Floorstanding loudspeakers — Pro-Ject Speaker Box 15 DS2

The Speaker Box 15 DS2 is the largest floorstander in Pro-Ject's Speaker Box range, for rooms of roughly 25-45 m2 where the compact E Carbon towers run out of scale. It represents a step beyond the E Carbon family in both cabinet size and driver platform.

Position in line

It sits above both the 10 E Carbon and 12 E Carbon, with a different driver platform - DS2 rather than E Carbon - built for higher sensitivity and deeper bass than the carbon-cone models below it. The change in driver family here is a genuine platform shift rather than simply a larger cabinet around the same components.

Key specs that matter

Rated response is 35 Hz to 22 kHz, the deepest bass extension in the range. Sensitivity is 90 dB into 4 ohms with a 20-250 W window, the highest sensitivity and widest power tolerance among the three towers, meaning it accepts both a modest amplifier and a powerful one without either being a poor match. At 20.6 kg it is roughly a third heavier than the 12 E Carbon, consistent with the larger cabinet volume needed to reach its deeper rated bass.

Sound and use context

Expect the fullest, most room-filling balance in the Speaker Box line - the higher sensitivity and deeper rated bass carry more weight and dynamic ease than the smaller E Carbon towers, making this the model in the range best suited to larger rooms or listeners who want scale as much as detail.

Pairing

The 90 dB sensitivity and 4 ohm load are forgiving even at the top of the 250 W window, so both modest and powerful amplifiers work; the wide range makes this the most amplifier-flexible model in the range, a useful trait if the amplifier is likely to be upgraded later without replacing the speakers.

Alternatives

The 12 E Carbon is the choice for smaller rooms at a lower price and lighter cabinet. Within the range, this model is the one built specifically for scale rather than footprint, and the DS2 platform underneath it is not shared with the smaller two towers.

Given its position at the top of the Speaker Box range, this model is also the one most likely to reward a subsequent amplifier upgrade, since its wider power window and higher sensitivity leave more headroom to exploit than the smaller two towers. Given the wide power window, this model also tolerates experimentation with amplifier types more readily than a narrower-range design, since neither a modest nor a fairly powerful amplifier risks being clearly mismatched to it.