Phono Box DS3 B output impedance

AI says 200 ohms for xlr and 50 ohms for rca.  Write an email to Pro-ject for confirmation if you want to be sure.  So as long as the preamp xlr has 2k input imp. or higher you should be good to go otherwise use rca.

I am not sure why you prefer Pro-ject phono box over other brands. The xlr output imp on Schiit Skoll is only 10 ohms. Fully discrete, true balanced output and more dynamic. The SINAD from the 3rd party (asr) rated 78 for DS3 but 81 for Skoll.

Oh, you save a bunch of green.

+1 @boozendormi  Now knowing you are in Europe, I could relate to your situation.

+1 @lewm but forget not that the 110-ohm impedance of an XLR cable also plays a role. Suddenly, you have 1660/(1660 + 200 + 110) = 84.3%. No big deal? I’m afraid not. I believe this should have some impact, at the very least, on the conversion quality of an ADC.

For impedance matching, I usually aim for a much higher ratio than 1:10—often by another order of magnitude. That said, there are exceptions in the market, such as Denafrips DACs, which have a relatively high output impedance. Even with an output impedance of 5000 ohms, their strong current delivery allows them to drive most (pre-)amplifiers effectively. Additionally, their transformer-coupled output stage provides a degree of impedance matching.

How can you not know this and still spout all kinds of technical details here? The nominal impedance of an XLR cable used in professional studios is typically 110 ohms, while an RCA cable has 75 ohms. Also, when determining effective voltage gain, damping factor, and so on, the cable impedance is considered on the source side, not the load side.

If you are not familiar with Denafrips gear, I suggest you avoid making assumptions, such as "driving on the voltage mode," that you need to verify first before continuing the discussion.