You don’t see a lot of high end desktop amps under the $200 price range (which is usually why high end desktop amps are so high priced, hence the name high end). Actually, now that I think about it, I have never seen a high end desktop amp under $200. With that being said, why is the Head Box II marketed at such a cheap price? Simply put, the Head Box II is not a high end amp, it’s made to drive headphones that don’t require amazing amount of power. But, just how much can the Pro-Ject Head Box II drive? Or more importantly, what exactly does it sound like? Let’s read to find out more about this peculiar little Desktop Amp.
The Design
The first thing that you will notice about the Head Box II is the design. And it’s not just the sexy aluminum front plate, or the aluminum housing. Oh, no, it’s the simplicity this little amp packs. The aluminum front plate is held together by two large hex screws and are accompanied along the sides by a volume knob and a stereo jack. So anyone who has 3.5 millimeter jacks, sorry folks, they won’t work with this amp. That being said, you can easily find a 1/4 inch adapter at your local audio shop. Pro-Ject has added a nice little embossed logo on the front aluminum plate that isn’t too big, nor too small.
Sound Evaluation
In short, the sound of the Head-Box II is very neutral, spacious, with a slight emphasis on lower end punch and rumble, while recessing the midrange and the highs every so slightly. Let’s say you have a Grado SR80i (or any of the Grado headphones for that matter, and yes, the Grado’s can benefit from amping). You’ll find a slightly different sound signature. Tone down the treble and midrange slightly, separate the instruments a little more, increase the low end, and that’s what your left with. While most headphones and earphones will still have the same basic sound signature, you’ll find slight improvements (or non-improvements, depending on what setup you are listening to) in the sound.
The Driving Capacity
I can’t really comment a whole lot on this, besides the fact that it drives every pair of headphones I have fine. That being said, the Head Box II does not go amazingly loud, and I don’t think it would have the power to drive more power hungry and inefficient cans like the Sennheiser HD800. On almost everything I tested out, I had to turn up the volume to around 40% for a comfortable listening volume. Keep in mind that if you were planning on getting an amp like this in hopes of driving more power hungry cans, you will be sacrificing sound for price and size.
Final Thoughts
I like the Pro-Ject Head Box II. I like it a lot. It compliments a lot of my headphones nicely. That being said, it’s definitely nice for everyone, and won’t appeal to more power hungry people. But, if you are somebody that has a pair of Grado’s (or any bright headphone for that matter), you’ll find that the Head Box II will make a very nice addition to your setup. It’s sleek, sexy, and packs a decent amount of musical punch for entry-fi users. Check out the link below to pick up yours.
Edited by Austin Morrow - 12/22/11 at 8:07pm
