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Pro-Ject RPM-9 Carbon Turntable - No Cartridge

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SKU: PRRPM9CA-NC
WARNING: for more information go to http://www.P65Warnings.ca.gov

Pro-Ject's RPM 9 Carbon turntable combines beautiful and clever design with true high-end sound quality. And the price is exceptionally low, considering the level of performance that the RPM 9 delivers.

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    $3,299.00
    $3,299.00
    Temporarily Out of Stock. Usually Ships in 5-7 Business Days.
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    "A Terrific Package… for Years of Vinyl-spinning Thrills"

    Pro-Ject's RPM 9 Carbon turntable combines beautiful and clever design with true high-end sound quality. And the price is exceptionally low, considering the level of performance that the RPM 9 delivers.

    "The Pro-Ject RPM 9 Carbon continues the brand’s outstanding run of sonic and technical improvements in affordable vinyl playback,' reports Neil Gader in his July 31, 2015 review for The Absolute Sound. "Without qualification, the RPM 9 Carbon is a terrific package, certain to give a great many lucky owners years of vinyl-spinning thrills."

    Thanks to extensive research and development, Pro-Ject has raised its classic RPM turntable design to an even higher level. Although the RPM 9 resembles the very popular RM-9.2, it is a significant upgrade which features a new mass-loaded, sandwich design plinth, a TPE-damped polished aluminum platter with integral vinyl mat on top, and an exceptionally quiet DC-driven motor which incorporates the design of Pro-Ject's Speed Box II technology with electronic speed control.

    Last but not least, the no compromise 9“ EVO tonearm with conical carbon-fiber armtube and inverted bearing design ensures perfect tracking, even with demanding cartridges.

    Newly Designed Extra Heavy Chassis

    The RPM 9 Carbon uses a new extra heavy chassis. It features a special CNC machined MDF plate that incorporates hard resin coated steel pellets to form an extra heavy precise sandwich construction. A special, complex heat treatment and a carbon surface coating ensure superior low resonance levels. The mass-loaded chassis is effectively decoupled from its surface using magnetic feet.

    Special Polished Aluminum Platter

    Rather than using a acrylic platter like the RM-9.2, the RPM 9 uses a new special polished aluminum platter with internal TPE damping and a vinyl layer on top which forms an integral turntable mat. The inverted ceramic main bearing delivers an absolute stable turntable speed with extra low rumble.

    Ultra Quiet Motor with Electronic Speed Control

    The RPM 9 features an extra heavy outboard motor unit using an extremely quiet DC-driven power supply. Drawing on Pro-Ject's Speed Box II, the RPM 9 has precision motor control and features a built-in switch that lets you very conveniently select 33-1/3 rpm or 45 rpm speed. No messing with pulleys or belts to change speed, and the delivered speed is precise and very stable.

    Outstanding 9cc Evolution Tonearm

    An outstanding 9" tonearm, the 9cc Evolution, incorporates a conical carbon fiber arm tube with integrated headshell made of a single piece of carbon fiber and new ultra-rigid bearing assembly to give you the ability to use more massive and lower compliant moving coil cartridges.

    The headshell and conical armtube are formed from a single piece of carbon fiber for maximum rigidity and resonance control. The armtube stills allows azimuth adjustments, despite the fixed headshell. The vertical tracking angle is also adjustable. Nominal speeds are 33-1/3 rpm and 45 rpm.

    Chassis-mounted female RCA connectors on the rear panel allow you to use any single ended interconnects. A brass record clamp is included.

    Optional Sumiko Blackbird Cartridge

    For an unbeatable value, the RPM 9 Carbon is available in a special money-saving version that includes the critically acclaimed Sumiko Blackbird phono cartridge.

    Designed for exceedingly low noise levels, wide dynamic range, and the highest possible fidelity in its price class, the Sumiko Blackbird MC moving coil phono cartridge is destined to become an analog classic. Each cartridge is assembled using time honored, labor intensive techniques, and then is hand calibrated and critically auditioned to meet the most rigorous standards of consistency.

    Choose a high output or low output version of the Blackbird.

    "Sumiko’s Blackbird is a strong Class B cartridge. I highly recommend it," says Michael Fremer in Stereophile for January 2004. "If you're currently living with a $300-$500 cartridge, move up to this and your world will be rocked… Its sound is as sumptuous as its packaging."

    "Sumiko’s Blackbird is one of the finest cartridges I’ve heard in its price range, and it serves as a highly credible 'reference cartridge for the real world,'" notes Chris Martens in his October 2003 review for AVGuide.com.

