John Darko
If you like the look of the WiiM Amp (or Amp Pro) but don’t like its digitised analogue inputs or that it’s Made in China, you’ll want to pay attention here: because Pro-Ject’s Uni Box S3 streaming amplifier is Made in the EU and doesn’t digitise the two line-level inputs or the neighbouring MM phono input. Well, it does, but only in certain circumstances — we’ll get to that…
From the press release: “Your analogue sources – like turntables – are not digitized, preserving their rich and lifelike sonic character. With a fully analogue pre- & and power amp design, every nuance of your music is delivered with breathtaking punch and dynamic precision.”
According to Pro-Ject, the amplifier circuit is dual mono, and the motorised volume attenuator is analogue. But with the Uni Box S3’s Texas Instruments TPA3221DDV power amplifier rated by Pro-Ject at 23wpc into 8 Ohms (or 40wpc into 4 Ohms), we’ll probably only hear that “breathtaking punch and dynamic precision” in the nearfield or when using higher-efficiency loudspeakers.
What about digital sources? The four hard-wired digital inputs – 2 x TOSLINK, coaxial and HDMI ARC – talk to a 24bit/192kHz-capable DAC circuit built around a Cirrus Logic CS4344 chip. Also talking to that D/A converter is input number eight: a Wi-Fi-only streaming input for which Pro-Ject hasn’t reinvented the wheel but has partnered with WiiM for its WiiM OS and a Pro-Ject-branded ‘Home’ app. This means we get Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect out of the box with all other streaming services wrapped by the Home app’s UI.
And whilst we are told that the Uni Box S3’s Bluetooth 5.1 input supports SBC and AAC, the press release leaves question marks hanging over the presence of Qobuz Connect, Roon Readiness, Apple AirPlay and Google Cast.
UPDATE: Pro-Ject has confirmed it: no Qobuz Connect, no Roon Ready, no Google Cast and no Apple AirPlay.
Now comes a bigger wrinkle.
The press release says, “The Uni Box S3 even allows you to stream any of your connected devices – turntable, CD player or even TV – to other compatible streamers”.
How would it do this without first digitising the amplifier’s analogue inputs?
I asked my press contact, who said that digitisation is only applied to incoming analogue signals when streaming them to other zones. This suggests that the Home app’s parametric EQ and associated room correction will only work with already-digital signals or analogue signals streamed to other zones.
A follow-up question, if I may: if digitisation is automatically applied to an analogue source when streaming it elsewhere, why not hand over digitisation on/off control to the end user (within the Home app) to let them optionally room correct analogue sources playing in the primary zone? My own experience tells me that room correction gives us more than any ADC could take away.
Furthermore, we are left to assume that the Home app comes with no bass management. Instead, a subwoofer connects to the analogue variable outputs on the back panel, leaving us to set the crossover point on our bass bin.
Pro-Ject says the quarter-inch headphone socket on the front panel will do “70mW at 32 Ohm”. An infra-red wand ships in the box. Power arrives at the rear by way of an outboard brick.
Price? €799. Your choice of silver or black.
Further information: Pro-Ject
