Signature 10

Description

The Pro-Ject Signature 10 is a no-compromise, high-end turntable implementing both mass-loaded and magnetically-suspended principles. The 3 isolation feet use opposing magnets to suspend the steel-pellet-filled plinth over the surface on which it rests. TPE ‘pillows’ decouple the machined aluminum sub-chassis from the plinth and further isolate the high-mass record platter. Precision-machined and TPE-damped, the platter is virtually resonance-free and runs ultra-silently on an inverted ceramic ball-bearing that’s also magnetically suspended.

The 10” single-pivot tonearm is a genuine Pro-Ject design. It’s widely adjustable and includes an array of counterweights so that virtually any cartridge can be mounted. All told, Signature 10 is an audiophile marvel that represents Pro-Ject’s championship in precision engineering as well as their deep appreciation for analog reproduction.

Inside the Plinth

RPM 9 & 10 Carbon, Xtension 9, 10 & 12 Evolution, and Signature 10 & 12 use plinths that are more than meets the eye. These high-end turntables not only use medium-density fiber (MDF, which absorbs resonance), but inside the plinths are also “central gravity points” filled will steel pellets. Drawing harmful resonance to the central gravity point all but eliminates the potential for plinth and bearing noise to reach the tonearm and cartridge. Pellets are used as opposed to a solid alloy due to their dispersion effect where a solid alloy may resonate. This design heightens the overall mass of these turntables as well, a well-known approach to optimizing sonics.

True Balanced – Get Blown Away

Setting us apart from the competition, all Pro-Ject turntables are configured for balanced operation.* Switching to balanced is no subtle upgrade and promises to redefine ‘reference’ sound quality in your turntable system. What’s needed to get there are a) a moving coil cartridge, b) a turntable with balanced phono outputs, c) a phono preamp with balanced phono inputs and d) a balanced cable carrying the phono signal from turntable to phono preamp. Typically a much more costly endeavor, Pro-Ject has changed that landscape by offering products that make the technology attainable to any serious listener.

Signature 10 comes equipped with a balanced 5-pin DIN phono output and can be run balanced with either DIN > XLR or DIN > mini XLR phono cables and a balanced phono stage. The turntable ships with a DIN > RCA phono cable for maximum compatibility out of the box (unbalanced dual single-ended RCA/ground is by far the most common connection type in phono). Balanced add-ons are sold separately. Browse options for balanced phono preamps & cables in the reel below!

*Excluding turntables with built-in phono preamps.