Проигрыватели виниловых дисков — Pro-Ject 2Xperience SB Sgt. Pepper Limited Edition

The 2Xperience SB Sgt. Pepper Limited Edition is a turntable made by Pro-Ject Audio Systems, number three of six collector's edition players that mark the partnership between the Austrian brand, Universal Music Group and The Beatles, aimed at Beatles fans who collect their records. It was made for the 50th anniversary of the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, with a run of 1000 pieces worldwide, and the edition is now sold out. The model is derived from the 2Xperience SB platform. Pro-Ject calls it a high-end deck and a collector's dream for listeners who want to play the Fab Four records on audiophile equipment.

Key specs that matter

Speeds of 33 and 45 rpm are selected electronically, with wow and flutter of 0.12% at 33 and 0.11% at 45, and speed variance of 0.12% at 33 and 0.28% at 45. Signal-to-noise is 70 dB. The 300 mm MDF platter turns on a stainless steel main bearing. The 9-inch carbon fibre EVO arm has a 230 mm effective length, 8.5 g of effective mass and an overhang of 18 mm, and accepts tracking forces from 10 to 30 mN. Power arrives from a 15 V DC, 800 mA supply, with consumption of 4 W at most and under 0.5 W in standby. The deck measures 460 x 133 x 360 mm and weighs 8 kg net.

Engineering and use context

A precision motor control runs the belt drive. The electronic speed control acts as a built-in Speed Box, so changing between 33 and 45 rpm needs no belt swap. The heavy chassis is MDF built with a non-resonant construction method, and the platter uses heavy, non-resonant materials in a precisely balanced sandwich, topped by a vinyl layer that works as the mat. Pro-Ject chose this platter to avoid the ringing of common metal and glass designs. A light screw-on record clamp holds the disc against the platter and suppresses vibration and rumble from the main bearing. The tonearm uses inverted bearings of ABEC 7 quality. An acrylic dust cover is part of the package.

Pairing

The supplied Ortofon 2M Silver is a moving-magnet cartridge with silver voice coils, mounted at the factory. As an MM design it needs an MM-capable phono input, which can be part of the amplifier or a standalone phono preamplifier feeding a line input.

Alternatives

Pro-Ject also made the 2Xperience The Beatles White Album turntable, a later edition of 500 pieces with an acrylic platter and a white aluminium tonearm.