BOX DESIGN Pro-Ject DAC Box RS2 Instruction Manual

INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE
Pro-Ject DAC Box RS2

Dear music lover,
thank you for purchasing a Pro-Ject Audio Systems D/A converter.
In order to achieve maximum performance and reliability, you should study these instructions for use carefully
Warning of a hazard for the user, the unit, or possible misuse
Important notice

Safety instructions

AC outlet voltages vary from country to country. Before connecting to the mains, make sure that the voltage in your area meets the voltage requirements printed on the power supply.
The power supply is used to disconnect the unit from the mains. Make sure that the power supply is easily accessible at all times. Never handle the device or the power supply while your hands are wet or damp.
Avoid letting liquids enter the device or the power supply. Never place any item containing liquid, such as a flower vase on or near the device. Never spill any liquid on the device or the power supply. Never place any naked flame sources, such as lighted candles on or near the device. The product shall not be used in damp or wet locations, next to a bathtub, sink, swimming pool or any other similar conditions.

Connectors

Make all connections whilst the preamplifier is disconnected from the power supply.
Take care to connect the left and right channels correctly. The right channel is usually marked red, the left channel black or white.
Never use any other power supply than the one supplied with the unit except of Pro-Ject Power Boxes which can replace original power supplies.

Analog outputs

The unit offers the following analog output sockets:
1 pair of XLR connectors for balanced output
1 pair of RCA connectors for unbalanced output

Inputs

USB
is dedicated to connecting to a Computer. Connect the USB input of the unit (unit must be switched on) to a free USB socket on your computer and turn it on/make sure it is powered on.

Windows 10 operating system supports 24/192 playback (WASAPI), installation of a supplied driver (ASIO) is not necessary. The driver is however required for playing DSD files.

For Windows® operating systems a USB driver (supplied on CD) has to be installed. Insert the included CD
into the drive of your PC and follow the instructions.
Complete the installation by restarting the computer.
After installing the driver, some settings have to be checked/done.
For example – Windows 7® and newer operating systems:
→ Control Panel → Hardware and Sound → Sound → Playback:
select Speaker/Project DAC Box RS2 USB 2.0 Audio Out
→ Properties → Supported formats: make sure nothing is assigned
→ Level → Sound: setting must be 100
→ Enhancements: disable all enhancements → Advanced → Default Format: set to studio-quality 24/192

Please note: Connection should be made to a USB socket of your computer directly. Connecting to USB hubs or switches can cause problems.

S/PDIF inputs:
DAC Box RS2 offers 4 digital S/PDIF inputs: Opto1 and Opto2 are optical inputs, Coax is coaxial input and AES/EBU is balanced input.

I2S
This input is dedicated for connection with Pro-Ject CD Box RS2 using HDMI cable. This connection also provides Masterclock for CD player

Mains power connection and methods to switch the unit on and off
Connect the low voltage plug from the power supply to the Power 20V DC socket of the preamplifier before connecting the power supply to the mains. The unit can be switched on and off by using 2 different methods which are equal in priorities.

We recommend setting the volume control to a minimum, prior to switching it on.

1. Using front pushbutton to switch on or into standby
   The pushbutton on the front panel of the unit alternately turns the power on or returns it to standby mode. The blue LED on the front panel shows that the unit is powered on. If a trigger signal is present the unit can’t be switched off by the pushbutton.

2. Remote power on – triggers
   The unit can be switched on via other Box Design components when a 12V trigger voltage is present at the 2.5mm socket marked Trigger Input. Special power-on cables (polarity ) in diverse lengths are available as accessories. The remote power-on signal can be relayed to further units via the Trigger Output socket. When the 12V trigger signal is switched off, the unit will also switch off.

Trigger cables may only be plugged into the sockets when the unit is disconnected from the power supply and from the mains. Failure to do so may result in damage to the unit.

Remote control

POWER turns the unit on or back into standby
Mute activates and deactivates mute. If mute is engaged, the blue LED above the ON/OFF switch flashes.
Upsample see Upsample article
Reclock see Reclocking article
Left arrow step back in the menu
The right arrow enters into a menu or a subpage of the menu
Up and Down arrow browse in the menu up and down
OK confirms settings
Filter +/- selects digital filters
Input +/- selects inputs
Tube engage/disengage tube stage
+/- not used

Front panel

Menu
Use any button on the right side of the unit to enter Menu, then use buttons Up and Down to browse in Menu, button Right enters subpage or activate selected item, button Left returns to the previous page or steps out of Menu.
The display returns back to main page after 10s of inactivity.

