Pro-Ject - X1 B Balanced Turntable w/ Pick it PRO B

Balanced output from the cartridge clips all the way to the amplifier — a 5-pin mini-XLR arm socket, Pro-Ject’s Pick it PRO Balanced cartridge, a 1.5kg acrylic platter and a carbon-aluminium sandwich arm on a four-point Kardan bearing.

A phono cartridge is a balanced source by nature. Its coils float; neither end is tied to ground. The convention of terminating that into single-ended RCA is a historical accident, and it throws away the common-mode noise rejection the cartridge was giving you for free. The X1 B is Pro-Ject’s argument that if you are going to build a good deck anyway, you may as well not throw it away.

The arm terminates in a 5-pin mini-XLR rather than a captive RCA tail, and the cartridge fitted — Pro-Ject’s Pick it PRO Balanced, described by them as the first true balanced moving-magnet — is wired for it. Feed a balanced phono stage such as the Phono Box DS3 B or the Tube Box DS3 B and the whole chain stays differential. RCA output is also provided for anyone who is not going down that road.

The rest of the deck is X1 hardware, which is to say considerably above the Debut. The platter is 20mm of acrylic weighing 1.5kg, running on a stainless steel bearing in a soft brass bushing. The tonearm is a carbon-aluminium sandwich on a Kardan ultra-low-friction four-pin-point bearing, with a TPE-damped counterweight. Tonearm height is continuously adjustable by grub screw for VTA, and azimuth is adjustable too, which the Debuts are not.

Two honest notes. First, Pro-Ject’s own literature is inconsistent about which cartridge is standard on the X1 B: the product page lists a Pick it S2 MM as standard with the Pick it PRO Balanced as an upgrade, while the PDF spec sheet lists the Pick it PRO Balanced as the fitted cartridge. The deck we are listing is the Pick it PRO Balanced version — it says so in the title. Second, the cable supplied in the box is described by Pro-Ject as semi-balanced; a fully balanced mini-XLR-to-XLR cable is a separate purchase. Ask us and we will sort you out.

Features

• 5-pin mini-XLR balanced tonearm output alongside conventional RCA
• Pro-Ject Pick it PRO Balanced moving-magnet cartridge, factory-fitted
• 20mm, 1.5kg acrylic platter on a stainless steel bearing in a soft brass bushing
• 8.6-inch carbon-aluminium sandwich tonearm on a Kardan four-pin-point bearing
• Continuously adjustable VTA and adjustable azimuth
• TPE-damped counterweight
• 33, 45 and 78rpm with electronic speed change

Specifications

• Type: Belt-driven manual turntable with balanced output
• Cartridge as supplied: Pro-Ject Pick it PRO Balanced, moving-magnet, factory-fitted and pre-adjusted. Note that Pro-Ject’s product page lists the Pick it S2 MM as the standard fitment with the Pick it PRO Balanced as an upgrade, while their PDF spec sheet lists the Pick it PRO Balanced as standard. This listing is the Pick it PRO Balanced version
• Cartridge output: 4mV at 1kHz
• Recommended tracking force: 2.0g (20mN)
• Cartridge stylus: Elliptical, 8/18µm tip radii
• Cartridge frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz ±2dB
• Cartridge channel separation: 22dB at 1kHz
• Cartridge internal impedance: 750Ω DC resistance, 450mH inductance
• Recommended cartridge load: 47kΩ / 150–300pF
• Cartridge weight: 7.2g
• Tonearm: 8.6″ carbon-aluminium sandwich with a Kardan ultra-low-friction four-pin-point bearing and a TPE-damped counterweight
• Effective tonearm length: 218.5mm
• Effective tonearm mass: 10.0g
• Overhang: 18mm on the product page, 18.5mm in the PDF spec sheet
• VTA: Continuously adjustable by grub screw
• Azimuth: Adjustable
• Anti-skate: Pro-Ject does not publish the anti-skate mechanism type for this deck. We checked the product page and the downloadable manual and neither describes it as magnetic or as a thread-and-weight assembly, so we are not going to guess.
• Platter: 20mm acrylic, 1.5kg
• Bearing: Stainless steel in a soft brass bushing
• Speeds: 33, 45 and 78rpm, electronically selected. A flat belt is used for 33 and 45; a separate round belt, supplied, is used for 45 and 78
• Wow and flutter: 0.15% at 33rpm; 0.13% at 45rpm
• Speed variance: 0.30% at 33rpm; 0.25% at 45rpm
• Signal-to-noise ratio: Not published for this model
• Outputs: RCA phono and 5-pin mini-XLR. A semi-balanced Connect it E phono cable is supplied; fully balanced cables are sold separately
• Power supply: External 15V DC / 0.8A universal supply
• Power consumption: 5.0W maximum
• Dimensions: 415 x 125 x 335 mm (W x H x D)
• Weight: 7kg net, 9.5kg gross
• Supplied accessories: Dust cover, felt mat, Connect it E phono cable, 78rpm round belt, power supply
• Country of manufacture: Handmade in Europe. Pro-Ject does not narrow this to a specific country for this model
• Warranty: Two years from date of purchase, extendable to three years by registering the product with Pro-Ject and subscribing to their newsletter. Cartridges, styli and drive belts are wear items and are excluded. Pro-Ject states that warranty is administered by the local distributor and that terms can vary by region; no separate United States term is published. Coverage requires purchase from an authorised dealer — The ’In Groove is one.