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Best Turntable, 2024-2025 – EISA
Acrylic-Chassis Table with Premium 10" Aluminum Tonearm And World's First Balanced MM Cartridge
For 33 years Pro-Ject has excelled at developing turntables which focus on sound and not on features. Tried and true solutions were an important part of the mix, but Pro-Ject was never afraid of experimenting with new solutions to achieve an even better sound. One of the latest results of Pro-Ject's pioneering excellence is the new XA B turntable.
Award-Winning Performance
The Expert Sound and Imaging Association (EISA) gave the Pro-Jec t XA B its Best Turntable Award for 2024-2025.
"There’s something magical about seeing your vinyl records spinning above the clear acrylic plinth of the XA B. Fielding multiple Pro-Ject technologies and built in Europe, this is a striking turntable – and a very capable one. The XA B’s inert chassis houses clean power circuits, an electronic speed control and a sub-platter with extremely tight bearing tolerances, all enabling smooth, reliable performance.
"A high-quality Pick it Pro Balanced cartridge is pre-mounted on a 10in tonearm for ease of use, resulting in engaging sonics without setup anxiety. And with the cartridge and the mini-XLR (balanced) output providing an upgrade path, the XA B is an excellent choice for vinyl lovers now and for the future."
Absolute Acrylic Expertise
Acrylic was always part of the Pro-Ject history. The first ever acrylic turntable was the Pro-Ject 6.9 Perspective which was a huge success. The bestselling 6PerspeX has been part of Pro-Jects product range for over 15 years and remains one of the company's best performers. Additionally, the limited-edition Perspective Final Edition was a great success as well, and it sold out in a very short time.
These turntables were all examples of combining the advantages of an attractive, distinctive look with the acoustical damping of acrylic. Using acrylic is not as easy as one might think. Its significant internal damping ability is a good characteristic, but to get a sonically perfect result, all parts of a turntable need to work together.
The development of an acrylic turntable is complex, but Pro-Ject accepted the challenge once again. The result is a wonderful sounding, stellar looking, and surprisingly affordable turntable, the XA B.
From measurements and listening tests, Pro-Ject's designers learned that acrylic can overdamp the turntable, resulting in a very dry sound character. Combining an aluminum tonearm and platter with the matched Pick it PRO Balanced cartridge and special feet, make the XA B lively, and it convinces with a dynamic and detailed sound signature.
Premium Tonearm
The XA B features a premium 10" aluminum tonearm with a massive bearing construction. The ultra-low friction, four-pinpoint tonearm bearing guarantees a precise, stable and accurate tracking. Pro-Ject uses a one-piece aluminum tonearm tube instead of a carbon one, because in this design aluminum complements the sonic characteristics of acrylic.
The full aluminum tonearm base offer you real audiophile features. It allows you to adjust both the azimuth and the vertical tracking angle (VTA). Setting and experimenting with the VTA and Azimuth is crucial in extracting every last bit of performance out of your cartridge.
Tonearm Special Features
Other special tonearm features include a correct adaptive anti-skating mechanism. As the skating force varies between the inner and outer grooves of the vinyl record, the XA B's anti-skating mechanism adjusts accordingly.
A TPE-damped counterweight (using a TPE insert) decouples the counterweight from the tonearm and reduces resonances.
The cardan ultra-low friction four-pinpoint bearing is a precise cardanic bearing with four stainless steel tips, providing very low friction and optimal stability.
"True Balanced" MM Phono Cartridge
Here is a significant innovation for the XA B turntable. The new Pick it PRO Balanced cartridge is a revised version of the Pick it PRO that allows you a "True Balanced" signal transmission. Pro-Ject teamed up with Ortofon to develop this balanced-compatible MM cartridge, and it is the first of its kind! The big advantage of a balanced connection is its ability to remove picked up noise and interferences.
Quality cables make your hi-fi system sound better by ensuring that every detail and information of the music signal is transmitted to the next component in the chain.
The included Connect it Phono E 5P / RCA is a high-quality, unbalanced phono optimized cable. Pro-Ject focuses on quality core materials like a copper conductor for a signal transmission without losses.
For an upgrade in audio performance which allows you to take maximum advantage of the included Pick it PRO Balanced cartridge, Pro-Ject's "True Balanced" cable range offers you the perfect cable to connect your turntable to Pro-Ject's Phono Box S3 B, Phono Box DS3 B, or Tube Box DS3 B phono preamplifiers. These cables are optional and sold separately and are recommended for ultimate sound from your XA B.
Heavy 3.75-Pound Damped Aluminum Platter
The heavy 3.75 pound die-cast aluminum platter gets re- worked and precision balanced in an extra step to obtain a perfect platter. This platter boasts a ring made of TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) on the inside that helps to dampen resonance and thus minimize wow and flutter.
The included Record Puck E provides an extra level of damping and stability. Record pucks use its weight to secure a playing vinyl record against the turntable platter. By holding the two together, the sonic performance of the turntable will improve in terms timing and depth of sound.
Height-Adjustable Damped Feet
The XA B is supported by three height adjustable damped feet to guarantee the perfect stand. By using three feet, Pro-Ject is able to increase the stability on uneven surfaces, because a perfectly level turntable is essential for true high-end sound.
Sophisticated DC/AC Power Generator
All Pro-Ject turntables come with a simple but highly effective 'wall wart' type switch mode power supply. This works well, because these 'tables incorporate a precision DC-driven AC generator inside the turntable, which powers the motor. This system results in a completely clean, new sine wave. This guarantees very clean power for enhanced speed stability.
Consider This Optional Upgrade Power Supply
A clean and stable power is necessary for your turntable. The included power supply is already a good base, but you can take this a step further.
The optional Power Box S3 Phono upgrade power supply (sold separately) provides power for the XA B and also a Pro-Ject phono preamp. Its two outputs are specifically engineered to power Pro- Ject turntables and phono preamps. The sophisticated DC filtration can have a dramatic impact on the sound quality.
In addition to the sound improvements, Power Box S3 Phono also offers a cleaner cable solution, avoiding PSU and cable management obligations.