INPUT: Direct access to inputs. See the separate chapter about inputs.

UPSAMPLE :
OFF: upsampling inactive
Recommended for playing native sample rates. In such a case is also recommended to disable crossfade and start/stop fade if available in the player. The setting is overridden to ALL When playing MQA files.

ALL: all data from digital inputs are upsampled to 384/352kHz

RECLOCKING: is a technology that changes internal clock synchronization in the unit. The overall effect on jitter is insignificant, however in spectrum analysis of signal are visible changes mainly at higher frequency sampling rates (384/352 and above) which could affect listener experience.
TUBE STAGE: OFF, ON (after the start of the unit – tube symbol is blinking). If the unit is turned on for the first time, the Tube stage is OFF, change of setting to ON needs a 30s heat-up period. If the tube stage is set again to OFF, it remains heated so set again to ON will result in an immediate switch to the tube stage. If the unit is turned off with the Tube stage setting ON- a new start of the unit will automatically activate also Tube stage (in this case 30s heat-up period is needed). If the unit is turned off with the Tube stage setting OFF, then after the start of the unit The tube stage remains OFF.

DIGITAL FILTER

When playing MQA files, the user´s filter setting is not active, the MQA filter is always used. MQA filter is custom made for our DAC to ensure the best possible MQA experience

data directly into the IIR filter. The audio input is automatically oversampled at an 8 x fs rate to have the same IIR filter bandwidth as PCM audio sampled at fs rate. UPSAMPLE setting is overridden to ON

ANALOG FILTER

LPF 25kHz: 25kHz low pass filter active
LPF 50kHz/90kHz: 90kHz low pass filter active (50kHz when Tube stage is ON)
LPF Auto: 50/90kHz filter is always active except for playing DSD64 files when 25kHz filter is activated

MAINTENANCE

FACTORY RESET – deletes all paired devices, set all to default (except selected input)
BRIGHTNESS – adjust display brightness in 10 steps
THEME – invert colors: black background + white font and vice versa
INFO – license and hw+sw versions information an example of main page of display with explanation:

HDMI input (CD Box RS2T) PCM data on input Upsampling active Bit depth of incoming signal:
16bit Sampling frequency of incoming signal 44kHz sampling frequency of converted signal 384kHz Filters set to LPF Auto and Linear Phase Slov Reclocking set to 2x Tube stage active

Replacing batteries

Proceed as follows:

• Unscrew 4 screws on the backside of the remote using supplied Torx key and
  remove the whole backside

• Replace the battery – Make sure the battery is the right way round!

• Put the backside in its place and screw all screws back

Battery type: 1 x CR2032 / 3V or 1 x CR2025 / 3V

Do not dispose of the batteries as ordinary domestic refuse. Please dispose of your exhausted batteries at the appropriate collection sites – usually located at supermarkets and drugstores.

Roon Tested
Roon’s fundamental goal is to provide a consistently stellar user experience. This goal doesn’t stop at the software, the experience extends all the way down to the audio playback hardware, regardless of manufacturer.
As a Roon Tested partner, Pro-Ject Audio Systems has provided equipment to Roon for testing with a variety of different operating systems and computers and shared information about its design and capabilities.
We have a direct relationship with Roon and in many cases, the Roon support team has our devices on hand, so you can confidently choose to use Pro-Ject Audio Systems hardware with Roon.

MQA (Master Quality Authenticated)
MQA is an award-winning British technology that delivers the sound of the original master recording. The master MQA file is fully authenticated and is small enough to stream or download.
Visit mqa.co.uk for more information.

Pro-Ject DAC Box RS2 includes MQA technology, which enables you to playback MQA audio files and streams, delivering the sound of the original master recording.

The light indicator next to the MQA logo is green or blue to indicate that the unit is decoding and playing an MQA stream or file, and denotes provenance to ensure that the sound is identical to that of the source material. It glows blue to indicate it is playing an MQA Studio file, which has either been approved in the studio by the artist/producer or has been verified by the copyright owner.

