Box X2 Phono Preamp for Turntable MM Record Player Preamplifier with Gain Gear Stereo Tube Pre Amp Hi-Fi Mini Vacuum Pre-amplifier for Record Player with DC 12V Power Supply

Fantastic quality little pre-amp. Sounds way better than what it cost

Having recently setup a Pro-Ject T1 SB turntable to go alongside some of my Sonos speakers, which includes an in-built pre-amp, I noticed a lack of depth to the sound output and in particular, a lack of volume available through the speakers. Having done some research on external 3rd party MM preamps, including Pro-Ject's own products, I found some good reviews of the Fosi Audio X2 Phono Preamp, so ordered it yesterday and it arrived by 10:00 this morning (Amazon at their finest! lol). Anyway, it was completely straight forward to setup using my existing phono cables between the turntable and the preamp, plus a new set from the preamp to the speaker, which I bought separately to ensure I had good quality cables with gold-plated contacts. The sound improvement is fantastic, with each of the three gain settings making a noticeable difference to the depth and quality of the output from the vinyl. I may look into different valves in future, to see how they further affect and/or improve the sound of the music, as suggested in some of the other product reviews on here, however my immediate feedback on this products is that it has been a great buy.

Replaced existing cheaper pre amp, what a difference it made, brought my vinyls back to life ,well worth the cost and excellent delivery

I have a decent Cambridge audio integrated amplifier with a built-in phono stage, and I bought this item as much out of curiosity as anything else to see what would happen if I inserted a phono preamp in the line. The results are pleasing on the whole, there is definitely an increase in fullness of the sound at the bottom end, particularly noticeable when listening at quieter volumes, perhaps getting more towards that vinyl Nirvana of 'warmth' that people like to wax lyrical about, and there certainly is an overall noticeable difference. I understand this may be further enhanced by fiddling around with different valve sets as well. In this latter regard, I did at the same time purchase the ( allegedly) upgraded valves for an extra £15, but I was disappointed when I received these, as despite what it says on the Amazon website, these were not USA manufactured, made in China writ large on the box(!), so I returned these with a frustrated sense of misrepresentation, unusual for Amazon on the whole. In terms of downsides, I do think that the increased fullness and warmth have come in terms of sacrificing some detail/ clarity at the top end, although as mentioned above the overall sound is still pleasing. I think it's probably very much a matter of personal taste; if you are used to digital music you will notice, more of a rounding off of the overall sound, but in some scenarios this could be handy to reign in excessively harsh treble. Horses for courses really. On the whole I'm pleased with my purchase and expect I will be keeping this item. UPDATE: I acquired another set of valves, Siemens NOS, from eBay, and these immediately lifted the sound further, the bottom end retained its clunk but sharpened up, and a lot more top end detail was revealed. So it does seem that whilst the base package is overall good value an extra £15-20 on better valves is money well spent, with European or American valves seeming to he the way to go.

Bought this because it was cheap and I had heard a few reviews saying how good it was so I thought I would buy one and see how it compares up against a ifi phono stage. Well it actually shocked me just how good this little phono stage is. The lovely warm sound of valves but surprising real detail and a wide soundstage. That was from the outset and of course as it’s run in the sound changes and it’s got even better. Fosi audio…. Never heard of them it’s not real hifi was what I was thinking…… well it’s blown the socks off the ifi and project phono box that’s for sure. If you’re looking for a phono stage without spending a fortune or just looking to upgrade from the built in phono stage in your amp just buy one of these. Anyone who is upgrading from the built in phono stage in there amp is going to be in for a real treat. The soundstage alone is impressive but that extra detail topped off with that lovely warm tone of the valves this little phono stage is made to impress 10/10

Great little pre amp. Sound is a little warm but not muted. Has the option to adjust sound level volume, first level works well with my existing amp. Additional input on front for other devices if you want that warm sound on something else... Like a portable device.

Looking for a second phono pre amp but didnt want to pay £200 plus for another project s2 I did what any reasonable person would do and undertook some research.Typically I googled"any suggestions for a reasonably priced phono amp".It is here I encountered the audiophile snob.These entities sneer at anything that sniffs of budget and try to outdo each other by coming up with the most obscure contraption found on gods earth.A typical suggestion might be say the"Van Den Widerbeest XR46TT"which when you naively try and google find it is either out of stock or there is just one left at only £1250. Which finally brings me to the Fosi Audio Box X2 at £68.Is it as good as my Project S2?No,but the difference is not that great and may be even less if I change the tubes from the default ones supplied.It is easy to setup,just gently line up the tube pins with the holes inside the machine and gently push in.It is atiny bit fiddly but patience will always prevail.Attach the Rca connectors in the appropriate places,turn on,adjust the gain settings and voila.Basically it increases the volume and gives your vinyl a kick in the arse (audiophile technical term,sorry).Its probably not as good as the aforementioned "Wilderbeest" but it does a great job.

Out the box it sounds very good. I have a Linn LP12/Ittok/Dynavector 10x MC. The high output moving coil cartridge is perfect at the lowest gain setting on the preamp. The supplied valves to my surprise were USA JAN 5654 W which seem to work really well. I was expecting Chinese tubes and ordered GE JAN 5654 W as an upgrade, but they arrived as the standard version, not the GE variant so those are going back. I’ll wait until the valves settle in then switch back to the Naim 102 phono boards for an A-B comparison. But for now I’m enjoying the tube novelty! The old turntable is sounding great anyway, having just upgraded to a Lingo 4 power supply. 😊 Apologies if it’s all jargon to you🙄