Pro-Ject XA B Acrylic Turntable with Pick it PRO B Cartridge

Product Overview

A Clearer Picture

For over 30 years, these turntables have been built and designed so that the focus is on sound quality over convenience-oriented features. Along the way Pro-Ject experimented with materials that vary in their resonance properties, and acrylic has remained . The first ever acrylic turntable (the 6.9Perspective) was a huge success. 6PerspeX variants have been around for 15+ years too, not to mention a host of 2Xperience variants in acrylic. Needless to say, the limited run of this Perspective Final Edition turntable sold out swiftly as well. Pro-Ject takes pride in how these turntables take advantage of both the aesthetic & sonic virtues of acrylic in hi-fi, but using acrylic in manufacturing not as easy as you might think. True, it’s anti-resonant, but the rest of the turntable too must lend sonic value to the equation. Measurement & critical listening reveal that acrylic can actually over-damp sonics if it’s not used thoughtfully. XA B uses an aluminum tonearm & platter, the Pick it PRO Balanced cartridge & purpose-selected isolation feet to render music in a lively, dynamic & detail-rich manner… an experience that becomes doubly immersive when you decide to take the plunge into the world of balanced phono.

Premium 10" Tonearm

The XA B turntable features a premium 10" one-piece aluminum armtube. The single-piece tube heightens rigidity while the 10" length widens the tonearm’s arc, reducing tracing error. The low-friction 4-pinpoint cardanic bearing assembly guarantees precise, stable & accurate tracking. Pro-Ject selected the aluminum armtube over carbon fiber for its sonic merits when paired with the resonant frequency of the acrylic plinth. The tonearm also offers audiophiles full control over their adjustment parameters. One can fine-tune not only tracking force & anti-skate, but also VTA & azimuth if needed. Listeners with cartridge-mounting skills are encouraged to try various cartridges and/or record mats to achieve their desired sonics!

The classic anti-skating system (adaptive anti-skating) changes with the skating force, which varies across a record side as groove conditions change. The TPE-damped counterweight significantly reduces unwanted armtube resonance. High-precision stainless steel cardanic tonearm bearings are used, meaning there’s minimal friction as the tonearm moves and absolutely no ‘play’ (or wiggle) in the bearing structure. This allows the stylus & cartridge to do their jobs unimpeded.

True Balanced

The Pro-Ject Pick it PRO Balanced cartridge allows for “True Balanced” signal transmission. A revised version of the Pick it PRO, the grounding has been rerouted so that it sends a symmetrical signal. The big advantage of a balanced connection is its ability to remove accrued noise and interference from the transmission line (not to mention +6dB gain!). In short, you get more music & less noise – the improvement is not subtle.

The True Balanced cable range offers several options for connecting your XA B to our Phono Box S3 B, Phono Box DS3 B, Tube Box DS3 B or Phono Box RS2 phono stages. Any phono preamp with mini XLR or XLR inputs will do the trick! With XA B’s DIN output, you’d require either an DIN > mini XLR or DIN > XLR cable.

High-Quality DIN > RCA Cable

Cables cannot add any information back to a given signal, rather, they’re responsible for allowing as much musical information as possible through to the receiving device. This is why the Connect it Phono E 5P > RCA cable has been included. Optimized for phono applications, we’ve implemented quality metals & careful configuration to ensure lossless signal transmission.

TPE-Damped Die-Cast Platter

The 1.7kg (3.75lbs) die-cast aluminum platter is precision-balanced with additional machining after casting. This facilitates perfect platter rotation while playing records. The heavy aluminum platter also adds a TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) damping ring & corresponding cutout on the underside, muting any resonance created by the metal record platter and contributing to the flywheel effect.

Damped, Height-Adjustable Feet

The XA B stands on three damped & height-adjustable feet for excellent isolation. By using 3 feet the stability is increased on uneven surfaces for optimal leveling – a critical setup parameter in terms of maximizing the performance of a tonearm & cartridge.

Sophisticated DC/AC Generator

The turntables use switch-mode power supplies for good reason. They take the unrefined AC power from your wall and convert it to DC. That DC power is then fed to DC/AC generator within the turntable, which in turn powers the AC motor. The advantage is that a completely new sine wave is created by the generator, fully decoupling your turntable from the dirty AC power coming from your outlet. This amounts to steady power being fed to the motor thereby enhancing speed stability.

Two Upgrades in One Box

Clean & stable power is critical for phono setups. The included power supply is a great starting point but you can take it a step further. Power Box S3 Phono provides power for the Debut PRO B (15V) as well as your Pro-Ject phono stage (18V). Its two outputs are specifically engineered to power Pro-Ject turntables and phono preamps simultaneously. The sophisticated DC filtration can have a dramatic impact on overall sound quality. In addition to the sonic improvements, Power Box S3 Phono also offers users a cleaner cable solution (only one wall-wart needed for the PSU).

Additional Features

Premium 10" one-piece aluminum tonearm

Pre-adjusted Pick it Pro Balanced MM cartridge

Adjustable VTA & azimuth

Adaptive anti-skating mechanism

Cardanic ultra-low-friction 4-pinpoint tonearm bearing

Precision 1.7kg aluminum platter with TPE damping

5-pin DIN balanced output

Connect it Phono E 5P > RCA/ground cable included

Acoustically inert transparent acrylic chassis

DC/AC generator for clean and stable power

Electronic speed regulation & speed change

Precision bearing assembly (0.001mm tolerance)

Stainless steel axle in soft brass bushing

TPE-damped counterweight

Special TPE-damped height-adjustable metal feet

Record Puck E included

Handmade in Europe

Useful Documents