Pro-Ject - Juke Box S2 Record Player w/ Receiver

A turntable, a 2 x 50W amplifier, a moving-magnet phono stage and a Bluetooth receiver in one plinth. Add speakers and you have a system.

The Juke Box S2 is Pro-Ject’s answer to the all-in-one, and it is a far more serious object than the category usually produces. The turntable half is a real Pro-Ject: a 300mm acrylic platter, a stainless steel bearing running in a bronze bushing, an 8.6-inch aluminium tonearm on sapphire bearings, and a Pick it 25A moving-magnet fitted at the factory. The electronics half is a 2 x 50W into 4 ohms amplifier with a 43dB moving-magnet phono stage, a line input, a Bluetooth receiver and a remote control.

Bluetooth here is a receiver, not a transmitter. It brings audio from a phone or laptop into the Juke Box’s amplifier; it does not send the turntable’s output to wireless speakers. Pro-Ject’s manual specifies Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and publishes no codec information at all, so we are not going to claim aptX support for it.

Speed change is manual on this one. There are two steps on the motor pulley and you lift the platter and move the belt to go between 33 and 45rpm. That is the trade for the acrylic platter and the price.

There are outputs as well as inputs, which is what makes this deck outlast its own convenience: speaker terminals, a fixed line out, a variable out and a phono out. When you eventually buy a separate amplifier, the Juke Box does not become obsolete — you take the phono out and carry on using it as a turntable.

Features

• 2 x 50W into 4 ohms integrated amplifier built into the plinth
• Pro-Ject Pick it 25A moving-magnet cartridge, factory-fitted
• 300mm acrylic platter on a stainless steel bearing in a bronze bushing
• 8.6-inch aluminium tonearm with sapphire bearings
• Built-in 43dB moving-magnet phono stage
• Bluetooth receiver, line input, speaker outputs, fixed line out, variable out and phono out
• Remote control included

Specifications

• Type: Belt-driven turntable with integrated amplifier, phono stage and Bluetooth receiver
• Amplifier output: 2 x 50W into 4Ω
• Built-in phono stage: Moving-magnet, 43dB gain (per the instruction manual)
• Inputs: Bluetooth, 1 x line level (RCA)
• Outputs: Speaker terminals, fixed line out, variable out, phono out. No dedicated subwoofer output is published
• Bluetooth: Version 2.1 + EDR, receive only. Pro-Ject publishes no codec information for this model — do not assume aptX
• Cartridge: Pro-Ject Pick it 25A moving-magnet, pre-mounted
• Cartridge output: 5.5mV
• Cartridge stylus: Elliptical
• Cartridge frequency response: 20Hz–24,000Hz
• Cartridge channel separation: Greater than 25dB at 1kHz
• Recommended cartridge load: 47kΩ / 200–600pF
• Cartridge weight: 5g
• Tracking force: The cartridge’s own recommended figure is 1.5g, while Pro-Ject states the deck leaves the factory pre-adjusted to 18mN (1.8g). Both figures appear in Pro-Ject’s own documentation; we are reporting both rather than picking one
• Tonearm: 8.6″ aluminium with sapphire bearings
• Effective tonearm length: 218.5mm
• Effective tonearm mass: 8.0g
• Overhang: 22.0mm
• Platter: 300mm acrylic
• Main bearing: Stainless steel in a bronze bushing
• Speeds: 33 and 45rpm, changed manually by moving the belt between pulley steps
• Wow and flutter: 0.29% at 33rpm; 0.27% at 45rpm
• Speed variance: 0.8% at 33rpm; 0.7% at 45rpm
• Signal-to-noise ratio: Not published
• Drive belt: Silicone
• Power consumption: 150W maximum
• Dimensions: 415 x 118 x 334 mm (W x H x D)
• Weight: 5kg net
• Supplied accessories: Dust cover, felt mat, remote control
• Finishes: Walnut and eucalyptus are the finishes listed on Pro-Ject’s current page
• Country of manufacture: Not published for this model
• Warranty: Two years from date of purchase, extendable to three years by registering the product with Pro-Ject and subscribing to their newsletter. Cartridges, styli and drive belts are wear items and are excluded. Pro-Ject states that warranty is administered by the local distributor and that terms can vary by region; no separate United States term is published. Coverage requires purchase from an authorised dealer — The ’In Groove is one.