Pro-Ject Head Box II Headphone amplifier

The Austrian company Pro-Ject does not need any special presentations, especially for those who are interested in analog sound. Headphone amplifier Pro-Ject Head Box II is designed to connect one pair of headphones and is characterized by strict minimalism: on the front panel there are output and volume control, on the rear - input and output (RCA) for recording on a tape recorder or an external amplifier. There is also a connector for the supply voltage, since the power supply of Head Box II is external. One more thing that should be noted is the very high quality of the product itself, a solid metal body and an aluminum front panel.

You usually expect a simplified, not very informative and tedious sound from a low price technique. And when you end up with something that exceeds these pessimistic expectations, you experience a pleasant surprise. Pro-Ject Head Box II created exactly such a feeling.

First of all, let me note the soft, "thin" and very distinct top. They are also deprived from any sharpness, but only in headphones with an impedance of 300 ohms. The transition to low-impedance headphones somewhat changes the picture: the high ones become tougher and bass - less dense. Some recordings have the impression of emphasizing the tops, possibly, due to reduced bass feedback.

The amplifier's developers clearly focused on "intelligent genres" - audiophile jazz plays in volume, clean, energy shortage is not felt. In high-impedance HD650 headphones, the difference between the master files of 24-bit/96 kHz and the usual 16-bit/44.1 kHz is well heard, which indicates a rather high resolution of the amplifier. In low-impedance ones, the picture is the same, but it is not so clear.