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Austrian hi-fi specialist Pro-Ject is giving the humble compact disc a high-end revival with a new tube-powered flagship player.
The new Pro-Ject CD Box RS2 Tube sits at the top of the company’s RS2 range and is positioned as both a premium CD transport and a full CD player.
While dedicated CD transports typically rely on an external digital-to-analogue converter (DAC), Pro-Ject has taken a different approach by integrating its own DAC and a fully balanced tube output stage.
At the heart of the RS2 Tube is a SUOS DM-3381 Red Book CD drive, built from aluminium to minimise vibration and electrical interference.
SUOS-HiFi, based near Vienna, was founded by former Philips engineers who continued developing CD mechanisms long after most of the industry moved on to streaming.
Pro-Ject pairs the drive with the BlueTiger CD-88 servo system, designed to improve tracking accuracy and reduce read errors, even with less-than-perfect discs.
What makes the RS2 Tube stand out is its analogue stage.
A pair of E88CC vacuum tubes handle output buffering, with both balanced XLR and single-ended RCA connections available.
Each output has its own dedicated circuit, allowing users to run both simultaneously without compromise. For those who prefer their own DAC, optical and coaxial digital outputs are also on board.
The built-in DAC uses a Texas Instruments PCM1796 chip, enabling the RS2 Tube to connect directly to any amplifier with analogue inputs.
In practical terms, that means it can function as a one-box CD player or a pure transport, depending on how it’s integrated into a system.
The aluminium chassis follows Pro-Ject’s minimalist RS2 design language, with a top-loading mechanism secured by a magnetic puck.
An LCD display shows track information and CD-Text where available, and an aluminium remote is included. Power is supplied externally, with optional support for Pro-Ject’s Power Box RS2 linear power upgrade.
The Pro-Ject CD Box RS2 Tube arrives in black or silver finishes and is expected to land locally this month. Australian pricing is expected to be around A$3,500.
