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Type Direct: Drive Manual Turntable
Turntable Speeds: 33-1/3, 45 and 78 r/min
Starting Torque :2.2 kg-cm
Build-up Characteristics: 0.7 s. from Standstill to 33-1/3 r/min
Wow And Flutter: 0.025 % W.R.M.S.
Turntable Platter:
- Aluminum diecast
- Diameter : 332 mm (13-5/64 inch)
- Weight: Approx. 2.5 kg (5.51 lb) (Including rubber sheet)
Tonearm Section
Type: Universal Static Balance
Effective Length: 230 mm (9-1/16")
Overhang: 15 mm (19/32")
Tracking Error Angle:
- Within 2° 32' (at the outer groove of 30 cm (12") record)
- Within 0° 32' (at the inner groove of 30 cm (12") record)
Offset Angle: 22°
Arm-height Adjustment Range: 0 - 6 mm
Stylus Pressure Adjustment Range: 0 - 4 g (Direct Reading)
Head Shell Weight: Approx. 7.6 g |
Designing a new turntable to celebrate VPI's 40th anniversary provided VPI an opportunity to update the direct drive motor technology to incorporate advances in motion control and materials technologies.
Harry Weisfeld's 2012 CLASSIC DIRECT direct drive turntable was an outstanding technical achievement, earning Stereophile Magazine's Class A+ rating. This award-winning table was loosely based on the VPI Classic Series table technology and included a thick aluminum plinth and armboard and an inverted platter bearing riding on a PEEK thrust disc. Combined with a cutting-edge BLDC direct drive motor, the CLASSIC DIRECT was created. The Classic Direct provided a stable, solid foundation for the music, allowing the listener to hear deeply into the recorded grooves to the treasures buried with-in!
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The new Classic Evo is based on the successful EISA Award winner The Classic and the experience Pro-ject won designing and building their icon turntable, the 175 VPO. The main improvement is the sub-platter, where they used the experience they gained from designing the Vienna Philharmonic Recordplayer to add key changes to the Classic Evo, adding performance features that are rarely seen in this price category. For improved comfort, an electronic speed change was built in, which lets you switch from 33 to 45 rpm (and vice versa) with the push of a button.
Compared to the old Classic, we improved the subchassis; we tried to make it heavier and stiffer to reduce resonances. Isolating the platter and tonearm from the resonances of the motor and main plinth is the target.
Platter & sub-platter
The heavy aluminium main platter construction utilises advanced thermoplastic elastomers (TPE*) for optimising resonance behaviour. A drawback for most of the old designs was the platter. Casted platters all have been heavy (which is good for speed constancy and low wow and flutter) but suffered very much from ringing effects which again caused colouration of the sound. The platter of The Classic Evo is precisely machined out of a special aluminium alloy again damped with TPE*, which offers special damping abilities. The main bearing construction we use is a similar system as the one on the Vienna Philharmonic Record player.
The diamond-cut precision alu sub-platter, like in the limited edition Vienna Philharmonic Recordplayer, enables much improved tolerances. This extraordinarily sophisticated part is accurately machined and guarantees very good isolation between bearing noise and the platter itself.
New carbon/aluminium tonearm
The radical new designed Classic tonearm is the result of 25 years of experience in mechanical construction. The tonearm tube is made out of a sandwich of carbon and aluminium: carbon for stiffness and speed, alu for better damping. The bearing has been upgraded to the same type that is used on our Pro-Ject CC EVO tonearms. It facilitates frictionless vertical and horizontal movement, guaranteeing precise tracking across the entire duration of the record. The counterweight incorporates a TPE* damper which allows us to reduce the amplitude of the tonearm cartridge resonance frequency by 50%. As typical for Pro-Ject and absolutely not standard at that price range we offer also azimuth and VTA adjustment to use a variety of cartridges.
MC Cartridge
We supply as standard the Ortofon Quintet Red moving coil cartridge. However, as the tonearm offers excellent damping and flexibility as well, its effective mass can be called middle heavy, so it is also a very good partner for MC cartridges. As the Classic is a wonderful state of the art deck, we decided to use an MC cartridge to use the potential of the player. MC cartridges are expensive, but the better choice. They are rarely used at such a price point. Pro-ject is therefore convinced to offer you an unbeatable price-performance package.
