Turntables — Pro-Ject T2 W

Pro-Ject's T2 W is the company's first turntable with Wi-Fi streaming, based on an upgraded version of the T1 platform. It is a conventional belt-driven deck with a factory-fitted Sumiko Rainier cartridge, a built-in phono stage and a wireless transmitter that sends the record's signal to network speakers, streamers and AV receivers. It is made by hand in Europe, with Gloss Black, Satin White and Walnut finishes.

Key specs that matter

A 9V AC motor drives the platter by belt at 33 and 45rpm, with electronic speed change. Speed variance is 0.6% at 33rpm and 0.5% at 45rpm, wow and flutter measure 0.19% and 0.17%, and signal-to-noise ratio is 67dB. The 10mm glass platter weighs 1.7kg and turns on a stainless steel and brass main bearing. The one-piece 9-inch aluminium tonearm has 230mm effective length, 22mm overhang and 9.5g effective mass. The Wi-Fi module supports IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax with 2x2 MIMO in the 2.4 and 5GHz bands. Total weight is 5.5kg.

Engineering and use context

Compared with the T1, the platter is thicker and heavier, and the CNC-machined plinth is larger, with no plastic parts or hollow spaces inside that could resonate. Dedicated feet isolate the deck from vibration of the surface it stands on. The arm tube is longer and made in one piece with the headshell, so there is no joint of the kind a detachable headshell introduces, and it turns in new low-friction gimbal bearings. A spring mechanism sets anti-skating in place of a hanging weight. The Rainier comes with tracking force and anti-skate already set, and any stylus from Sumiko's Oyster series fits it as an upgrade. The phono stage is a two-stage split-passive MM circuit that feeds both the analogue RCA output and the wireless transmitter. Setup, source routing and the stream format are handled in the Pro-Ject Control app, which offers a compressed stream for the widest compatibility or a lossless 24-bit/48kHz stream.

Pairing

With the supplied cable, the line-level RCA output plugs into any amplifier input. Wirelessly, the deck streams via UPnP to compatible network speakers, streamers and AV receivers, works with Sonos once set up in the app and can send to several receivers at once for multiroom playback. The lossless 24/48 stream needs a compatible receiver such as Pro-Ject's Stream Box S2 Ultra. The T2 W also qualifies for Pro-Ject's EVO tonearm upgrade scheme.

Alternatives

The Pro-Ject T2 is the same deck without Wi-Fi, offering only a conventional wired analogue connection.