Turntables — Pro-Ject X2 B

The X2 B is an accomplished belt-drive turntable from Pro-Ject, ready for balanced connection via mini-XLR outputs, equipped with a damped carbon-fibre-and-aluminium tonearm for genuine tracking accuracy. The X2 B brings Pro-Ject's considered engineering to a serious, balanced-output analogue playback format.

Key specs that matter

Three speeds are supported - 33, 45, and 78rpm - via belt drive with a DC motor. The damped carbon-fibre-and-aluminium tonearm comes fitted with a factory-mounted Ortofon Quintet Red cartridge. The platter is a 30mm-thick, 2kg acrylic design. Signal-to-noise is 70dB. At 460 x 150 x 340mm and 10kg, the X2 B maintains a substantial turntable chassis reflecting Pro-Ject's considered engineering standards.

Sound and use context

Expect accurate tracking reflecting the damped carbon-fibre-and-aluminium tonearm's rigidity, with the balanced mini-XLR output delivering a cleaner signal path than conventional unbalanced RCA connections where the downstream phono stage supports it.

Pairing

The mini-XLR balanced outputs require a phono stage with balanced MC inputs to exploit the X2 B's full connection potential, and the factory-matched Ortofon Quintet Red cartridge comes pre-aligned.

Alternatives

Pro-Ject's own X8 B offers a more substantial alternative with a heavier aluminium platter within the same broader X-series turntable catalogue.