Features:
- Diamond cut precision alu sub-platter
- Improved sandwich subchassis
- Ortofon Quintet Red cartridge pre-installed
- Electronic speed control (33/45 rpm)
- Belt drive with electronic speed control 33/45 rpm
- Height adjustable decoupling feet
- Precision balanced TPE-damped aluminium-platter
- Metal/MDF sandwich chassis floating on TPE suspension
- 9” carbon/aluminium tonearm with MM & MC capability
- Inverted EVO bearing design with four ABEC7 spec ballraces
- Arm bearing housing of solid ring type. The massive outside ring is open to avoid resonances
- Azimuth and VTA fully adjustable
- TPE damped counterweight
- Classic wooden chassis in 2 satin finishes (walnut, eucalyptus)
- Dustcover included
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In 1991 Pro-Ject started a revolution in HiFi with the introduction of the Pro-Ject 1 turntable. A new high-end, low budget turntable at a time when CD was king. Against all odds, we were creating interest in analog audio at a time when others were turning their backs, and the success was only down to three critical philosophies: Simple yet technically correct design, High-quality valuable materials, and Fully handcrafted, expert engineers, made in the EU.
The design is carefully tuned to offer the most critical features for the best price and everything is put together with Pro-Ject‘s decade long experience in making the best performing turntables without blowing the budget: MDF is 2-3 times more expensive than standard particle boards, not to mention a plastic chassis, but sounds and feels way better.
The X1‘s luxury 8 layers of painting and the hand-polished finish are 3-4 times more expensive than simple foils.
Inside, it houses a sophisticated DC/AC generator board which, combined with the convenient speed control board, delivers clean and stable power to the quiet-running motor. This adds additional cost but performs many times better than a simple, direct powered AC motor. For even further improved performance, the motor is decoupled from the main plinth using a new motor suspension system.
In the X1, the motor drives a new, heavy, non-resonant Acryl platter via a sub-platter drive system and a premium grade main bearing for liquid smooth rotation. This is the perfect platform on which to place your precious vinyl records, guaranteeing absolute reliability in its performance and sonic character. The X1 is also better than its predecessors thanks to the super-stiff, perfectly tempered Carbon/Alu sandwich construction tonearm. This new 8.6” tonearm design is incredibly light and stiff, with improved resistance to external interference. Finished as a one-piece, with no resonance-inducing headshell, the X1 can also be set for azimuth and VTA adjustment, offering the flexibility that so many people are asking for, especially in this and even lower price ranges.
The tonearm is then supplied with a TPE-damped counterweight, further reducing cartridge-tonearm resonances.
Lastly, height-adjustable feet in their Alu/ TPE sandwich construction are a very exclusive but necessary feature to level up the turntable and effectively isolate it from the surface it is place on.
The X1 has all the high-end features of modern turntable designs to maximize the music and listening experience. All these features can in fact be done at a reasonable cost. Due to our extensive experience and meticulous manufacturing processes, we put resources, time and effort into giving music lovers the best sound for their money, rather than cutting corners to save on costs. It is a statement and a counterpoint against other upcoming turntable designs, which go the way of offering more features but less performance.
- Speed control with electronic speed switch for ultimate speed stability
- Carefully isolated motor for less vibration and noise
- Sub-platter with extremely low 0.001mm bearing tolerances
- Stainless steel platter-bearing with soft brass bushing and teflon mirrors for lowest rumble and noise, and a stable, accurate speed transmission
- Resonance free, 1.5 kg heavy acryl platter
- 8,6” carbon/alu sandwich tonearm with best internal damping and TPE damped counterweight
- Kardan ultra-low friction 4 pin point precision tonearm bearing
- Sumiko Rainier cartridge newly developed with Sumiko for highly dynamic and full sound
- Massive and heavy, precision CNC‘d MDF chassis
- Luxury 8 layers of painting and hand-polished finish or real-wood, satin-waxed veneer
- Super shielded, semi-symmetrical, low-capacitance phono cables - purpose designed by Pro-Ject
- Height adjustable, aluminum feet for massively reduced risk
of acoustical feedback
- Handmade in Europe
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- Ultra lightweight plinth: The Planar 8 is the second Rega turntable constructed using the latest ultra lightweight Tancast 8 polyurethane foam core (a material developed for the aerospace industry). This material is sandwiched between two layers of HPL (high-pressure laminate). HPL is exceptionally thin and extremely rigid. This new construction makes the new Planar 8 skeletal plinth 30% lighter than the original RP8 while offering increased rigidity over the previous model.
