Turntables, Arms & Cartridges

The bare bones of Pro-Ject's X8 turntable can be traced right back to the Xtension 9 Evolution [HFN Aug '14] – both decks featuring what looks like a very similar AC synchronous motor driving a heavy, TPE-damped alloy platter around its edge and supported on a 'magnetically assisted' inverted ceramic bearing. The Xtension's 5.4kg platter was a little heavier than the X8's 5.1kg version, but the former also included an extra surface of 'recycled vinyl', traded in the X8 for a traditional felt mat. Drilling into the detail, both decks have a glued (rather than continuous) round-section belt which is often associated with drift and slightly high peak-wtd wow, as is the case with both these decks at 0.07% [see Graph 1]. The X8 is also running about +0.6% fast and while this injection of 'pace' is unlikely to be audible, it's also likely to slow, and become more accurate, with age. Bearing rumble, however, is much improved in the X8 from –67.6dB (Xtension 9 Evo) to –68.5dB here, and to a very fine –72.2dB through-the-groove (20Hz-20kHz, DIN-B wtd re. 1kHz/5cm/sec).

The partnering Pro-Ject 9cc Evolution tonearm features a lightweight but very rigid, woven carbon fibre tube that defers its main beam resonance to a high 195Hz alongside harmonics and twisting modes up at 350Hz, 510Hz and 615Hz, the latter moderately high-Q but quickly damped on the CSD waterfall [Graph 2, below]. Effective mass is between 9-10g while the four ABEC 7 tolerance ball races offer very low (<10mg) levels of stiction/friction. Tested with the supplied (TPE-damped) counterweight, the 9cc Evolution's downforce proves about 10% lower than the dialed-in value, so 2g on the 0-3.5g 'watchface' delivers closer to 1.8g. Better to err upwards. PM