Technical data

Frequency response:       20Hz – 20kHz (-0,1dB, -0,2dB)
Output voltage:              2,0V RMS – 0dBFS on digital inputs /RCA output
4,0V RMS – 0dBFS on digital inputs /XLR output
Sampling rates:              32/44,1/48/88,2/96/176,4/192/352,8/384/705,6/768 kHz
DSD support:                DSD64, DSD128, DSD256 and DSD512 (DoP, DSD512 native)
MQA support:               full MQA decoding by hardware from all digital inputs
Dynamic Range:            124dBA
Channel separation:       > -117dB at 10kHz@0dB
SNR (20Hz – 20kHz):    > 113dB at 0dB
THD                               0.0005% solid state output/ 0.03% tube output, @ 2V RMS, 1 kHz
THD (20Hz – 20kHz):    < 0.0008% @ 0 dB, 2V RMS THD+N (20Hz – 20kHz): < 0,001%
USB data transfer:           Asynchronous, DSD DoP, DSD Native DSD512 support and
PCM up to 32b/768kHz
S/PDIF optical input:     2 x (24bit / 192kHz)
S/PDIF coaxial input:    1 x (24bit / 192kHz)
AES/EBU                    1 x (24bit / 192kHz balanced)
I²S:                                for connection with CD Box RS2 T using supplied HDMI cable
Master clock output      16.9344 MHz for CD Box RS2 T
Digital to Analogue converter:2 x ESS9038Q2M 32-bit (dual mono)
Filter settings:                  8x digital filter
Output buffer                 discrete and balanced, tube and solid state
Tubes                              4 x 6922EH
Display                            3,5” TFT module, 480×320, 360 cd/m2, contrast ratio
700, IPS technology
Analog outputs:                Variable balanced output 1 x XLR connectors
Variable unbalanced output 1 x RCA
Trigger sockets:                2 x 2,5mm 2-pole (1 x Trigger In, 1x Trigger Out)
Outboard power supply: 20V/3A DC, suitable for your country’s mains supply
Power consumption: max. 1A DC, <0,5W in standby
Dimensions W x H x D (with sockets):206 x 72 x 222 mm
Weight:                              1520 g without power supply

Service

Should you encounter a problem which you are not able to alleviate or identify, please contact your dealer for further advice. Only if the problem cannot be resolved there, the unit should be sent to the responsible distributor in your country.

Warranty
The manufacturer accepts no responsibility for damage caused by not adhering to these instructions for use. Modification or changes to any part of the product by unauthorized persons release the manufacturer from any liability over and above the lawful rights of the customer.

Copyright, trademarks

Pro-Ject Audio Systems is a registered Trademark of H. Lichtenegger.
This guide was produced by: Pro-Ject Audio Systems Copyright© 2020. All rights reserved.
The information was correct at the time of going to press. The manufacturer reserves the right to make changes to the technical specification without prior notice as deemed necessary to uphold the ongoing process of technical development.

Windows®, Windows 7®, Windows 8®, Windows 10® are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. Mac® and Mac OS® are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. TOSlink® is a registered trademark of Toshiba Corporation. DSD and the DSD logo are trademarks of Sony Corporation. MQA and the Sound Wave Device have registered trademarks of MQA Limited.© 2016

Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE): This directive mandates the collection and recycling of electronics and component materials in order to reduce the amount going to landfills. Outside North America, when the user decides to discard this product, it must be sent to a separate collection facility for recycling. Please contact your point of purchase for more details.

Declaration of Conformity

We, declare under our responsibility that the product is in conformity with the provisions of Directives:
2014/35/EU including amendments
2014/30/EU including amendments
2014/53/EU including amendments

The following harmonized standards were applied:
Health: 62479:2010
Safety: 60950-1:2006+A11:2009+A1:2010+A12:2011+A2:2013, EN62368-1:2014/A11:2017,
61558-1:2005/A1:2009, EN61558-2-16:2009/A1:2013
EMC: 301489-1 V2.2.0: 2017-03, 301489-17 V3.2.0:2017-03, 55032:2015, 55035:2017,
61000-3-2:2014, 61000-3-3:2013
Radio Spectrum: 300328 V2.1.1 (2016-11)
Pro-Ject Audio Systems a division of Audio Tuning GmbH 1050 Vienna, Austria, Margaretenstrasse 98 info@project-audio.com

© Pro-Ject Audio Systems · Pro-Ject DAC Box RS2 · Revision 2020.

References

• Homepage | Experience the best sound with MQA | MQA

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