Pro-ject Speed Box SE II

Received the unit yesterday and installed it about an hour ago. Have only spun 2 disks. One Solo Classical guitar and the second a Jazz Quintet.

The difference is not insignificant. Firstly the noise floor is very much lowered. Secondly everything sounds crisper and cleaner without any harshness.

Before I bought the unit I had read conflicting reviews from “ it sucked the life out of the music” to “it turned my turntable into a wonder machine” it certainly hasn’t done either but it has improved the sound of the table by a large percentage. It has made an already good (IMO) table into a much better sounding table.

For anyone with a Project, MMF or any TT that has either a 16V or 220V AC motor, It was well worth the investment.

 

No doubt about it. The SE versions of Project really shine.
BTW They are up to big and better things right now with the RS series. Reference system.
Besides a stunning Phono Pre for 800 Euro with a blue ALPS to choose settings and strict symmetrical insides the newest addition is the PROJECT Streamer RS. It bests their succesful Sttream Box, that was a basic but good Streamer with the software + streaming part plus 2 EC 81 tubes in the output stage ! One of the few streamers on the market that rivals the LINN Sneaky ..http://www.nethifi.de/project-streambox-rs.html

 

Heard about the Phono Box RS wonder if it is better than the Lehmann. My Lehmann is still unopened and am going to try to compare both. My dealer will exchange if I want.

 

How does the Speed Box interface with the motor? Does it have a two wire or four wire (quadrature) output?

Are schematics or at least a block diagram available?

 

Two wire output (16V) via a supplied cable. If you have a 220V motor it outputs via 2 sprong socket. check projects web site for more detailed information.

The outputs are not hard wired but of the plug in type.

 

How is this even possible, all it does is supply power to a turntable, some of the things audiophiles come up with really puzzle me.

 

Ditto

 

The power supply is one of the main contributing basics of each tt ! Without a proper running speed the music will sound terrible - You hear if a record is played with the right speed constantly or if it lacks that feature- if that is the case the notes are not in tune any longer , the sound stage falls in places etc. etc.

 

I think what he was refering to is the comment "Sucked the life right out of the music" and I dont understand how that could happen either.

 

The speed box is essential for any Pro-Ject turntable.

 

Absaloodle agree

 

Belt drive turntables rely on two things for correct pitch, that the motor itself turns at the correct speed, and that the pulleys are absolutely correct in relative diameter so as to turn the platter at an exact fraction of the required speed.

Line frequency determines the speed an AC synchronous motor turns. Most countries have line frequencies that are accurate to within one or two cycles in 24 hours so that AC clocks stay in correct time, but the minimum and maximum speeds can vary a little. How much that is is not that much because a lot of industrial equipment relies on correct speed/frequency plus the fact that huge steam turbines (which turn the generators) are only designed to run at an exact speed. Off speed operation drastically shortens their life.

How many cents of pitch this swing will cause a turntable to play sharp or flat, is a question I don't know. It is a good one for any real engineers out there, but I suppose I could get a test record, an AC turntable, a HP 200 CD and a power amp to run the turntable, and use a chromatic instrument tuner to measure it at various line frequencies.

The fix, to me, is this: Put a tonewheel on the inner platter or some other suitable place of the driven side of the turntable, and a sensor, and using a counter(as a tachometer) set the speed precisely. Same principle as a strobe but much more convenient.

 

I bought the non-SE version of the Speedbox - small improvement, mainly noticeable on piano notes. Obviously a lot more convenient too.

Tom

 

Definite improvement on piano but also on Classical guitar and violin. Because the noise floor has been lowered everything is more together, for lack of better terminology, I am very satisfied with the unit.

I have been researching new cartridges, mainly because everything was sounding a little dull and recesed. I am still going to buy a new cartridge (Lyra Delos) but now dont have the urgency. The quality of the sound is crisper, cleaner with a much improved sound stage. Again I put this down to lowering of the noise floor and secondly the speed stability.

 

Me too, a couple weeks ago. Mainly I got it for the ease of switching to 45rpm, as I wanted to start getting some of the 45rpm audiophile jazz releases. I would agree the Speed Box cut down a bit on noise, as it removed a subtle hum which I could hear from the TT motor, though I couldn't hear that anyway unless I sat close to it, given what other common noise exists in my living space. Otherwise no dramatic change, though I haven't attempted any real close comparison. Use to sound pretty good, sounds pretty good now.

When I was researching the Speed Box online I came across some funny Internet chatter. One guy complained that the Speed Box made his vinyl sound cold and clinical, more like digital.

 

What kind of waveform does the Speed Box put out? I know some of these things drive the motor with a triangle or some other kind of modified square wave.

 

Cutting down the noise even subtly will clean up the sound.

 

Hey there,
I'm considering getting a Speed box,so....
I just did a test with a speedbox se ii on a Pro-ject 9.1.
It seems to play ~1% fast when comparing a sine wave on reference vinyl compared to a tone oscillator...
The improvement in consistency (evenness) is fairly minimal (but notable) compared to the standard power supply.
Test were done using sine waves and analysing beat frequencies for that.
No difference in frequency response was noted when analysing against Pink noise between the se ii and standard power supply.
No measurable or significant ear detectable difference in blind tests in noise floor either between the se ii and standard power supply.
All tests done in a mastering studio (i.e. treated room) with Lavry convertors and Dynaudio monitors.

Any recommendations of how to set it up so that it gives any form of the benefits that are claimed for it?

 

I'm considering whether or not to purchase a Speed Box for my Project 1 Xpression Carbon UKX table. However, I've seen conflicting information about whether the Speed Box is compatible with this table. Project's own website suggests that the Speed Box II is compatible (that is, they don't say it isn't) but they list this table as NOT being compatible with Speed Box S. I'm not really sure why because the table has a detachable power cable. Can anyone advise?

 

Best to contact Henley Designs (UK importer) 01235 511 166

 

If your motor is 16V AC than it is compatible

 

I see the motor is 15V so you may have a problem. Best to contact project direct and they will give you a definitive answer.

 

I have a EU version of the Debut Carbon and I've understood that the Speed Box SE II is the only one compatible because it has the 230V output. However I was wondering if there are any cheaper options from other manufacturers? I'm more interested in stability than being able to change the speed.