The Pro-Ject EVO 12 AS Premium HG is a 12-inch S-shaped tonearm with a gimbal pivot on Swiss ABEC 7 bearings, a stainless-steel bearing block and silver wiring, in the HG version with hand-polished aluminium parts. It fits turntables with 291.6 mm between arm pivot and platter centre.
EVO 12 AS Premium HG: structure and dimensions
At 304.8 mm of effective length the EVO 12 AS Premium HG is the longest arm in the series, and it needs a plinth able to place the pivot 291.6 mm from the platter centre. In return the offset angle drops to 18° and the overhang to 13.2 mm. It also has the most inertia: 28.1 g of effective mass with the headshell, 14.5 g without. It works with cartridges from 7 to 22 g and a tracking force from 0 to 3 g. The HG suffix marks the version whose visible aluminium parts are polished by hand.
What sets the Premium arms apart is concentrated around the pivot. The inverted gimbal uses selected Swiss ABEC 7 bearings with four stainless-steel points; they sit in a heavy block of stainless steel, and the inner ring is a new design, solid and massive. The outer ring stays open to keep bell-like resonances away. All of these parts are CNC-machined to tight tolerances, and the scales confirm it: without its flange the arm weighs 510 g.
The S-shaped aluminium tube, chosen for its high internal damping, carries an SME-fit headshell at its tip that comes off quickly when you want to change cartridge; headshells in different materials are in the catalogue too. Pro-Ject credits the S form with lower distortion from groove-angle error and more secure tracking. For azimuth, slacken the one screw holding the tube and turn it. VTA is corrected by raising or lowering the arm steplessly after releasing two grub screws, and the silicone-damped lift follows the new height.
The internal wiring is high-purity silver, with selected and matched crystal conductors, and the leads running from headshell to cartridge are the same material, each ending in a gold-plated clip. The TPE-damped counterweight is a new design as well. The signal leaves through a gold-plated five-pin DIN socket.
Specifications
- Effective length: 304.8 mm (12-inch arm)
- Pivot-to-spindle distance: 291.6 mm
- Offset: 18°
- Stylus overhang: 13.2 mm
- Headshell slot spacing: 12.7 mm
- Effective mass: 28.1 g including headshell, 14.5 g bare
- Cartridge weight accepted: 7 to 22 g
- Tracking force: adjustable from 0 to 3 g
- Null points (minimum and maximum): 125 mm and 251.7 mm
- Arm weight: 510 g, flange excluded
- Arm tube: S-shaped aluminium, detachable SME headshell
- Pivot: inverted gimbal, 4 stainless points, Swiss ABEC 7 bearings
- Bearing housing: heavy stainless steel, open outer ring
- Wiring: high-purity silver, headshell leads included
- Adjustments: azimuth, VTA, lift height
- Output: gold-plated 5-pin DIN socket
- Finish: HG, hand-polished aluminium parts
- Manufactured: in Europe
