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Pro-Ject Pick it PRO – Audiophile MM cartridge

Once again Pro-Ject Audio Systems relies on the cooperation with Ortofon A/S and presents as a result of this cooperation the new Pro-Ject Pick it PRO, which is described as an audiophile MM cartridge system.

It has always been the goal of Pro-Ject Audio Systems to design products with a particularly good price-performance ratio, and this also applies to the new Pro-Ject Pick it PRO, the company’s latest cartridge.

The fact that it is just as essential to produce such solutions with perfect manufacturing quality and “Made in Europe” is why the company has once again decided to work with Ortofon A/S.

Pro-Ject Pick it PRO – Developed in cooperation with Ortofon A/S

This cooperation with Ortofon A/S has already become a tradition. For years, Pro-Ject Audio Systems has relied on the expertise of the Danish world market leader for the development of its pick-up systems.

So the new Pro-Ject Pick it PRO is another solution of this cooperation, albeit one of the most ambitious models so far.

Intensive research and extensive listening tests

The aim was to develop a pick-up that on the one hand corresponds to the characteristics mentioned above – an excellent price-performance ratio despite being manufactured in Europe at the highest technical level – and on the other hand can meet the highest demands.

Pro-Ject Audio Systems calls the new Pro-Ject Pick it PRO an audiophile MM pick-up system.

Since a record player should be as neutral as possible, according to Pro-Ject Audio Systems, the pick-up is ultimately the element that decides the sound. This is where the real differences in sound lie, because the cartridge decides the colour and life of the music, as the company puts it.

The new Pro-Ject Pick it PRO was therefore designed to deliver a lively, robust sound with a very wide dynamic range.

Many factors are decisive

The actual sound of a pick-up system depends on the combination of various components and their characteristics, such as the needle, the needle carrier, its suspension and, last but not least, the quality of the coil, such as the coil material and the number of windings. Even the housing has a decisive influence on the overall appearance of a pick-up system.

It therefore requires a lot of experience and a high degree of skill to choose the right combination and to fine-tune it accordingly.

Exactly this expertise can be offered in cooperation with Ortofon A/S. Nevertheless, a long development with intensive listening tests was necessary to realise the desired sound at the targeted price of the new Pro-Ject Pick it PRO.

The Pro-Ject Pick it PRO, designed as a moving magnet pick-up system, uses an elliptical diamond with r/R 8/18 μm, and delivers an output voltage of 4 mV at a frequency range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz. The manufacturer specifies a range between 1.8 and 2.2 g for the contact force, making 2.0 g the ideal value. The terminating resistor should be the usual 47 kOhm in this range and the terminating capacitance between 150 and 300 pF.

Pro-Ject Pick it PRO with a partially transparent plastic housing features a 1/2 inch mounting with threaded holes for easy installation without nuts. It is thus very easy to install, even for beginners in the field.

It is important to note that the needle of the Pro-Ject Pick it PRO can be replaced if necessary.

Of course, the new Pro-Ject Pick it PRO was primarily developed for the new Pro-Ject Debut PRO 30th Anniversary Turntable, which is pre-installed ex works. However, it is also available separately from specialist dealers. The recommended retail price is € 119.

Getting to the point

The new Pro-Ject Pick it PRO is said to offer a very detailed and distortion-free sound of high quality, so that the manufacturer Pro-Ject Audio Systems speaks of an audiophile MM pick-up system with an excellent price-performance ratio. Once again, it was developed in cooperation with Ortofon A/S, the world market leader in the field of cartridge systems.

Manufacturer:Pro-Ject Audio Systems
Distribution Austria:Audio Tuning Vertriebs GmbH
Distribution Germany:Audio Trade Hi-Fi Vertriebsgesellschaft mbH
Distribution Switzerland:Marlex GmbH – Audiophile Produkte
Price:€ 119,-
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Michael Holzinger

Michael Holzinger, founder and editor-in-chief of HiFi BLOG and sempre-audio.at, has been working for years as a journalist in the fields of IT, photography, telecommunications and consumer electronics.

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