"Absolutely Stunning"
Pro-Ject's superlative Signature 12 is a no-holds-barred, no-compromise high end turntable that perfectly celebrates "20-years of Pro-Ject Audio Systems." The Signature 12 is like the highly acclaimed Pro-Ject Signature 10 on steroids, offering even more sophisticated isolation and speed control plus a "flywheel" belt-drive system for ultimate speed stability. Its sophisticated design combines mass-loaded with floating turntable principles for performance surpassing competitive turntables at way beyond the price.
This Superpack version of the Pro-Ject Signature 12 includes Sumiko's premium Palo Santos Presentation Cartridge.
"What came from the Signature was lush and powerful, effortlessly dynamic, full of technicolor fun and drive. I was smitten. After 15 years of reviewing I’m often in danger of becoming seriously jaded and yet the Signature is one of the few components that reminded me of the reason I listened to music in the first place," notes Geoff Husband in his November 2014 review for TNT-Audio.com.
Mass Loading Meets Magnetic Suspension
Magnetic feet and Sorbothane 'pillows' decouple the Signature 12's resonance-free chassis. The tank of a chassis is constructed from heavy MDF and is metal granule-filled for extreme mass loading that's resistant to the compromising effects of room-borne vibration.
The turntable also benefits from a wonderfully resonance-free, heavy platter weighing in at an impressive 23 pounds. Just this platter weighs more than many turntables! The platter runs ultra-silently on an inverted ceramic ball bearing with magnetic suspension, providing exceptionally smooth operation and extremely low friction. The platter is also damped for yet another level of isolation from room and/or rack vibration.
The massive chassis and platter contribute to the impressive stability that the Signature 12 provides for precision, ultra-quiet vinyl playback. Needless to say, this table is no lightweight. On the contrary, it weighs in at an impressive 75 lbs.
Precision Electronic Speed Control
You get convenience for pleasurable playback, too, via a very cool touch control that lets you select 33 or 45 rpm speed. The LCD display lets you know your cruising speed. No fussing around with belts and pulleys. You get fingertip control. Microprocessor control maintains precise speed. The 'flywheel' belt drive system ensures vibration-free running and working with the microprocessor speed control does an amazing job of maintaining speed stability.
"The drive system excelled in another way," notes Geoff Husband in his November 2014 TNT-Audio.com review. "I measured wow-and-flutter at between 0.02 and 0.01% an absolutely stunning result at the limit of my measuring equipment and the best I've had here - and at least partially responsible for what I heard later."
Signature 12 Tonearm
The new Signature 12 tonearm boasts a unique 12" S-shaped tonearm with an SME headshell mount. It uses a single-pivot tonearm design, which Pro-Ject is justifiably proud of. With its wide range of adjustment possibilities and the choice of adequate counterweights, nearly all cartridges can be mounted.
All in all, the Signature 12 turntable is an audiophile marvel, which represents Pro-Jects primacy in precision engineering and the company's deep love for music. Three luxurious high gloss finish options are available: mahogany, piano black, and olive.
Superpack Includes Sumiko Palo Santos Presentation Cartridge
For over thirty-five years, Sumiko has provided a comprehensive range of phono cartridges to music lovers seeking the finest musical experience at a variety of price points. In fact, the great market success of Sumiko phono cartridges has hinged on their phenomenal cost-to-performance ratio. The Palo Santos Presentation is no exception. New design requirements incorporating advances in material technology and construction techniques have resulted in a significantly improved product which delivers a highly refined and resolved, yet musically satisfying sound quality previously unavailable at or even near its price.
Improvements grace virtually every facet of the product to differentiate it from its smaller sibling the Pearwood Celebration II. Most significant is the new generator anchoring system, which has substantially improved rigidity and reduced resonance and background noise to previously unheard of levels. From the new handcrafted Palo Santos (Brazilian Rosewood) body, which is shorter in height to add vision when mounting and aligning this cartridge, to the Long Grain Boron cantilever and new Line Contact stylus, which significantly improves resolution, the Palo Santos Presentation truly deserves the title as Sumiko's flagship offering.
Product made in Czech Republic.