Pro-Ject MaiA DS3 Integrated Amplifiers - Silver

Nine Inputs in Something the Size of a Paperback

MaiA stands for My audiophile integrated Amplifier. The DS3 is the full-featured one. It measures 206mm wide and 71mm deep-front to back it is 240mm, or 252mm with the sockets counted. It weighs 1,850 grams, in black or silver.

Power is 80 watts per channel into 8 ohms, and 140 watts into 4. That is enough for real floorstanding speakers, not just a desktop pair. An outboard 36V supply does the heavy lifting, and a remote comes in the box.

Bring the Turntable, Whatever Cartridge Is On It

The phono input handles MM, MI, and MC cartridges. That last one is rare at this size. Three more RCA pairs take line sources. On the digital side there are two optical inputs, one coaxial, and a USB-B port.

USB runs Audio Class 2 and plays PCM to 24-bit/192kHz, plus DSD64, DSD128 and DSD256. Bluetooth 5.0 covers aptX and aptX HD. Outputs include fixed and variable RCA pairs, a dedicated subwoofer jack, and 12V triggers.

What Pro-Ject Fitted Where the Space Ran Out

Conversion runs on a Texas Instruments PCM1795DB, a 32-bit/192kHz delta-sigma chip. Amplification is Class D. Distortion stays under 0.01% at 10 watts into 8 ohms, and frequency response holds within 0.3dB across the audible band.

Signal-to-noise measures 97dB at the speaker outputs and 100dB at the variable output. A-weighted, those become 105dB and 103dB. Channel separation is 73dB at 10kHz. Standby draw stays under half a watt.

The Phono Stage Changes Its Own Rules

Moving-magnet cartridges see 47 kilohms and 40dB of gain. Switch to moving coil and the input becomes 100 ohms with 60dB. Line inputs want 860mV and present 50 kilohms, at 29dB of gain.

The headphone stage is not a token. It puts out 430mW per channel into 32 ohms, wants 16 ohms or more, and holds within 0.1dB from 20Hz to 50kHz. It uses a 6.3mm jack on the front panel.

What Reviewers Are Saying

Jamie Biesemans reviewed the DS3 for Hi-Fi News on May 11, 2023. He found it "very confident and authoritative at the low-end," noting there are "genuinely few equals sporting such a small footprint and wide-ranging feature set."

Steven Stone covered it for Future Audiophile on January 25, 2023. He found it "capable of driving most speakers with ease, even in a mid-sized room," with "all the inputs, outputs, and functions of a full-sized integrated amplifier."

Read This Before You Order Speaker Cable

Stone was blunt about the binding posts. "Full-sized spade lugs do not fit," he wrote, and bare wire risks shorting, so "The only safe connection methodology is via banana plugs." He also found the volume knob has "no clicks or detents." Biesemans called the external supply "gigantic."

Who Is This Integrated Amplifier Best For?

• You run a moving-coil cartridge — the phono stage switches to 100 ohms and 60dB of gain, with no outboard box needed.
• You want a real amplifier in a small space — 80 watts per channel from a chassis 206mm wide.
• Your computer is a source — USB Audio Class 2 handles 24-bit/192kHz PCM and DSD up to DSD256.
• You want a subwoofer without doubling up on speaker cable — there is a dedicated RCA subwoofer output.
• You want built-in streaming — the DS3 has Bluetooth but no Wi-Fi and no streaming services. The Marantz MODEL M1 is built for that instead.

How Does It Connect to Your System?

Speakers go to the 4mm posts, and banana plugs are the safe choice. A turntable takes the phono input. A computer connects over USB-B, and a TV over optical. Three RCA pairs cover everything else analog.

The subwoofer output needs one line-level cable, not a second run of speaker wire. Fixed and variable RCA outputs feed a power amp or a second room. The 12V triggers let it switch with the rest of a rack.

Then hide the power brick and forget about it.

Pairs Well With

Building around the MaiA DS3? Start here:

• Turntable: the MM and MC stage is waiting — see our Turntables.
• Speakers: 80 watts drives a real pair — see our Floorstanding Speakers.
• Subwoofer: the dedicated output is already there — see our Subwoofers.
• Cables: banana-terminated, please — see our Speaker Cables.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much power does the Pro-Ject MaiA DS3 make?

80 watts per channel into 8 ohms, and 140 watts per channel into 4 ohms.

Does it support moving-coil cartridges?

Yes. The phono input takes MM, MI and MC. Moving coil gets 100 ohms of loading and 60dB of gain.

What speaker cable terminations should I use?

Banana plugs. The posts accept spades and bare wire, but reviewers report full-sized spades will not fit and bare wire sits uncomfortably close.

Can I play DSD files over USB?

Yes. USB Audio Class 2 supports DSD64, DSD128 and DSD256, plus PCM to 24-bit/192kHz.

Does it stream from Spotify or Tidal?

Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX HD is the wireless input, so a phone or tablet sends to it directly. The service runs on the phone rather than on the amplifier.

Is a remote control included?

Yes, along with the outboard 36V power supply. The remote runs on two AAA batteries.

See It in Action

AVForums covers the MaiA DS3's launch in a news round-up that also takes in an unrelated pair of Yamaha headphones:

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