Усилители для наушников — Pro-Ject Head Box DS3 B

Pro-Ject Audio Systems built the Head Box DS3 B as a discrete, balanced-throughout desktop amplifier for headphones, available from January 2026 at an MSRP of EUR 699 including VAT. It arrived together with the chip-based Head Box S3 B and sits above it, aimed by Pro-Ject at planar magnetic and low-sensitivity headphones. The unit is designed and manufactured in Europe and is finished in either black or silver aluminium.

Key specs that matter

Through the balanced sockets the amplifier delivers 510 mW into 8 ohm, 900 mW into 16 ohm, 1,500 mW into 32 ohm and 560 mW into 300 ohm. The single-ended jacks give 620, 750, 730 and 200 mW into the same loads. Gain on the balanced outputs is 12 dB from the RCA input and 6 dB from XLR, falling to 8 and 2 dB on the unbalanced ones. Balanced figures are THD under 0.002% at 1 kHz with 500 mV input, signal-to-noise above 118 dB A-weighted and crosstalk better than -83 dB at 10 kHz, against 0.004%, 105 dB and -68 dB single-ended. Response deviates less than 0.2 dB between 20 Hz and 20 kHz, and the minimum recommended headphone impedance is 8 ohm. The case measures 206 x 70 x 194 mm, or 218 mm deep with sockets, and weighs 1,430 g.

Engineering and use context

The signal stays balanced from input to output whether the source arrives on RCA or XLR, which Pro-Ject uses to keep channel separation high and noise low. The front panel carries four headphone sockets - 3.5 mm and 6.3 mm jacks for unbalanced cables, plus a 4.4 mm Pentaconn socket alongside a 4-pin XLR connector for balanced leads. All four can be used at once, in which case the output power is split between the headphones according to their impedance. Both inputs may stay connected, with an Input button selecting between them, and a large knob sets the volume. A full aluminium chassis provides mechanical protection and shielding against electromagnetic interference, and all knobs and buttons are machined from aluminium. Power comes from an outboard 18 V, 1 A supply for 110 to 240 V mains, with a maximum consumption of 16 W and under 0.5 W in standby. An RS232 port with a documented ASCII protocol at 9600 baud allows power and input switching from a custom control system.

Pairing

Any fixed-level source, such as a CD player, streamer or D/A converter, connects to the inputs. A rear RCA loop output passes the RCA input signal on untouched to a separate amplifier, though the XLR input is not looped through.

Alternatives

The Pro-Ject Head Box S3 B is the lower-priced balanced model built on two TPA6120A2 amplifier chips, rated at 820 mW into 32 ohm.