Pro-Ject Xperience 2 Classic

I am trying to find a place to buy a new Pro-ject Xperience 2 Classic turntable in Mahogany. Problem for me is that I dont want the supplied Sumiko Blue Point No 2 cart that it seems to come standard with. I would rather get it with a Ortofon 2M Blue. My reason is that the Sumiko Blue Point No 2 is a MC cart and it will require me to buy an additional pre-amp to boost the signal for my Amp, a Harmon Kardon 730 twin. The Ortofon 2M Blue is a MM cart and would work fine.
The other thing is that I would also like to find a deal. I am currently trying to do a deal with my local Hi-Fi store to swap out the cart with the one I want and to get 100 dollars off. My father recently bought a Rega RP3 with an Elys 2 cart for only 1000 dollars. The salesman said he'd knock off 100 dollars from their list price and it seems he was telling the truth. As I have yet to find that table with that cart for less than 1100 bucks.
I have been spinning my head trying to see if I can find a deal online but most places seem to stick to the $1299 price tag for the Pro-Ject Xperience Classic.

 

So should I just pony up the money and pay the list price? It seems that even tho the cartridge I want is actually a cheaper cart, the salesman at my local hi-fi store wants me to pay more for the Ortofon 2M Blue. Shouldnt it make the package cheaper?

 

I'm very happy with my Pro-Ject 2 Xperience Classic, that I purchased from Needle Doctor. Mine's mahogany and I did pay the list price. I didn't want the Sumiko cartridge either, and ND was willing to swap it out for an AT OC9 MKII, however they didn't give me a break on it. I did buy a MC phono stage as I wanted to try out a Moving Coil cartridge, and I must say it sounds great. BTW I got a Pro-Ject Tube Box S, which is very nice.

 

The Blue Point is a high output (2.5 mv) MC cart, should work fine with the MM stage. Have you checked with Music Direct? They are really good about working with you, may even install the cart of your choice.

 

See thats the thing. I like the look and features of the Xperience. But they make it come standard with a MC cart. Which unless you have a amp/receiver that can handle a MC cart (I dont) you need to buy at least a 200-500 dollar pre amp...
Not only that but my father bought a Rega RP3 from a competitor just 1 block down the street from Seuss Electronics and they gave him 100 dollars off and the Elys 2 cart. He payed only 1000 dollars plus tax. I do like his turntable but I dont want to get the exact same one just so we have a little variety between us...
Also I had asked in another thread and only 1 person responded that the Blue Point no 2 wouldnt work properly with my Harmon Kardon 730 Twin...

 

Once again - it's high output, it will work with most built in stages. From Crutchfield's web site on the Blue Point.

Moving-coil design for high-definition sound


Vinyl lovers have long prized moving-coil cartridges for their clear, spacious sound. Compared to moving magnet designs, the Blue Point No.2's moving coils have less moving mass. That allows the stylus to track each record's grooves more accurately, yielding greater sonic detail and transparency. This cartridge also boasts a nude-mounted, elliptical diamond stylus to minimize friction and wear on your treasured LPs, while providing a longer usable lifespan. Plus, its' high-output voltage design means direct compatibility with the phono inputs on more receivers and amps, eliminating the need for an additional moving-coil preamp.

 

Thanks Slick Willie,
I guess I could go with it and if it doesnt work I will just have to get a preamp...
The only thing I dont like about this place, Seuss Electronics is that they ahve already been saying that no matter what combo of this table I order it will be special order and they wont take a return if I dont like it. I was about to tell them, then maybe you should get more than 1 pro-ject turn table in stock. Cause they have just the one Expression and they tell me that it is last years model and when they order one whether I go with the Expression $999 or the Xperience $1299 I wont be able to return it if I dont like it. So I cant even try out the one I want. Kind of a win win for them if you ask me...
Thats why I might just have to go the online route with a place that at least takes returns...

 

Go with Music Direct. As Slick Willie has said, they are great to work with, and they have a 30 day no questions asked return policy. I bought my table from them and service was excellent.

 

Agreed, I only went with Needle Doctor because they had the Mahogany model in stock while MD didn't. Needle Doctor also installed and set-up the cartridge I bought for me. Like MD, they have a 30-day return policy, which I didn't have to use. I'm very pleased with my Pro-Ject TT.

