- Pro-Ject Audio Systems describes the new Pro-Ject XA B turntable as a particularly elegant drive, even as a record player with an exquisite design.
Pro-Ject Audio Systems has been using acrylic in its record players for many years, at least in some models. The company even says that acrylic has always been part of its history, as it can be used to create solutions with a particularly elegant design. One example of this is the latest model in the Pro-Ject X Series, which is now being presented with the new Pro-Ject XA B turntable.
Pro-Ject Audio Systems is convinced that the new Pro-Ject XA B turntable offers High-end sound in a particularly elegant form. The world market leader in the field of record players even speaks of a solution that combines audiophile virtues with exquisite design and that is, of course, part of the Pro-Ject True Balanced Connection Series.
Pro-Ject XA B Turntable – acrylic chassis
Acrylic as a material for turntable chassis offers two advantages. First of all, there is the obvious, in the truest sense of the word, namely the particularly elegant, noble appearance that this material offers, especially in transparent form, as impressively demonstrated by the new Pro-Ject XA B Turntable. This turntable is almost like a sculpture. The second advantage is that acrylic has optimal acoustic properties, namely high damping, which is particularly effective in counteracting sound-damaging vibrations and resonances.
Nevertheless, the chassis of the new Pro-Ject XA B turntable also rests on three height-adjustable aluminium feet, which have a TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) damping system for optimal decoupling from the surface.
The black feet, it should be noted, provide an attractive visual contrast to the transparent chassis. The same applies to the black platter and tonearm.
Heavy aluminium platter
The platter of the new Pro-Ject XA B turntable is made of aluminium, using a die-casting process and subsequent machining by means of high-precision CNC milling.
To guarantee the best possible results, free from sound-damaging influences, the platter is provided with a damping ring made of TPE on the underside, as Pro-Ject Audio Systems explicitly emphasises.
The turntable platter of the Pro-Ject XA B, with a diameter of 300 mm, weighs a considerable 1,7 kg. The scope of delivery also includes a Pro-Ject Record Puck E and a felt mat.
The platter is driven by a sub-platter via a belt drive, and rotates in a particularly precise bearing made of stainless steel with a soft brass bush.
Precise motor control
The motor of the new Pro-Ject XA B Turntable is controlled by a DC/AC power generator that provides a completely new sine wave for impeccable speed stability, whereby you can of course choose between 33 and 45 revolutions per minute using a button.
Thanks to this precise motor control, the switch-mode power supply included in the scope of delivery is basically sufficient as a good basis, but it can be replaced with the optional Pro-Ject Power Box S3 Phono if desired. According to the manufacturer, its highly developed DC filtering is said to dramatically improve sound quality and, incidentally, to keep the cable tangle under control.
10-inch aluminium tonearm and Pro-Ject Pick it PRO Balanced MM cartridge
The new Pro-Ject XA B turntable features a 10-inch aluminium tonearm with a particularly solid bearing construction. A low-friction, four-point tonearm bearing is designed to guarantee stable, precise tracking, while a TPE-damped counterweight reduces resonances.
The Pro-Ject XA B turntable deliberately uses an aluminium tonearm tube, not a carbon one, as Pro-Ject Audio Systems emphasises.
Although acrylic is in principle ideal as a base for the chassis when it comes to damping, as we explained at the beginning, it can also easily lead to overdamping, which in turn can lead to a rather dry sound character.
This is counteracted by the aluminium tonearm, and when choosing the pick-up system, care was taken to select a model that harmonises as well as possible with the acrylic chassis. The Pro-Ject Pick it PRO Balanced MM pick-up system was therefore chosen, which is pre-installed on the Pro-Ject XA B turntable.
This means that the new Pro-Ject XA B turntable can be connected symmetrically to a suitable phono preamplifier using the appropriate cable. A symmetrically designed 5-pin mini-DIN output also ensures this. However, a Pro-Ject Connect it Phono 5P RCA cable is included in the scope of delivery, which can easily be replaced with a true balanced cable.
It is obvious that Pro-Ject Audio Systems recommends solutions such as the Pro-Ject Phono Box S3 B, Pro-Ject Phono Box DS3 B or Pro-Ject Tube Box DS3 B as the optimal partners for this turntable, as they are all designed for balanced signal transmission.
Prices and availability
The new Pro-Ject XA B turntable is now available from specialist retailers, as Pro-Ject Audio Systems has announced. The recommended retail price for this new turntable in the Pro-Ject X Series is € 1.299,-.
Getting to the point
Acrylic has long been part of the history of Pro-Ject Audio Systems when it comes to record players. The company first introduced an acrylic record player with the Pro-Ject 6.9 Perspective, which was a great success. The same was true of the Pro-Ject 6PerspeX, which was part of the product range for over 15 years and has just been presented as the latest generation of the Pro-Ject 6PerspeX Balanced Turntable. The limited Pro-Ject Perspective Final Edition should also be mentioned in this context, although it was sold out within a very short time.
It is therefore not surprising that Pro-Ject Audio Systems is now presenting another acrylic model with the new Pro-Ject XA B Turntable, where the special material is intended to ensure an exclusive design and every detail has been taken into account in order to utilise the special properties of acrylic in combination with matching components such as the turntable, tonearm and pick-up, as well as special feet for outstanding sound quality.
| PRODUCT | Pro-Ject XA B Turntable |
|---|---|
| Price | € 1.299,- |
| 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 |
