Проигрыватели виниловых дисков — Pro-Ject RPM 9 Carbon

The RPM 9 Carbon is a belt-drive turntable, positioned in the RPM range of Pro-Ject Audio Systems and combining a sandwich chassis, an outboard motor and a heavy aluminium platter. It is supplied with a pre-mounted 9-inch Evolution tonearm that has a carbon armtube, and a 5P Connect it Phono CC cable with RCA plugs is packed in the box, with XLR available as an option.

Key specs that matter

Speed change between 33 and 45 rpm is electronic. The 300 mm platter is made of aluminium and weighs 7.2 kg. Wow and flutter is 0.60 percent either way and speed drift is 0.10 percent at both speeds, while noise sits 73 dB below the signal. Arm geometry is 230 mm effective length, an effective mass of 8 g and an overhang of 18 mm, with a tracking force range of 0 to 35 mN. It is 440 mm wide, 180 mm tall and 325 mm deep, and weighs 16.5 kg net. Pro-Ject sells it with or without an Ortofon Quintet Bronze moving-coil cartridge.

Engineering and use context

This extra heavy chassis layers a CNC-machined MDF plate with hard resin-coated steel pellets and carbon fibre, and it receives a special heat treatment and a carbon surface coating aimed at low resonance, together with a mass-loaded subchassis. The magnetic feet let the deck practically float, and the studs inside them serve only for centering. The platter is damped with TPE and topped with a vinyl mat, and it runs on an inverted stainless steel main bearing with a ceramic ball and plate. The motor is housed outboard on its own massive steel base, and it is a DC-driven AC generator design with electronic speed control, so the motor receives a clean, stable drive signal. The Evolution arm is a traditional pivoted design. The motor housing carries its own switch for 33 or 45 rpm. The external supply provides 15 V DC at 800 mA and works on 110 to 240 V mains at 50 or 60 Hz. Maximum power draw is 13 W, dropping below 0.3 W in standby.

Pairing

No phono preamplifier is built in, and the cable therefore goes to a phono stage in the amplifier or to a separate unit. That stage can be MM or MC, depending on the cartridge the owner mounts. The low effective arm mass suits cartridges of moderate to high compliance, and the optional XLR version of the supplied cable allows a balanced connection to phono stages that have balanced inputs.

Alternatives

The Pro-Ject RPM 3 Carbon is a lighter model in the RPM series with an MDF platter, a 10-inch carbon S-shaped arm and manual speed change.