Pro-Ject X1 B Vinyl 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 omni present 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 we designed our „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 X1 B is our first turntable with a fully balanced mini XLR output, which offers you a symmetrical connection to our new Phono Box S3 B or Phono Box DS3 B.

Important: To use our True balanced connection to your phono preamp, your X1 B needs to be upgraded with an MC cartridge.

High end tonearm & cartridge

The X1 B uses a 8,6“ 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 4 pin point tonearm bearing guarantees a 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. The TPE damped counterweight reduces arm-cartridge resonances by as much as 50%. The X1 B is packaged to suit anyone who cares about how their vinyl sounds. Therefore, it is comes with a high quality pre-adjusted Ortofon S2 MM cartridge. The full aluminium tonearm base offer 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 cartridges. 

Mini XLR & RCA output

The X1 B comes with our high-quality Connect it E 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 one of our new balanced phono cables. We offer a wide range of balanced phono cables with different connectors to fit all our phono preamps. If you want to use your X1 B with a Phono Box S3 B you need a „Connect it Phono Mini XLR / Mini XLR“. Important: To use our True balanced connection to your phono preamp, your X1 B needs to be upgraded with an MC cartridge. You can find more details on our website or ask your Pro-Ject dealer for information.

Quiet and stable speed

The motor of the X1 B by itself, is already very quiet. To get the best performance out of it, we 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 X1 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. Just the cartridge to a shellac capable one and enjoy your old records.   

Perfect stand & beautiful finish

The X1 has all the high-end features of modern turntable designs to maximize the music and listening experience. Due to the high mass, the X1 B allows the vinyl reproduction to become more detailed. The new X1 B stands on height adjustable damped aluminium feet to guarantee the perfect stand. The X1 B‘s MDF plinth is covered with 8 layers of paint and polished by hand to receive this beautiful finish. It is available in four different finishes; a premium walnut wood veneer, a luxurious black 8-layer high gloss paint, and black or white eight-layer hand-polished satin paint. The new X1 B is handmade in Europe with only premium materials to fulfill our high quality standards.

Features

• NEW „True Balanced Connection“ by Pro-Ject
• NEW RCA phono & 5-pin mini XLR output
• NEW Phono Box S3 B & DS3 B - a perfect balanced match!
• Pre-adjusted Ortofon Pick it S2 MM cartridge*
• Speed control with electronic speed switch
• Carefully isolated motor for less vibration and noise
• Sub-platter with low 0.001mm bearing tolerances
• Stainless steel platter-bearing with soft brass bushing and teflon mirrors for lowest rumble and noise
• Resonance free, 1.5 kg heavy acryl platter
• 8,6” carbon/alu tonearm with best internal damping
• TPE damped counterweight
• Kardan ultra-low friction 4 pin point tonearm bearing
• Massive and heavy, precision CNC‘d MDF chassis
• Luxury 8 layers of painting or real-wood veneer
• Shielded, semi-symmetrical, low-capacitance cables
• Height adjustable, aluminium feet
• Handmade in Europe

SpecificationsSpeed:

• 33, 45, 78 (electronic speed change)
• Principle: belt drive
• Speed variance: 33: 0.30% 45: 0.25%
• Wow & flutter: 33: 0.15% 45: 0.13%
• Platter: 20mm thick, 1.5 kg heavy acryl
• Main bearing: stainless steel/brass
• Tonearm: 8,6” carbon/aluminium sandwich
• Effective arm length: 218,5 mm
• Overhang: 18 mm
• Effective tonearm mass: 10,0g
• Tracking force range: 0 - 30mN (S2MM 18mN recommended)
• Included accessories: 15volts DC /0,8A power supply, Dust cover, Connect it E Phono cable, feltmat
• Power consumption: 5,0 watts max /< 0.3 watt standby
• Dimensions: 415 x 125 x 335 mm (WxHxD)
• Weight: 7 kg net / 9.5 kg gross weight