Pro-Ject - Speaker Box 5 (Pair)

A 5-inch fibreglass woofer, a silk dome on a neodymium magnet, a bass-reflex cabinet and gloss lacquer — Pro-Ject’s original compact standmount, sold as a pair. Discontinued and superseded by the S2.

The Speaker Box 5 was built to finish the systems Pro-Ject was already selling: a Debut, a Phono Box, a Stereo Box, and then a pair of speakers that cost about what the turntable did. It is a two-way bass-reflex standmount with a 130mm fibreglass-cone woofer and a 25mm silk-dome tweeter on a neodymium magnet, in a gloss-lacquered cabinet 255mm tall.

Fibreglass for a cone at this price is a considered choice. It is stiffer than paper and better damped than most plastics, and it lets the woofer stay pistonic further up its range before break-up sets in. The silk dome above it is the softer, more forgiving option compared with metal — less top-end sparkle, considerably less listening fatigue.

Published sensitivity is 86dB at one watt at one metre, and Pro-Ject specifies amplifiers from 10 to 150 watts. Frequency response is quoted as 55Hz to 20kHz, without a tolerance figure. Wall-mount hardware is included and grilles come in the box.

This model has been discontinued and replaced by the Speaker Box 5 S2, which is 2dB more sensitive, slightly larger, noticeably heavier and available in eight finishes instead of three. Pro-Ject has taken the original’s product page down entirely; the specifications below come from Pro-Ject’s own spec sheet as reproduced by dealers who still hold it.

Features

• 130mm (5-inch) fibreglass-cone woofer
• 25mm silk-dome tweeter on a neodymium magnet
• Bass-reflex cabinet
• Magnetically shielded drivers
• Gold-plated single-wired binding posts
• Grilles and wall-mount hardware included
• Sold as a pair

Specifications

• Status: Discontinued. Pro-Ject has removed the product page; superseded by the Speaker Box 5 S2
• Source of these figures: Pro-Ject’s own specification sheet, as reproduced by dealers. Pro-Ject’s live page for this model no longer exists
• Type: Two-way bass-reflex standmount loudspeaker, sold as a pair
• Tweeter: 25mm (1″) silk dome with a neodymium magnet
• Woofer: 130mm (5″) fibreglass cone
• Enclosure: Bass reflex. Port location is not specified in the available documentation
• Frequency response: 55Hz–20kHz. No tolerance figure is published
• Impedance: Published as a 4–8Ω range. No separate minimum impedance figure is given
• Sensitivity: 86dB, 1W at 1m
• Recommended amplifier power: 10 to 150 watts
• Crossover frequency and slope: Not published
• Binding posts: Gold-plated, single-wired
• Cabinet: Glossy lacquer in black, white or red. Cabinet material is not explicitly named in the available documentation
• Driver shielding: Magnetically shielded
• Dimensions: 160 x 255 x 210 mm (W x H x D)
• Weight: 4.2kg per speaker
• Grilles: Black grilles included; white grilles were sold separately
• Mounting: Wall-mount hardware included
• Country of manufacture: A dealer reproduction of Pro-Ject’s spec text gives the Czech Republic. This could not be confirmed against a live Pro-Ject page because the page has been removed
• Warranty: Two years from date of purchase, extendable to three years by registering the product with Pro-Ject and subscribing to their newsletter. 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.