Our X1 and X2 turntables need no introduction. This award-winning pair have shown the audio world just how proper execution of basic principles in turntable design can amount to audiophile-caliber sonics affordably. Each attack the problems of isolation & resonance from multiple angles featuring height-adjustable TPE-damped aluminum feet, massive plinths of top-quality MDF, solid acrylic record platters & one-piece carbon-wrapped aluminum tonearm tubes with precision bearings. Their motors are also shielded, TPE-isolated and fed by the cleanest power delivered by Speed Box technology for push-button speed change and spot-on stability. Let’s review the differences… Sumiko Stylus Replacement & A Unique Tour of the MM Design Sumiko Phono Cartridges pair well with Pro-Ject tonearms. Their sonic synergy delivers non-fatiguing music that can be enjoyed for hours with no sacrifice to low-level detail & resolution- the things that make our music reproduction spring to life! Upgrading your stylus is an easy, low-risk path to immediate, audible improvement in your analog experience that only improve with break-in. Cartridge/stylus break-in occurs progressively as you listen. Our listeners notice the greatest degree of improvement in the 20-50 hour range. CLICK HERE to view the video tutorial for replacing and/or upgrading your Sumiko stylus! Also enjoy our gorgeous rendering of a Sumiko moving magnet cartridge in action HERE. But We All Need Balance And having laid the foundation with our Phono Box S3 B and DS3 B, balanced transmission of the phono signal is now available in an unprecedented manner. Via the mini XLR connection between turntable & phono stage, you no longer need to spend thousands to achieve the measurable quietude afforded by balanced phono. The phono signal coming from your cartridge is not unlike that of the microphone signal: extremely low-level thus requiring unusually-high amplification, making it more susceptible to interference (even more-so in the modern era with electronics abound and with wireless signals running rampant). Since the recording industry uses balanced XLR connections to protect the microphone signal, so should we with the similarly delicate phono signal. In the early days of music recording & reproduction, balanced operation was necessary for staving off noise; balanced is how it began. As demand increased for easier, more affordable at-home listening, unbalanced (RCA) connections were developed & implemented for cost-cutting & ease-of-manufacture. For the same reasons, this is the sort of connection that was popularized. Few looked back and balanced connection in music reproduction became a thing reserved only for the ‘high-end.’ For Pro-Ject, the question became this: why NOT position our customers to hear the difference. This is why X1 B and X2 B along with our balanced phono preamps (and cables!) were developed. What Do I Need to Get There? Simply put, you need a moving coil (MC) cartridge, a balanced turntable output, a balanced cable and a phono stage with a corresponding balanced input. MC cartridges are inherently balanced (isolated signal from ground) where their moving magnet (MM) counterparts are configured differently; they are grounded internally and should only be used with single-ended (RCA) connection for best performance. We ship X1 B & X2 B with a Sumiko Rainier moving magnet cartridge so that there’s nothing stopping you from hi-fi out of the box. You are positioned to enjoy all that the Sumiko Rainier Family upgrade path has to offer. Just replace the stylus and you’ve effectively built yourself an Olympia, a Moonstone or a Wellfleet phono cartridge. When you’re ready to switch to the balanced experience, select your MC cartridge, add the mini XLR connecting cable, connect it to Phono Box S3 B or DS 3’s mini XLR input and, well, you’re in for a treat. Balanced Basics A balanced circuit at the input-end is a key player. A balanced signal accrues noise just like an unbalanced one, however, how it’s handled by the circuit is where the magic happens. A balanced signal includes positive (+) and negative (-) conductors as well as a grounding conductor (per channel). In terms of electrical polarity, the positive (+) and negative (-) signals are inverted copies of one another, that inversion rendering them electrically different as it pertains the balanced circuit. Interference hits the positive (+) and negative (-) conductors identically so noise artifacts are the same in the eyes of said circuit. “Common-Mode Rejection” is implemented by the balanced circuit’s differential amplifier, cancelling (rejecting) what’s identical (the noise!) and leaving the gate open for what’s different (the inverted positive & negative signals). Then only the negative (-) component is inverted to perfectly match the positive (+) one, increasing signal amplitude sans the noise! The topic of course is highly technical and runs much more deeply than our discussion here permits, but what it amounts to for the listener is more music, less noise. With noise eradicated, expect a new degree of depth to the sound stage (allowing more detail to emerge) and wildly heightened dynamics. Truly your favorite records offer more than meets the ear, and X1 B & X2 B are equipped to deliver the full extent of what you’ve been missing.
