- The new addition to the Pro-Ject Artist Collection Turntable Series is the Pro-Ject The Dark Side Of The Moon Turntable, which was first shown at the High End 2023.
There are probably only a few albums in music history whose cover artwork alone is considered a true icon. One album for which this is certainly true is “Dark Side Of The Moon” by the English formation Pink Floyd. The album “Dark Side Of The Moon” celebrates its 50th birthday this year, a perfect occasion for Pro-Ject Audio Systems to expand the so-called Pro-Ject Artist Collection Turntable Series with a very special turntable, one dedicated to the album. This is exactly what Pro-Ject Audio Systems has done and presents the new Pro-Ject The Dark Side Of The Moon Turntable.
The fact that there will be such a turntable is not a big surprise, because Pro-Ject Audio Systems already provided one in spring of this year at the High End 2023, when they presented a prototype of the new record player for the first time and spoke of the Pro-Ject The Dark Side Of The Moon Concept Design.
A unique album as the basis for a unique turntable
How could it be otherwise, of course, Pro-Ject Audio Systems first and foremost picks up the prism as the central element of the design of the new record player, after all, this is also the focus of the original cover artwork.
“Not only is the music of the album “The Dark Side Of The Moon” iconic, but also the album artwork itself. It shows a prism reflecting rays of light into space. A magical, mystical theme that illustrates the band’s complex sound world. It was clear to us that we had to turn it into a turntable that reproduces the dynamics and colours of the original album.”
Pro-Ject Audio Systems
Black background, a prism and its play of colours, that’s all there is to the album “Dark Side of the moon” cover artwork. And that is obviously all that is needed to be considered an outstanding work of art, one of the best of its kind. Everyone knows immediately which album it is, there are countless variations and allusions to this unique cover artwork. But there was one thing that didn’t exist yet – at least as far as we know – and that is a record player that takes up this special motif.
In fact, the prism is featured so prominently that it is in the centre of the chassis. Or rather, the prism is the chassis.
The prism as the central element – Dimmable LED backlighting
The Pro-Ject The Dark Side Of The Moon Turntable is made of 28 mm thick MDF in the shape of a triangle and is partly lacquered in high-gloss black, at the corners with a transition to white, in order to depict the prism. The light beam, split into the complete colour spectrum, is the basis for the tone arm. Here, LED backlighting is used, which can be dimmed.
Turntable made of glass
But that’s not all: the platter is made of 10 mm thick glass, allowing a view of the aluminium sub-platter and the belt drive. The sub-platter is driven by a precision synchronous motor with electronic speed control. At the touch of a button, the speed can be selected between 33 and 45 revolutions.
The turntable rotates with a stainless steel axle in a brass bushing and, of course, a matching felt mat is included with the turntable for playing records.
Transparent tonearm
As if there were not enough special features of the new Pro-Ject The Dark Side Of The Moon Turntable, there is one more detail to mention, namely the tonearm. The tone arm of the new Pro-Ject The Dark Side Of The Moon Turntable is transparent and features a unique 8.6 inch acrylic tone arm design with spring antiskating. A pick-up system is already fitted at the factory, namely a Pro-Ject Pick it Pro Special Edition, which has of course once again been developed and produced in cooperation with the specialist Ortofon A/S. In this special “The Dark Side Of The Moon” edition, the pick-up system also features a printed rainbow on its transparent housing.
The so-called semi-symmetrical phono cable included in the scope of delivery can be connected via gold-plated RCA connectors. A suitable power supply with 15 V DC 0.8 A is of course also part of the delivery.
The new Pro-Ject The Dark Side Of The Moon turntable has dimensions of 495 x 135 x 405 mm and thus weighs 6 kg.
Prices and availability
The new Pro-Ject The Dark Side Of The Moon Turntable is available immediately from specialist dealers at a recommended retail price of € 1.799,-.
Getting to the point
Pro-Ject Audio Systems presented the latest turntable in the Pro-Ject Artist Collection Turntable Series at the High End 2023, albeit only as a prototype as the Pro-Ject The Dark Side Of The Moon Concept Design. Now the final turntable is ready in the form of the new Pro-Ject The Dark Side Of The Moon Turntable, and just like Pink Floyd’s album “The Dark Side Of The Moon”, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, Pro-Ject Audio Systems also focuses on the prism and delivers a truly unique design concept.
| PRODUCT | PRO-JECT THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON TURNTABLE |
|---|---|
| Price | € 1.799,- |
| Brand | PRO-JECT AUDIO |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Pro-Ject Audio Systems a division of Audio Tuning Vertriebs GmbH |
| Distribution Austria | Audio Tuning Vertriebs GmbH |
| Distribution Germany | Audio Trade Hi-Fi Vertriebsgesellschaft mbH |
| Distribution Switzerland | Lakeside Audio |
| More about this manufacturer at HiFi BLOG |
