Description
Pro-Ject XA B Turntable with Pick It PRO Balanced Cartridge
With the Pro-Ject XA B Turntable they have crafted a beautiful acrylic entry-level record player for the X-Series.
This player shares features of its more expensive brethren while maintaining an extremely light look. The technical parts seem to be floating atop an almost invisible slab of acrylic. Top that off with True Balanced Connection capabilities and you got yourself a truly ethereal player!
The Pro-Ject XA B Turntable with Pick It PRO Balanced Cartridge features a 10“ aluminum tonearm paired with a pre-adjusted Pick it PRO Balanced which perfectly complements the sound signature of the big acrylic plinth.
An acrylic dustcover, a high quality Connect it E Phono 5P / RCA cable and a Record Puck E are also included in the box.
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Features
- Premium 10” aluminium tonearm
- Pre-adjusted Pick it Pro Balanced cartridge
- Adjustable VTA & Azimuth
- Adaptive anti-skating mechanism
- Cardan ultra-low friction 4 pinpoint tonearm bearing
- Precision 1,7kg aluminium platter with TPE damping
- 5-pin DIN balanced output
- Connect it Phono 5P -> RCA cable included
- Acoustically inert transparent acrylic chassis
- DC/AC generator for clean and stable power
- Speed control with electronic speed switch
- Sub-platter with low 0.001 mm bearing tolerances
- Stainless steel platter-bearing with soft brass bushing
- TPE damped counterweight
- Special TPE damped height adjustable metal feet
- Handmade in Europe
What’s True Balanced?
The “B” in XA B stands for balanced. Balanced audio connections are standard among professional musicians, recording studios, and live concerts. It is essential to have a stable & interference-free connection as these signals, The significant advantage of a balanced connection is its ability to remove picked up noise and interferences.
The XA B comes with our balanced MM cartridge – the Pick it Pro Balanced – and a balanced 5P DIN phono output.
Cartridges are balanced signal transducers by nature! Due to the internal wiring of typical MM cartridges, until now, you needed to upgrade your turntable with an MC cartridge. But not with the new Pick it Pro Balanced! Our special Pick it PRO Balanced has been modified to access the entirety of that balanced signal.
Together with our separately available True Balanced Connection cables and true balanced phono stages – for example the Phono Box S3 B or DS3 B – you’ll be able to access high-end features that were previously only available on the most expensive of turntable setups.
A perfect combination
The use of acryl is not as easy as you would think.
The high internal damping ability is a good characteristic, but to get a sonical perfect result, all parts of a turntable need to work together. From measurements and listening tests we know, that acryl can overdamp the turntable which results in a very dry sound character.
The combination with the aluminium tonearm and platter and the matched Pick it PRO Balanced cartridge, paired with the special feet, make the XA B lively and it convinces with a dynamic and detailed sound signature.
The development of an acrylic turntable is more complex, but we accepted the challenge once again. The result is a wonderful sounding & looking, but still affordable turntable.
A Clear Line In Sight
- Adaptive anti-skating – Technically correct: As the skating force varies between the inner and outer grooves of the vinyl record, our anti-skating mechanism adjusts accordingly.
- Counterweight – TPE damped: The TPE insert decouples the counterweight from the tonearm and reduces resonances.
- 4 pin point bearing – Cardan ultra-low friction: The precise cardanic tonearm bearing with 4 stainless steel tips offers very low friction and best stability.
A Clear View to High-End
- Pick it PRO Balanced – Ready for True Balanced Connection: Pre-adjusted Pick it Pro Balanced cartridge
- Aluminium Platter – Anti-Magnetic: The heavy 1,7kg die-cast aluminum platter gets reworked and precision balanced in an extra step to obtain a perfect platter.
- Record Puck E – Damping and stability: Record pucks use weight to secure a playing vinyl record against the turntable platter. Sound performance will improve in timing and depth of sound.
- 33/45 RPM – Sophisticated DC/AC power generator: The playback speeds are electronically controlled with precision, which guarantees the most accurate and stable music reproduction. Change between speeds easily with the toggle switch.
- Acrylic Chassis – A clear view: The development of an acrylic turntable is more complex, but we accepted the challenge once again. The result is a wonderful sounding & looking, but still affordable turntable.
- Height Adjustable Feet – Damped & height adjustable: The new XA B stands on three height adjustable damped feet to guarantee the perfect stand. By using 3 feet we are able to increase the stability on uneven surfaces, because a perfectly level turntable is essential for real high-end sound.
- True Balanced – Unleash the full power: The XA B is ready for our new True Balanced Connection. Single-ended RCA connections, quite literally, only use half of your cartridge’s output. With one of our new True Balanced phono cables wired to a Phono Box S3 B, Phono Box DS3 B, Phono Box RS or RS2 you’ll be able to hear your MC cartridge in its entirety!
- Handmade in EU – Since 1991: Made in Europe by a turntable factory with decades of experience. Clearly, expert craftsmanship dwells deep within the XA B.
Specifications
| Speed: | 33, 45 (electronic speed change) |
| Drive principle: | belt drive |
| Included phono cable: | Connect it E 5P -> RCA, 1.23m |
| Feet: | Height adjustable & TPE damped |
| Platter: | 1,7kg die-cast aluminium & TPE damped |
| Main bearing: | Stainless steel/brass |
| Wow & flutter: | 33: 0.13% 45: 0.12% |
| Speed drift: | 33: 0.30% 45: 0.20% |
| Tonearm: | 10″ aluminium |
| Effective arm length / mass: | 9“ (245 mm) / 10 g |
| Overhang: | 18mm |
| Included accessories: | 15V DC / 0,8A power supply, dust cover, 7“ single adapter, felt mat, phono cable, record puck |
| Power consumption: | 4,5W / <0,3 W standby mode |
| Dimensions lid closed: | 460 x 130 x 340 mm (W x H x D) |
| Weight: | 6,3 kg net / 8 kg gross weight |