- Double Brace Technology: A super lightweight plinth combined with a phenolic resin double brace mounted specifically where the increased rigidity is required (between the tonearm mounting and the main hub bearing) forms a structurally sound a oestressed beam" assembly. This rigid plinth design prevents energy absorption and unwanted resonances which will add unnatural distortions to the music. Equally, heavier mass can transfer more unwanted energy such as motor or bearing noise directly into the rotating record. The use of braces instead of the complete skin allows double thickness phenolic resin in these key areas while providing further weight reduction to the plinth, which directly addresses the issue of mass absorption and unwanted energy transmission.
- RB880 Tonearm: For the new RB880, Rega has introduced an improved vertical bearing assembly constructed using an aluminum and stainless-steel, low mass assembly with vastly improved stability and rigidity. This tonearm is using their advanced preloaded zero tolerance bearing assembly adjusted to less than 1000th of a mm, this gives friction-free movement and zero levels of unwanted play. This subtle but effective new structure is only visible via small windows at the rear of the new bias housing assembly. A thinner stainless steel balance weight is used, allowing greater adjustability and compatibility. Finally, the RB880 is terminated with a re-designed, low capacitance phono cable terminated with high quality, locking phono plugs to ensure the best possible connection.
- Hub bearing assembly: The Planar 8 uses a new low mass central bearing assembly. A single piece machined aluminum sub-platter and hardened tool steel spindle run inside a custom brass housing which is cleverly mounted within the chassis. This new mounting is designed to eradicate unwanted potential energy being transferred or stored in the plinth.
- Super flywheel effect triple layer glass platter: The Planar 8 uses a three-piece laminated glass platter which is the result of collaboration with a British glass engineering company. This brand new platter is constructed from two different high quality Pilkington glasses. As a general rule, the only part of a turntable that requires extra mass is the turntable platter in order to achieve constant rotational speed. However, a heavier platter creates more problems for the main bearing design so again an ideal compromise creates the best solution. Practically this means keeping as much of the mass to the outside rim of the glass platter to create more flywheel effect but keeping the inside of the platter as light as possible without sacrificing stiffness.
- 24v Low noise motor assembly: The Planar 8 uses Rega's latest generation, 24v, synchronous, low vibration motor technology. Uniquely mounted using the highest level of coupling while retaining higher vibration isolation than any previous model. This new motor mounting technique (mounted from the bottom) has been taken directly from the ultimate Rega turntable, the Naiad. This unique mounting method removes all stress on the motor body. The reduced vibration and more rigid mounting delivers superior drive from the new EBLT drive belts. Each motor is hand tuned to match its own custom Neo power supply before fitting to the turntable to optimize the anti-vibration circuit.
- EBLT Drive Belts: For three years Rega has been researching and developing with chemists the use of a bespoke new rubber compound for drive belts. Using a specialized curing system, the new drive belt offers superior consistency of modulus (a constant representing the degree to which a substance has a particular property, especially elasticity). These new belts are manufactured on Rega designed, state of the art, super-accurate tools which produce 'perfectly round' and 'dimensionally accurate' belts, critical for perfect speed stability.
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The B-Sharp sheds all of the non-essential cosmetic adornments of the C-Major without compromising performance or mechanical integrity, providing vinyl enthusiasts with a superb playback option at a more affordable price.
- Features the new B-Note tonearm, made from a carbon fiber alloy that is light yet rigid with a black anodized aluminum headshell. The B-Note tonearm provides all of the key features for cartridge alignment and adjustability: VTA (Vertical Tracking Angle), SRA (Stylus Rake Angle), VTF (Vertical Tracking Force), azimuth and a slotted headshell for overhang / offset angle.
- The anti-skate mechanism has been engineered for more intuitive calibration, making setup of the B-Sharp notably easier than competitive products.
- A proprietary low noise motor, floating chassis, aluminum platter and a high-density MDF low profile base are included as standard features of the B-Sharp. Like the C-Major, the B-Sharp uses a high-tech TPE (thermoplastic elastomers) suspension system that works in concert with adjustable feet that provide levelling ability for the table.
- Comes equipped with a factory installed Ortofon 2M Blue Cartridge, hinged dustcover, low mass aluminum record clamp, and a felt platter mat-all included.
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