X 2

Luxury turntable design

In 1991, Pro-Ject began a hi-fi revolution with the introduction of the Pro-Ject 1 turntable. A new high-end turntable for a low budget, at the time ruled as a CD. Nevertheless, we aroused an interest in analogue music reproduction at a time when others turned their backs on it. The success was based on three critical philosophies:

- Simple but technically correct design,
- High quality, high quality materials
- Completely handmade in the EU, experienced technicians

This record player design, with our underlying core philosophy and commitment to high-quality music performance, offers all the key high-quality aspects that bring vinyl listening to ultimate heights. But many customers have asked for more. They were willing to invest more because it was worth their newfound passion. It's hard to improve on such a good record player, but there are possibilities. We did not want to reinvent the wheel, because the core design of the P1, or now the X1, was and is thought through to the smallest detail. So we have improved the already existing, and the essential aspects of high-quality music playback even better highlighted:

- The raw materials used in production are of higher quality but also harder to obtain.
- The selected components are larger, heavier, more solid and rugged for improved performance and higher build quality.

Not many companies are willing to take these extra steps, as there is a need to carefully weigh the costs and benefits. Wrong choices in this area can make the product cost more but may not sound better.
We want the X2 to push the incredibly high standards set by its smaller brother X1 to new heights. The X2 is designed for those who enjoy the fine details, build quality, quality materials and even more audio performance.

• More mass in the chassis, turntable and tonearm:
  Structurally, the X2 is supported by its large, heavy, dense and rigid MDF housing, reducing unwanted resonances to almost imperceptible levels. Adding this extra mass makes the X2 even quieter, making vinyl playback more detailed and accurate. Inside, there is a sophisticated DC / AC motor control that, in combination with the electronic speed changeover, provides the engine system with clean and stable energy. The tonearm is longer - 9 inches long - and the tube has a wider diameter. The carbon / aluminum sandwich construction achieves optimal internal damping values. The entire tonearm stock is also upgraded, among other things, to compensate for the extra mass. Overall, tracking becomes more precise, stable and accurate. Due to the increased mass of the tonearm is ideal for MC pickups with low Nadelelnachgiebigkeit. The one-piece tonearm design with integrated headshell avoids vibrations that are often caused by removable headshells. The TPE damped counterweight reduces arm pickup resonances by up to 50%.
• Precisely tuned engine isolation:
  A good engine itself is very quiet. In order to achieve the best performance, we have improved the engine mount. As a result, the engine runs stable and free of external influences. Residual vibrations are damped and eliminated so that they are not transmitted to the housing, the turntable and the pickup. The engine chassis of the X2 is carefully balanced and suspended on a precisely tuned TPE belt. In this way, the motor chassis is effectively decoupled from the housing for optimum performance.
• High-end pickups:
  The X2 comes with or without the Pick it 2M Silver pickup. Available in retail for about 199 €, this pickup is crucial for the sound performance.
• Better Audiophile Features:
  All-aluminum tonearm base instead of cheap plastic for sturdier and stiffer mounting on the case with azimuth and VTA settings.
• Better feet:
  Height-adjustable insulating aluminum / TPE sandwich feet .
• Better Cable:
  Included is a superbly shielded, quasi-balanced, low-capacitance phono cable specially designed by Pro-Ject to connect turntables. This cable is essential to be able to transport the fragile signal of the pickup to a phono preamplifier.

This design is carefully tailored to receive the most important features at the best price. It's based on Pro-Ject's years of experience building the best-sounding turntables without breaking the budget:
MDF is 2-3 times more expensive than traditional chipboard, not to mention plastic housings. However, MDF chassis sound better and also feel more valuable.
The exclusive 8-coat finish with hand-polished surface is 3-4 times as expensive as simple foil stickers. The electronic speed control is another cost factor, but many times better than conventional, directly powered AC motors. This adds cost, but is many times better than a simple direct drive AC motor.
For even more performance, the engine is decoupled from the case with a precisely tuned engine mount.
In the X1, the engine drives a heavy, non-resonant acrylic plate over a subtable and a high quality bearing to create a stably rotating platter.
The carbon / aluminum sandwich tonearm is far superior to other tonearm designs. This 9 "long arm is extremely light, stiff and fast, allowing for ideal tracking behavior. Also important is the non-removable headshell, which is integrated here from a cast in the rest of the tonearm. More elaborate in production, but sounds much better than vibration-inducing removable headshells. TPE dampers in the counterweight of the tonearm further increase the cost.

The X2 comes with or without the superb Pick it 2M Silver pickup, which is manufactured exclusively by Ortofon experts for Pro-Ject turntables.

The supplied Connect it E cable has been specially designed for the connection of turntables and phono preamps. Unfortunately, cheap RCA cables are often not good enough to transport the fragile signals of the pickup properly! The height-adjustable aluminum / TPE sandwich feet are an exclusive as well as necessary feature to set up the turntable and decouple it from the ground.

The X2 has all the high-end features of modern turntables to maximize the music and listening experience. The X2 gives a clear statement and is thus the counterpart to turntables, which contain numerous features, but save massively in the sound quality.
The X2 has been carefully tuned, and all the characteristics of the turntable, all design approaches, are only aimed at achieving the best possible sound at the best possible price. Based on decades of experience in analogue music reproduction, it is handcrafted by a European based factory. The X2 proves that our core philosophies, as since 1991, guarantee that music lovers will always be happy with each spin on their records.

The X2 is available in four versions. A premium walnut veneer, a luxurious black 8-fold high-gloss finish or a black or white matt, hand-polished 8-fold finish.