    Product made in Czech Republic.

    Note: Dustcover not included.

    Product Features

    Pro-Ject RPM 9 Carbon turntable
    • Nominal Speeds: 33 / 45 rpm
    • Motor Completely Decoupled
    • RCA Phono Jacks
    • Tonearm: Pro-Ject 9cc EVO
    • Outboard Power Supply
    • Finish: Black/Carbon Fiber
    • Available with optional Sumiko Blackbird MC phono cartridge
    Sumiko Blackbird MC Phono Cartridge
    • Cartridge Type: High output MC
    • Stylus Type: Low mass elliptical
    • Cantilever: Long grain Boron
    • Hand calibrated and tested

    Product Specs

    Pro-Ject RPM 9 Carbon turntable
    • Effective Tonearm Length: 9" / 230 mm
    • Effective Tonearm Mass: 8.0 g
    • Overhang: 18 mm
    • Downforce Range: 1 - 3.5 grams
    • Speed Deviation: 33: +/- 0.10% 45: +/- 0.10%
    • Wow & Flutter: 33: +/- 0.10% 45: +/- 0.10%
    • Signal-to-Noise: - 75dB
    • Power Consumption: 1W
    • Dimensions (WHD): 17.33" x 7.09" x 12.8"
    • Weight: 36.82 lbs.
    Sumiko Blackbird MC Phono Cartridge
    • Dynamic Compliance: (x10-6 cm/dyne)12
    • Frequency Response: 10Hz-50Khz
    • Output Voltage/Channel: high output version, 2.5mV
    • Output Voltage/Channel: low output version,.7mV
    • Internal Impedance: 135 Ohms
    • Channel Separation: 35dB @ 1kHz
    • Channel Balance: 0.5dB @ 1kHz
    • Tracking Force Range: 1.8 ­ 2.2 grams
    • Cartridge Weight: 9.6 grams
    • Mounting System: Standard 0.5” hole spacing

    Product Warranty

    Parts & Labor 2 Years Pro-Ject Audio Systems Warranty Information

    2019 Editors' Choice Award – The Absolute Sound

    "Sonics were devilishly good. Backgrounds were jet black, and sonics softly tinted to the warmer end of the tonal spectrum. Presto arpeggios were liquid and articulate, and there was an impressive sense of air and lift in the upper octaves with an overarching sense of balance across all other criteria. Overall, a terrific package certain to give a great many lucky owners years of vinyl-spinning thrills."

    - The Absolute Sound, March 2019


    "The Pro-Ject RPM 9 Carbon continues the brand’s outstanding run of sonic and technical improvements in affordable vinyl playback. In fact, throughout my evaluation it never seemed out of its league, even facing the heady heights of upper-crust setups, including my own much pricier kit. Interested parties should also know that the RPM 9 Carbon is a worthy addition for the long term – it’s got enough resolution and sheer musicality to ensure that audio upgrades elsewhere in the chain can be confidently purchased without fear of outdating the Pro-Ject. Without qualification, the RPM 9 Carbon is a terrific package, certain to give a great many lucky owners years of vinyl-spinning thrills."

    - Neil Gader, The Absolute Sound, July 31, 2015


    "The Pro-Ject RPM 9 Carbon, with its modified 9cc tonearm, and Sumiko Blackbird low-output moving-coil cartridge proved themselves to be worthy of praise on multiple fronts. This is a unique, and aesthetically-pleasing turntable design rooted in long-term research & development toward producing compelling, musical, and dignified playback, with a tonearm executed to match, and a cartridge capable of keeping pace (rhythm, and timing) makes this combination a thought-provoking musical companion – albeit more cerebral, than brawny – for those interested in a long-haul analog relationship."

    - Rafe Arnott, Parttimeaudiophile.com, Dec 10, 2017


    "It turns out that the experiments with the materials produced much good, and carbon fiber (and titanium, but it is completely different shelf price) are perfectly suited to increase the resolution of the sound without making it bright. And that's exactly what this turntable is about. It has a full, deep sound and high resolution. Bass is well extended and slightly emphasized, and the treble is nicely extended as well. The background noise as well as cracks & pops are barely audible. This is a very serious turntable."

    - Wojciech Pacula, High Fidelity Magazine


    "The first thing to strike us upon slipping some vinyl onto the RPM 9 Carbon is the incredible realism of the performance."

    "This deck is adept at extracting all of the subtle nuances from the music. Instruments are well positioned in a soundstage that is both wide and extends a long way back, enabling us to focus on each individual instrument."

    - Hi-Fi Choice Magazine, February 2017

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