Pro-Ject X2 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.engaging, musical turntable. The X2 proves that, since 1991, our same core philosophies are those that guarantee to make music lovers happy with every new vinyl record they take for a spin.

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 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. To use our True balanced connection your turntable needs to be equipped with an MC 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 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 like the Ortofon Quintet Red. The TPE damped counterweight reduces arm-cartridge resonances by as much as 50%. The X2 B is packaged to suit anyone who cares about how their vinyl sounds. Therefore, it is comes with an high quality pre-adjusted Ortofon Quintet Red 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 X2 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 X2 B with a Phono Box S3 B you need a „Connect it Phono Mini XLR / Mini XLR“. You can find more details on our website or ask your ProJect dealer for information.

Quiet and stable speed

The motor of the X2 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 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. Just the cartridge to a shellac capable one and enjoy your old records.  

Heavy chassis - perfect stand

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 stand. The X2 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 X2 B is completely 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 Quintet Red cartridge*
• Electronic speed control with 33/45 rpm speed change
• Sub-platter with extremely low bearing tolerances
• Stainless steel platter-bearing with soft bronze bushing  and teflon mirrors for lowest rumble and noise
• 9” one-piece carbon/aluminium tonearm tube
• TPE damped counterweight
• Azimuth and VTA adjustment
• Resonance free, 2 kg heavy acrylic platter
• Heavy, 50 mm thick, highest quality CNC‘d MDF chassis
• Luxury 8 layers of painting or real-wood veneer
• Shielded, semi-symmetrical, low-capacitance cables
• Height adjustable, alu machined, vibration absorbing feet
• Handmade in Europe

Specifications

• Speed: 33, 45, 78 (electronic speed change)
• Outputs: Phono RCA & 5-pin Mini XLR
• Drive principle: belt drive
• Platter: 30mm thick acryl, 2 kg heavy acryl
• Mains bearing: stainless steel
• Speed variance: 33: +/-0,25%; 45: +/-0,20%
• Wow and flutter: 33: +/-0,12%; 45: +/-0,10%
• Signal to noise: 70dB
• Tonearm: 9” carbon/aluminium sandwich tonearm
• Effective tonearm length & mass: 9“/230 mm & 13,5 g
• Overhang: 18 mm
• Tracking force: 0 - 30mN
• Included accessories: 15V DC / 800 mA power supply, dust cover, Connect it Phono E RCA cable, felt mat
• Power connection: 110 - 240 V, 50/60 Hz
• Power consumption: 4.5 W max / 0.3 W standby
• Dimensions: 460 x 150 x 340 mm (WxHxD) lid closed
• Weight: 10 kg