Pro-Ject RPM 9 Carbon

A high-end belt-drive turntable with a mass-loaded chassis on magnetic feet, a 7.2 kg aluminium platter and an electronically controlled outboard motor. It carries the 9 inch Evo carbon arm and is supplied without a cartridge.

RPM 9 Carbon: chassis, platter and motor

The chassis begins as a CNC-milled MDF board with steel pellets, coated in hard resin, embedded in it: a heavy sandwich that is heat treated and finished with a carbon surface layer to push resonance down. Magnetic feet isolate it from the shelf. Each one houses two magnets that leave the deck all but floating, while the studs inside do nothing more than keep it centred.

The polished aluminium platter weighs 7.2 kg, is damped internally with TPE and carries a layer of vinyl on its surface. It rides on an inverted bearing with a ceramic ball and plate, giving stable rotation and very little rumble. The motor sits in a separate unit on a solid steel base; its control electronics are built in and a switch takes it from 33 to 45 rpm.

The 9 inch Evo arm has a tapered carbon fibre tube and inverted bearings, and copes with demanding cartridges; the internal wiring is highly flexible copper. The choice of cartridge is left open. Supplied with the deck are the five-pin Connect it CC phono lead terminated in RCA plugs (an XLR version is optional), a record puck, a 45 rpm adapter and a spirit level.

Specifications

• Speeds: 33 and 45 rpm, switched electronically
• Drive: belt, outboard motor on a steel base
• Motor control: precision generator (Speed Box) on board
• Platter: 7.2 kg aluminium, 300 mm across, TPE damped, vinyl top layer
• Bearing: inverted type in stainless steel, ceramic ball and plate
• Chassis: MDF, carbon fibre and steel pellet sandwich on magnetic feet
• Wow & flutter: ±0.60 % at both 33 and 45 rpm
• Speed drift: ±0.10 % at both 33 and 45 rpm
• Signal-to-noise ratio: 73 dB
• Tonearm: 9 inch CC Evo, carbon fibre
• Arm effective length: 230 mm
• Arm effective mass: 8 g
• Stylus overhang: 18 mm
• Tracking force: up to 35 mN
• In the box: five-pin Connect it CC phono lead (RCA), record puck, 45 rpm adapter, spirit level
• Power: 15 V DC / 800 mA supply; 13 W at most, under 0.3 W on standby
• Size and weight: 440 x 180 x 325 mm (width, height, depth), 16.5 kg net