Pro-Ject X2 Turntable
Engineered to Improve Vinyl LP Playback: Every Detail of European-Made Pro-Ject X2 Turntable Focuses on Sound, Features Nine-Inch Tonearm and Electronic Speed Control
Let's get right to the point: The Pro-Ject X2 turntable is all about heightened audiophile performance that bypasses unnecessary features in favor of focusing on detailed, engaging, and accurate vinyl playback. In terms of construction, achieving such a goal translates into the implementation of high-quality raw materials, heavy components, stellar suspension, and cutting-edge engineering gleaned from more than three decades in the industry.
For all the merits of its smaller sibling, X1, X2 plays operates quieter, tracks more accurately, offers extra stability, and coaxes additional information from records you thought you already knew backwards and forwards.
From the free-floating motor chassis meticulously suspended on a precision-tuned belt for complete decoupling from the plinth, to the electronic speed control that acts as a Speed Box, to the sub-platter with extremely low tolerances, every aspect of X2 serves to improve one thing: the sound of your LPs.
Hand-made in Europe, X2 benefits from extra mass added to its two-inch-thick, CNC-machined MDF chassis, 4.4-pound acryl platter, and one-piece tonearm. The resulting reduction in noise and vibrations means it delivers jet-black backgrounds and remarkable three-dimensional spaciousness. A two-inch-thick, CNC'd MDF chassis and aluminum/TPE-sandwich height-adjustable feet further work to drastically reduce vibrations that cause lesser 'tables to sound drab and lifeless.
Employing a nine-inch super-stiff carbon/aluminum-sandwich tonearm that comes with a TPE-damped counterweight and factory-mounted Sumiko Moonstone moving-magnet cartridge, the 'table tracks with a level of precision that enables it to unearth wowing amounts of vivid nuance, tonality, and dynamics.
A sophisticated DC/AC generator board – far superior to direct-powered AC types – combines with a convenient push-button 33/45/78RPM speed control board to provide clean, stable power to the ultra-quiet motor.
You'll hear the benefits in the forms of propulsive pacing and highly accurate pitch.
And when you consider extra touches – like the superior electromagnetic and radio interference shielding of X2's low-capacitance Connect-It E RCA cables, stainless-steel bearing with soft bronze bushing and Teflon mirrors for minimal rumble, and the ability for you to adjust azimuth and VTA – you have a turntable that sounds far more expensive than it costs. X2 also comes with an attractive, easily detachable dust cover to protect your investment.
Stunning in appearance, X2 is available in four finishes: a premium walnut wood veneer, a luxurious high-gloss black paint, or a black or white eight-layer hand-polished satin paint.
"In short, the Pro-Ject X2 has much to offer considering its keen pricing. Indeed it's proof that you can get a lot of sound per pound from turntables these days, even from almost 'plug and play' designs such as this."
—Hi-Fi News, Highly Commended review
Specifications:
Speed: 33, 45, 78 (electronic speed change)
Principle: belt drive
Platter: 30mm thick acryl, 2 kg heavy acryl
Main bearing: Stainless steel
Speed variance: 33: +/-0.25%; 45: +/-0.20%
Wow & flutter: 33: +/-0.12%; 45: +/-0.10%
Signal to Noise: 70 dB
Tonearm: 9” carbon/aluminum sandwich tonearm
Effective arm length: 9"/230 mm
Effective tonearm mass: 13.5 g
Overhang: 18.0 mm
Tracking force range: 0 - 30mN (18mN recommended for Pick it 2M Silver)
Included accessory: 15V DC / 800 mA power supply, dust cover, Connect it E Phono RCA cable, felt mat
Power consumption: 4.5 W max / 0.3 W standby
Dimensions (WHD): 18.1" x 5.9" x 13.4"
Weight: 22.0 lbs.