 

Well, I went with Needle Doctor. I ordered this Monday at about 5 o'clock in the afternoon and literally less than 2 days later I have my new Pro-Ject Xperience 2 Classic. I highly recommend Needle Doctor. Brian the salesman I talked to was very friendly and helpful. He even offered to set up the Ortofon 2M Blue for me and even thru in 2 t-shirts which I like cause I can wear them at work.
The only thing... is I am having a little trouble setting up the "Vertical Tracking Angle" or VTA. The instructions are not that clear and I have not been able to find a decent video on Youtube that deals with the Xperience.

 

Sweet!!! Should be two small set screws at the bottom of the arm, Also should have a supplied allen wrench (with a slight bend) to access these screws. I use the "white line" on the arm as the guide. As far as videos go, any dealing with a Project arm should be the same whether it'a a Project or a Music Hall table, any model with the 9cc arm will be the same.

 

Free t-shirts? That would seal the deal for me. It's funny how the little things make it all worth while. nd is one of those companies that has been a pleasure to deal with. Polite to their customers and very free with giving good advice. Good people.

Pro-ject makes some fantastic tables and probably the best bang for your buck company for turntables under $5k. I think you going to be very happy with your purchase. Good luck to you.

 

You might want to check with them too. If they mounted the cartridge for you they hopefully would have set that too. Do yourself a favor and get yourself a nice 10x eyeloop. It makes it quite easy to see where your sitting in the Grove.

 

Okay the only thing I don't understand is once you set the counter weight on the back to make sure that the overall arm is level won't messing with the vertical tracking angle up or down change this relationship to the platter?
I must be missing something...

 

Personally, anytime you make any change to your cartridge or tonearm I would recheck everything. VTF, VTA, azimuth, SRA. It adds a bit of time but your ensured that everything is correct. Your working in close confines and TT's are all about being precise. It only takes one part being off to throw off the entire sound.

On a side note the mahogany does look sweet. Between that and olive wood they have beautiful textures to them.

 

Two different things. Floating the arm is about setting the weight, the down force that the cart has on the LP. VTA is about whether the arm is level when laying on the vinyl after the weight (tracking force) has been set. With the cart sitting on the LP, measure the height at the front of the arm. Now raise the arm so that the rear matches. The white line on the Project arms really helps. Use a stiff piece of card stock, mark on the card the front arm height. Move the card to the rear of the arm and adjust to match.

 

I am having a little trouble with skating of the tonearm. If I take the arm and swing it out and place it in position to drop right down on the lead-in groove it wants to swing back towards the tone-arm holder. But if I move it in about an inch so its more nearer the 2nd track or so it wont move. This is all while the arm is up in the air. And I have checked with a good level to make sure the plinth is perfectly level.

 

How is your anti-skating weight set? I had the same problem, until I realized that I had the line in the wrong notch. In my case, I had misread the owner's manual.

 

My Ortofon 2M blue says its tracking force range is 1,6-2,0 g The recommended tracking force is 1,8 g Which should be 18 on the downforce scale right? So then when setting the Anti-Skating force adjustment I have 3 slots on my Anti-Skating Hub. the 1st is for 10-14mN, the 2nd is 15-19mN, and the 3rd is 20mN and bigger. I should fall into the 2nd ring correct? Weird thing is, I have tried all 3 slots and they all pull the tone arm back to the tone arm holder...

 

Hmm, that's puzzling. My AT OC9 is set to track at 1.5 (15mN) and I'm using the second slot. I originally had it in the third slot which was indeed too much. Have you checked your tonearm for proper downforce with a gauge? I have a Dual turntable that if the arm isn't properly balanced and proper VTF set the anti-skating mechanism pulls the arm almost back to the rest. This is my first Pro-Ject turntable, and I don't know if the arm is as finicky as the Dual, but I'm operating on the idea that in may be. I tried to very very precisely balance the arm and checked the VTF at least 3 times before I attempted to play a record. One more thing: How does it sound? It may well be that the arm-lift mechanism is the sole culprit, and this problem may clear up with use.

 

I think I figured it out. I was rotating the downforce scale all by itself to set the downforce after I had set the arm to balance, I figured out that I had to rotate the whole weight to set it proper. I wasnt even applying any downforce by doing it the way I was doing it...

 

Oh yeah, that'll do it! Glad you got it figured out.

 

Thanks, it can be a little confusing and the directions are a little bit vague...

 

That they are, and I found the instructions dealing with the motor were especially vague, in addition to the actual turntable was slightly different from the illustrations. If I can fault Pro-Ject on anything it is that the manual could be better. But I really love the table, and it sounds great!

 

I'm happy to hear you're enjoying the Xperience 2. I am eagerly awaiting delivery of my Xtension 10/Blackbird MC. Should be here in a few weeks. Psyched!