Analog music formats of all shapes and sizes, from covetable vinyl collections to a smattering of special-edition cassettes, are having a major moment, but what about the compact disc player? Pro-Ject Audio is angling to bring the CD player back in luxurious fashion with the Pro-Ject Audio CD Box RS2.
Companies like Bang & Olufsen have also looked to make the CD player cool again in recent years, and the sleek, aluminum-encased design of the Pro-Ject Audio CD Box RS2 puts forth both similar design cues and similarly high-tech audio specs for prime home listening. At more than $2,000 (and currently only available in overseas markets like Europe), the CD player carries on Pro-Ject Audio’s laser focus on top-of-the-line performance, not unlike its limited-edition turntables and audiophile-approved bookshelf speakers.
The CD Box RS2 Tube joins the company’s RS line, using a fully balanced tube output to drive CD playing rather than functioning as a digital player for a piece of physical media. The crux of the Pro-Ject Audio CD Box RS2? The differential configuration of its Texas Instruments PCM1796 DAC, used in driving its balanced tube output alongside the SUOS DM‑3381 Red Book drive. The drive is “built around a robust, low-vibration disc mechanism” to cut down on jitter and extemporaneous noise, while the vibration-dampened chassis looks to bolster the stability and reliability of the CD Box RS2 internally and externally.
An aluminum remote control can be used to operate the CD player, but front buttons and an ultra-clear, bold display on the front displays disc run time and number of tracks (along with applicable artist info, if the CD is built with CD text). In the pursuit of crystal-clear audio akin to an ultra-high-end record player, the tube output design (balanced by 2 premium E88CC tubes) offers a sense of harmonic structure, warmth and a quality listening experience, rather than washed-out sound common of certain digital players. Real vacuum tubes, Pro-Ject Audio notes, also offer a sense of fluidity and audio richness.
Available in crisp black or sleek silver, the Pro-Ject Audio CD Box RS2 Tube leans on supreme attention to detail in making an underrated audio listening format all the more enjoyable in terms of listening experience. With its carefully crafted vacuum tubes, Pro-ject Audio notes “the result is a listening experience that feels organic, musical, and emotionally engaging — a welcome contrast to the often-sterile character of typical digital playback.” And while it’s not yet available in the United States, there’s nothing on the market quite like the Pro-Ject Audio CD Box RS2, which should be music to your ears if you’ve held onto your favorite CDs over the years.
