Проигрыватели виниловых дисков — Pro-Ject The Classic Reference

The Classic Reference belongs to the Classic family from Pro-Ject Audio Systems, an Austrian firm founded by Heinz Lichtenegger in early 1991. This belt-drive deck arrives with an EVO 9 AS HG tonearm and an Ortofon VPO Anniversary cartridge already fitted. It is built in limited numbers and sold by special order only, at USD 5,999 for the silver version with a gloss black plinth and USD 6,999 for brass with an Acacia wood plinth and leather details.

Key specs that matter

Supported speeds are 33, 45 and 78 rpm, and speed selection is electronic. The 300 mm platter is a high-mass aluminium alloy with a TPE damping ring. Wow and flutter is rated at 0.03 percent at 33 rpm and 0.04 percent at 45 rpm, with speed variance of 0.08 and 0.10 percent at the same two speeds. The signal-to-noise figure is 73 dB. Arm geometry gives 230 mm effective length, an 18 mm overhang and 24.2 g effective mass. The plinth measures 460 x 131 x 351 mm when the dust cover is shut.

Engineering and use context

An AC motor is fed by a proprietary DC-driven AC generator that decouples it from the mains and, according to Pro-Ject, produces a clean sine wave for stable rotation. Beneath the platter sits a diamond-cut aluminium sub-platter made to tighter tolerances and given extra mass to damp noise, running on a stainless steel main bearing. Platter and arm share a floating aluminium top-plate that rests on TPE pods between it and the MDF plinth. The tonearm uses an inverted cardanic bearing of Swiss ABEC 7 grade with four stainless steel tips inside an aluminium gimbal, an internally damped S-shaped aluminium tube, a removable headshell and internal wiring of high-purity copper. Power comes from an external 15 V DC, 0.8 A supply, with versions for 110/120 V or 230/240 V mains at 50/60 Hz. Consumption is 5 W at most in use and under 0.5 W in standby. Supplied extras are a dust cover, a Leather it mat, a Clamp it record clamp and a Connect it Phono E cable set.

Pairing

As the deck has no internal preamplifier, the Classic Reference must feed an outboard phono preamplifier or an amplifier phono input matched to the Ortofon moving coil cartridge. Full-size XLR sockets permit balanced cabling to a suitable phono stage, alongside RCA sockets for conventional inputs.

Alternatives

The Pro-Ject X8 B is another belt-drive Pro-Ject turntable, with a 5.1 kg lathed aluminium platter and a 9cc EVO carbon fibre arm.