About The Pro-Ject X2 B Turntable
Turntables look back on a long history. As technology continues to progress, many things have changed, not only from the technical possibilities, also from the environment. Wireless networks are omnipresent and countless electronic devices make your home 'smarter'. This means there are now a lot of additional electromagnetic fields, which could interfere with your turntable's signal. This was simply not the case 30 years ago. To ensure the best connection to your phono preamplifier Pro-Ject have designed the "True Balanced Connection" product range.
Why True Balanced? Balanced audio connections are usually known from the professional sector like recording studios or live concerts. It is very important to have a stable & interference free connection, as these signals, especially microphone signals, will be highly amplified.
The same applies to the connection from your turntable to the phono preamplifier. The big advantage of a balanced connection is its ability to remove picked up noise and interferences.
Balanced connections use three wires for one channel: ground, a hot and a cold wire. The cold wire carries the inverted (reversed in polarity) hot signal. At the receiving end, the cold signal is flipped and added together. The trick happens here: If the cable picks up any noise, the noise is added to both signals. So, a positive interference is a positive tick on the hot and on the cold signal. If you now flip one of them, the interference is also inverted, so you get the same interference once in a positive and once in a negative direction. If you now add these two signals, the noise will cancel out.
The X2 B has a fully balanced mini XLR output, which offers you a symmetrical connection to the Phono Box S3 B or Phono Box DS3 B phono preamplifiers. To use the True balanced connection your turntable needs to be equipped with a moving coil cartridge, so the X2 B comes with a premium Ortofon Quintet Red MC cartridge pre-installed.
High End Tonearm & Cartridge: The X2 B uses a 9" carbon/aluminium tonearm. The carbon layer gives the tonearm a high degree of rigidity, while the inner aluminium tube takes over the damping of the tonearm. The ultra-low friction tonearm bearing guarantees precise, stable and accurate tracking. The one-piece design avoids vibrations caused by detachable headshells. The higher mass makes the tonearm an excellent fit for low and moderate compliance MC cartridges like the supplied Ortofon Quintet Red. The TPE damped counterweight reduces arm-cartridge resonances by as much as 50%.
The full aluminium tonearm base offers you real audiophile features. It allows you to adjust both the azimuth and the vertical tracking angle (VTA). The tonearm height can be continuously adjusted by loosening the two grub screws. These settings give you the option of adapting the tonearm to height changes, allowing the use of different turntable mats or other cartridges to always achieve the best sound quality. Setting and experimenting with the VTA & Azimuth is crucial in extracting every last bit of performance out of your cartridge.
Mini XLR & RCA Outputs: The X2 B comes with Pro-Ject's high-quality Connect It E RCA to RCA cable. It is a semi-balanced, low-capacitance cable, with superior shielding.
In order to be able to use the advantages of the balanced signal transmission, you need a balanced phono cable such as the Pro-Ject Connect It Phono S Mini XLR to Mini XLR which can then connect the X2 B turntable to a true balanced phono preamp like the Pro-Ject Phono Box DS3 B.
Quiet & Stable Speed: The motor of the X2 B by itself, is already very quiet. To get the best performance out of it, Pro-Ject designed a motor suspension which goes hand in hand. It allows the motor to run stable and free from outside influences. Remaining vibrations are damped and eliminated, so they are not transmitted onto the chassis, platter and cartridge.
The X2 B's motor chassis is carefully balanced and suspended on a precision tuned TPE belt - this way the motor chassis is effectively decoupled from the main plinth for optimal performance. It is free floating, horizontally completely level and able to operate at the highest performance levels.
The playback speeds are electronically controlled with a sophisticated DC/AC generator, which guarantees the most accurate and stable music reproduction. Change between speeds easily with just a press of a button.
Using the flat belt, you can switch between 33 and 45 RPM. If you mount the supplied round belt, you are able to switch between 45 and 78 RPM. Change the cartridge to a shellac capable one and enjoy your old records.
Heavy Chassis, Perfect Stance:
Structurally, the X2 B is supported by its large & heavy MDF chassis, reducing unwanted resonances to almost imperceptible levels. Due to the high mass, the X2 B allows the vinyl reproduction to become more detailed and precise. The new X2 B stands on height adjustable damped aluminium feet to guarantee the perfect stance.
The X2 B's MDF plinth is covered with 8 layers of paint and polished by hand to produce a beautiful finish. It is available in four different flavours - a premium walnut wood veneer, a luxurious black eight-layer high gloss paint, and black or white eight-layer hand-polished satin paint.
Our Take
The Pro-Ject X2 B Turntable is something quite different. This turntable offers the option of a true balanced connection which is by far the best way to lower the noise floor. Used extensively in studios and on professional gear, it is very unusual to find this type of thing on a turntable, especially at this price point. Now, don't worry if you don't have balanced inputs on your amplifier or phono preamp because the X2 B comes standard with a normal RCA to RCA cable. However, if you want to move to a true balanced set up in the future the upgrade path is clear. All you need is a Pro-Ject Phono Box DS3 B Balanced Phono Preamplifier connected to your X2 B Turntable with the Pro-Ject Connect It Phono S Mini XLR to Mini XLR Cable. You can then connect to your amplifier via RCA or Balanced XLR cables, the latter being the obvious preference for a true balanced connection.
Main Features & Specifications
- Design: Manual Belt Drive Turntable with the option of True Balanced Connection
- "True Balanced Connection" by Pro-Ject
- RCA phono & 5-pin mini XLR outputs
- Factory Fitted Ortofon Quintet Red Moving Coil Cartridge
- Speed control with electronic speed switch
- Carefully isolated motor for less vibration and noise
- Sub-platter with extremely low bearing tolerances
- Stainless steel platter-bearing with soft brass bushing and Teflon mirrors for lowest rumble and noise
- Resonance free, 2 kg heavy acryl platter
- 9" one-piece carbon/aluminium tonearm with internal damping
- TPE damped counterweight
- Azimuth and VTA adjustment
- Heavy, 50mm thick, highest quality CNC'd MDF chassis
- Luxury 8 layers of painting or real-wood veneer
- Shielded, semi-symmetrical, low-capacitance cables
- Height adjustable, aluminium vibration absorbing feet
- Speed: 33⅓, 45, 78 (electronic speed change)
- Outputs: Phono RCA & 5-pin Mini XLR
- Platter: 30mm thick, 2 kg heavy acryl
- Main bearing: stainless steel
- Speed variance: 33⅓: 0.25% 45: 0.20%
- Wow & flutter: 33⅓: 0.12% 45: 0.10%
- Signal to noise: 70dB
- Tonearm: 9" carbon/aluminium sandwich
- Effective arm length: 230mm
- Effective tonearm mass: 13.5 grams
- Overhang: 18mm
- Tracking force range: 0 - 30mN
- Power consumption: 4.5 Watts max /< 0.3 Watts standby
- Included accessories: 15 Volts DC /0.8A Power Supply, Dust Cover, Connect It E RCA Phono Cable, Felt Mat
- Designed & Handmade in Europe
- Available Finishes, Walnut Wood Veneer, Piano Black, Satin Black or Satin White
- Dimensions (WxHxD): 460 x 150 x 340mm
- Weight: 10 kg
- Manufacturer's Warranty: 2 Years
Note: All Features & Specifications Subject To Change Without Notice. E&OE.