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This Popular Hi-Fi Maker Just Gave Its Classic Turntable an Audiophile Makeover

The Austrian audio brand’s new turntable blends new technologies with vintage design.

Pro-Ject Classic Reference turntablePro-Ject

By Tucker Bowe

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Pro-Ject, the popular Austrian hi-fi manufacturer, has released quite a few new turntables in recent months — everything from a $450 starter to a new $15,000 flagship — but its latest one is a bit different.

The Classic Reference is a new special-edition model in the company’s Classic line of audiophile-grade turntables, which are unique as they blend modern technologies with retro designs reminiscent of the 1960s and 70s.

This new ‘Reference” model takes the Classic line to a new hi-fi level. According to the brand, you can think of it as a “supremely upgraded” version of the Classic Evo ($1,999).

Pro-Ject The Classic Reference

Pro-Ject Classic Reference turntable
Pro-Ject’s The Classic Reference turntable comes in two different finishes. Shown is the silver model with a gloss black plinth.
Pro-Ject

A new classic

The Classic Reference has a similar design to the company’s Classic Evo, featuring a thick platter and brushed metal top plate that looks like it’s built directly into the wooden plinth. It’s a distinctly clean look.

Yet Pro-Ject has given The Classic Reference several hi-fi upgrades and incorporated pieces from its VPO 175, a special-edition turntable that Pro-Ject launched in 2018 to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

Pro-Ject Classic Reference turntable
The Classic Reference turntable in brass with an Acacia plinth.
Pro-Ject

Masterfully engineered

Every aspect of The Classic Reference is engineered for high-fidelity playback. It features an EVO 9 AS HG tonearm using high-precision ABEC 7 bearings that are housed in an aluminum gimbal “for maximum stability.”

The S-shaped tonearm, which has internal damping to help eliminate unwanted vibrations, is mounted to a large aluminum alloy top plate. TPE pods are sandwiched between the top plate and the MDF plinth to, again, eliminate vibrations.

Pro-Ject Classic Reference turntable
According to Pro-Ject, The Classic Reference can be viewed as a “supremely upgraded” version of its Classic EVO turntable or an “enhanced version” of its VPO 175 limited edition turntable.
Pro-Ject

The record platter rotates on an aluminum sub-platter that is belt-driven by the AC motor. According to the brand, the AC motor is “fed steady, clean power by Pro-Ject’s own DC/AC generator.”

There are standard RCA jacks and balanced XLR jacks onboard, so you can use the turntable for various phono stages or other hi-fi equipment. The tonearm has a removable headshell, too, giving tinkers the ability to switch cartridges easily.

With the turntable, Pro-Ject includes its Clamp it record clamp ($99) and its Leather It record mat ($69).

Pro-Ject Classic Reference turntable
The 9-inch S-shaped tonearm has a removable headshell for easy cartridge swapping.
Pro-Ject

Price and availability

According to Pro-Ject, The Classic Reference turntable is available for special order only.

It can be purchased in two different finishes. The silver model with a gloss black plinth costs $5,999. And the brass model with an Acacia plinth costs an extra grand.

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