Pro-Ject X2 B record player with balanced output

Turntables look back on a long history. As technology continues to progress, many things have changed, not only from the technical possibilities, 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 the '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 & 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 our first turntable with a fully balanced mini XLR output which offers you a symmetrical connection to the Phono Box S3 B or Phono Box DS3 B.
To use Pro-Ject True balanced connection your turntable needs to be equipped with an MC cartridge, so the X2 B comes with a premium Ortofon Quintet Red
MC cartridge pre-installed.

High end tonearm & cartridge
The X2 B uses a 9“ carbon/aluminium tonearm. The carbon layer gives the tonearm a high degree of rigidity, while the inner aluminium tube takes over the damping of the tonearm. The ultra-low friction 4 pin point tonearm bearing guarantees a 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 like the Ortofon Quintet Red. 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 is comes with an high quality pre-adjusted Ortofon Quintet Red cartridge. The full aluminium tonearm base offer 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 & Azimuth is crucial in extracting every last bit of performance out of your cartridges.

Mini XLR & RCA output
The X2 B comes with a Pro-Ject 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 the balanced phono cables from Pro-Ject. Pro-Ject offer a wide range of balanced phono cables with different connectors to fit all Pro-Ject 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'.

Quiet and stable speed
The motor of the X2 B by itself, is already very quiet. To get the best performance out of it, we designed a motor suspension which 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 the cartridge to a shellac capable one and enjoy your old records.

Heavy chassis - perfect stand
Structurally, the X2 B is supported by its large & 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 aluminium feet to guarantee the perfect stand.