ProJect The Classic EVO Turntable with Ortofon 2M Silver

The Classic meets the 175 VPO to melt design-ideas

The new Classic Evo is based on the successful EISA Award winner, The Classic and the experience in designing and building their icon turntable the 175 VPO. The main improvement is the sub-platter, where they used the experience gained from designing the Vienna Philharmonic Record player 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, ProJect improved the sub chassis and 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 thermo plastic elastomers (TPE*) for optimising resonance behaviour.

ProJect designers and engineers felt that the 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 used is a similar system as the one on the Vienna Philharmonic Record player.

The diamond cut precision aluminium sub-platter, like in the limited edition Vienna Philharmonic Record player, enables much improved tolerances. This extraordinarily sophisticated part is accurately machined and guarantees a 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, aluminium for better damping.

The bearing has been upgraded to the same type that is used on the 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 they offer also azimuth and VTA adjustment to use a variety of cartridges.

Signal to noise
70 dB

Tonearm
9” carbon/aluminium tonearm

Effective arm length
230 mm

Overhang
18 mm

Tracking Force
10 - 30mN

Power connection
110/120 or 230/240 Volt - 50 or 60 Hz

Power consumption
5 watt max / < 0.5 watt standby

Dimensions (WxHxD) - with lid closed
462 x 131 x 351 mm 

Weight
10.5 kg net