X2 B - The first of its kind

Turntables look back on a long history. As technology continues to progress, many things have changed, not only from the technical possibilities but 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, Pro-Ject designed their "True Balanced Connection“ product range.

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 and 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 Pro-Ject's first turntable with a fully balanced mini XLR output, which offers you a symmetrical connection to the new Phono Box S3 B or Phono Box DS3 B.

Important: To use the True balanced connection to your phono preamp, your X2 B needs to be upgraded with an MC cartridge.

High-end tonearm and cartridge

The X2 B uses a 9" carbon/aluminum tonearm. The carbon layer gives the tonearm a high degree of rigidity, while the inner aluminum tube takes over the damping of the tonearm. The ultra-low friction 4-pin point tonearm bearing guarantees 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. 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 comes with a high-quality pre-adjusted Sumiko Rainier MM cartridge.

The full aluminum tonearm base offers 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 and Azimuth is crucial in extracting every last bit of performance out of your cartridges.

Mini XLR and RCA output

The X2 B comes with the 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 Pro-ject's new balanced phono cables. They 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".

Important: To use the True balanced connection to your phono preamp, your X2 B needs to be upgraded with an MC cartridge. You can find more details on our website or ask your Pro-Ject 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, Pro-Ject designed a motor suspension that 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 swap the cartridge for a shellac capable one and enjoy your old records.

Heavy chassis - perfect stand

Structurally, the X2 B is supported by its large and 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 aluminum 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 handmade in Europe with only premium materials to fulfill Pro-Ject's high quality standards.

• NEW "True Balanced Connection" by Pro-Ject
• NEW RCA phono and 5-pin mini XLR output
• NEW Phono Box S3 B and DS3 B - a perfect balanced match!
• Pre-adjusted Sumiko Rainier 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/aluminum 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, aluminum machined, vibration absorbing feet
• Handmade in Europe