I really like Pro-Ject's turntables – I've been testing some of its more affordable options, and I love the way they sound – so when the firm announced its new Configurator, which enables you to build the ultimate turntable by specifying everything from the power supply to the plinth, I didn't need to be told twice. I've now specced the turntable of my dreams, and all I need to do now is sell my house so I can afford it. Or at least my car.
It's fair to say that you won't be using the Configurator if you're looking for the more budget options among the best turntables; the result of my configurating was just shy of $10,000. But what a turntable it would be.
How to create the perfect turntable with the Pro-Ject Configurator
The Configurator is made so that you can customize the Xtension 9 turntable, which has been around for several years now and sits towards the very top of the Pro-Ject range.
First of all you select the plinth, with options including the brand's signature gloss black as well as some warm woods including a really good-looking walnut. Then it's on to the main event: the turntable components.
First of all, there are eight tonearm options including a stainless-steel bearing block with high-purity silver wiring. Then there are three magnetic coil cartridges, six phono pre-amps, four phono cables, and two power supplies. You can then download the configuration as you decide which of your children you're going to sell to finance it. Pro-ject says that your selected option will be hand-built after that.
Even before you start customizing it, the Xtension 9 is an incredible bit of engineering. The award-winning turntable has a heavy aluminium platter on an inverted main bearing assembly that features a ceramic ball and magnetic support for frictionless rotation. The result is a resonance-free turntable that's easy to use and sensational to listen to. And now you can make it even better – or at least, more personal to you.
If you're wondering what I'd have gone for, I picked the high gloss Walnut Burl, the EVO 9 AS premium tonearm in black, the topmost MC9 cartridge and black versions of the phono box and PSU. Since I was already past 9,000 Euros, I also plumped for the most expensive cables, the Phono RS, in their RCA versions. That brought the total price to €9,347, which is roughly $10k. Now all I need to do is pick an amp and speakers that are actually capable of doing it justice, after my lotto numbers come up.
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