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This Beautiful Turntable’s Transparent Design Improves Its Hi-Fi Sound

Pro-Ject’s newest turntable has a transparent acrylic plinth that makes it appear to float in midair.

Pro-Ject acrylic turntablePro-Ject

By Tucker Bowe

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The popular Austrian hi-fi maker, Pro-Ject, has added a new turntable to its ranks — and it’s a stunner. The Pro-Ject XA B is positioned as an entry-level turntable in the company’s X-Series of high-end turntables; at $1,500, it’s pricey but still doesn’t come close to the more elite models (which can run close to $6,000).

Like others in the X-Series, the Pro-Ject XA B packages audiophile-grade components in a minimalist (or “light” as the company calls it) turntable. It’s a standout, however, because of its transparent acrylic plinth that looks almost invisible, making the tonearm, platter and spinning record appear to be floating midair. Cool.

That said, this see-through design is more than just a neat party trick. According to Pro-Ject, it actually helps the XA B turntable to sound even better.

The Acrylic Advantage

Acrylic is a material well-known in hi-fi for its high density, low stiffness and anti-resonance properties — it dampens vibrations thus preventing them from interfering with the audio signal. This is why acrylic is one of the most popular materials that turntable makers use for platters and platter mats.

But using acrylic for the plinth (or base of the turntable) can be challenging as well. According to Pro-Ject’s product page for the XA B, acrylic can overdamp the turntable resulting in a “very dry sound.”

Pro-Ject acrylic turntable
The Pro-Ject XA B’s acrylic plinth makes the record player appear to be floating midair.
Pro-Ject

To overcome this, Pro-Ject decked the XA B out with an aluminum tonearm, an aluminum platter, “special” three height-adjustable feet and a Pick it Pro Balanced moving-magnet phono cartridge — this is the same cartridge that Pro-Ject uses in its X-Series X1 B and X2 B turntables.

According to the company, this combination helps the XA B deliver a lively sound that “convinces with a dynamic and detailed sound signature.”

Further Details

The Pro-Ject XA B is designed to look good, sound good and still be relatively affordable. It’s a manual belt-drive turntable with DC/AC power generation and an electronic speed change system, making it easy to switch between 33 1/3 and 45 RPM records.

The turntable has a Mini XLR balanced output and leverages Pro-Ject’s True Balanced technology — introduced with the X-Series’s X1 B and X2 B turntables. This helps remove any picked-up noise and interference from the signal path and ultimately deliver a cleaner sound.

The XA B does not come with a built-in phono preamp, however, so you’ll have to use an external one. Pro-Ject recommends pairing the XA B with either of its Phono Box S3 B ($499) or DS3 B ($799), as well as its True Balanced Connection cables (also sold separately).

Pro-Ject acrylic turntable
The Pro-Ject XA B is decked out with an extended 10″ one-piece aluminum tonearm.
Pro-Ject

Price and Availability

The Pro-Ject XA B costs $1,499 and is available now (although, according to the company’s website, it won’t start shipping in the US until “late fall 2024”).

You can order it from most major audio retailers including Audio Advice, Crutchfield, B&H Photo, Bloom Audio and The Turntable Lab.

As a neat little add-on, Pro-Ject will include its record stabilizer — the Record Puck E ($39) — in the box with the turntable.

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