Select that network and you’ll be taken to the Stream Box’s configuration menu, where you enter your preferred language, home network information, and other parameters. You’ll see Stream Box S2 Ultra listed as one of the available networks (it may take a minute or so to show up). After attaching the supplied Wi-Fi antenna, open the Settings app on your smart device and go to the Wi-Fi menu. With a wired connection, that’s easy-peasy: Connect a network cable from your router to the Stream Box’s Ethernet port, and you’re done.Ĭonnecting the Stream Box via Wi-Fi is a little more involved. I didn’t use this feature in my tests, opting instead to control the Stream Box from my iPad Mini.Īfter unboxing the Stream Box S2 Ultra and plugging in its wall-wart power supply, your first task is to get it onto your home network. The HDMI port is for connecting a monitor for displaying the user interface, but unless the monitor is a touchscreen, or is connected to a mouse and keyboard, you’ll need to use another device (PC, smartphone, tablet) to control the Stream Box. On the right rear is a Micro-USB port labeled Bypass, to be used for the USB Detox function. On the back of the Stream Box S2 Ultra are two USB ports: one for output to a DAC, the other for connecting a USB drive (there’s also a USB port for connecting a drive on the front panel). But when USB Detox is active, the Stream Box can’t be used to stream or play music from an attached USB drive. The Stream Box S2 Ultra has one more feature: USB Detox, which Pro-Ject says removes noise from the USB feed when playing music from a PC or Mac. It can output PCM audio to 32-bit/352.8kHz, and up to DSD256. Its only output connector is a USB port, for connection to a USB DAC. Something the Stream Box S2 Ultra does not have is a built-in DAC it’s a digital source component. Finally, you can stream music to the Stream Box from servers and applications that support UPnP/DLNA. You can also stream music from a smart device via Bluetooth. (I don’t have a NAS, so I didn’t test that capability.) It supports AirPlay, for playing music over Wi-Fi from an iOS device, or from an iTunes library on a PC or Mac. The S2 Ultra can play music from an attached USB drive, as well as NAS (network-attached storage) devices. The little component can also function as a Roon endpoint. There’s also a Shoutcast client, for listening to Internet Radio. This Lilliputian component, only 4.1” square by 1.5” high, has built-in client software for Qobuz, Spotify, and Tidal - it can be used to stream music from any of those services. Priced at $849 (all prices USD), the Stream Box S2 Ultra is a versatile piece of kit that Pro-Ject describes as an “audio-optimized network bridge and USB detox device.” Indeed, more than any manufacturer, Vienna-based Pro-Ject is responsible for the vinyl revival.īut under its Box Design sub-brand, Pro-Ject also sells an extensive line of microsize electronic components: power amplifiers, preamplifiers, headphone amplifiers, phono stages, DACs, power conditioners, and digital source components - like the Stream Box S2 Ultra, reviewed here. Most audiophiles know Pro-Ject Audio Systems as a maker of turntables.
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