the fundamental standout feature. Connect your turntable via the 5-pin mini XLR cable or standard XLR cables and enjoy the benefits of our new True Balanced Connection. A truly balanced gain stage can extract the final musical information, effectively filtering out any noise from interferences stemming from noisy, modern homes (household appliances, wifi & Bluetooth, power cables, audio amplifiers).