Полочная акустика — Pro-Ject Speaker Box 5 E

The Speaker Box 5 E is a compact passive bookshelf loudspeaker from Pro-Ject Audio Systems of Austria. It replaces the original Speaker Box 5, which Pro-Ject kept in production for more than 15 years. Pro-Ject lists a recommended price of EUR 349 including VAT for the black and white versions and EUR 399 for red and wood, and it reached shops in Europe in August 2024.

Key specs that matter

Its layout follows the two-way bass reflex principle, and the reflex port opens at the back of the box. A 1 inch silk dome tweeter covers the treble, and a 5 inch mid-bass driver with a fibre glass membrane and a strong magnet handles the lower range. The frequency range is 68 Hz to 20 kHz, the nominal impedance is 4 ohm, and the efficiency is 86 dB at 1 W and 1 m. The recommended amplifier range is 10 to 140 W. Each box measures 265 mm in height, 160 mm in width and 198 mm in depth, and each one weighs 4.04 kg.

Engineering and use context

According to Pro-Ject, the fibre glass cone of the woofer was chosen for higher rigidity and stiffness, which reduces distortion at high volume, and the large magnet gives the driver a strong motor for bass. The two-way crossover sits on a true printed circuit board with high quality components, instead of the free air wiring with glued parts that Pro-Ject says is often found at this price, and this construction lowers distortion in the midrange and treble bands. The cabinet uses extra dense MDF that has been acoustically optimised and is described as non-resonating, and Allen screws fix both drivers mechanically to the baffle. Gold-plated banana terminals sit on the back next to the reflex port. A magnetic grille is supplied with each speaker, and the four finishes are high gloss black, white, red and wood veneer. A wall-mounting bracket is sold separately, and Pro-Ject suggests it for surround duties in home cinema. Pro-Ject classes the model as a hi-fi bookshelf speaker, and in the E line it sits next to the Speaker Box 3 E and Speaker Box 3 E Carbon, while a related Speaker Box 5 E Carbon version uses a carbon fibre woofer instead of the fibre glass cone.

Pairing

With such a low nominal load, the partner amplifier or home cinema receiver has to be rated by its maker for such speakers, with output inside the range given above.

Alternatives

The Pro-Ject Speaker Box 3 E Carbon offers a smaller cabinet from the same E range, with a 3 inch carbon fibre glass driver and a 0.75 inch silk dome tweeter.