Pro-Ject Classic Reference

A 24.2-gram tonearm, a 73dB signal-to-noise figure, and a handcrafted build - the Classic line pushed to its limit.

Overview

The Pro-Ject Classic Reference is a belt-drive turntable from Pro-Ject Audio Systems. The company itself says it is built on the basis of the Classic EVO and the VPO 175. The Classic EVO was already a serious deck, and the Reference goes further. The manual lists a 9-inch (230mm) tonearm with an effective mass of 24.2 grams. That's heavy by modern standards. The arm wants a low-compliance moving coil or a high-quality moving magnet, not a featherweight high-compliance cartridge that would resonate in the wrong place. The user guide ships two counterweights, one for cartridges between 6.5 and 11 grams and another for 9 to 16 grams, so the arm can be balanced for a wide range of cartridges.

Speed control is electronic, with 33, 45, and 78 rpm selectable at the push of a button. For 78 you have to swap the flat belt for the round one in the accessory pack and move it to the larger section of the motor pulley. Speed variance is tight: ±0.03% at 33 rpm and ±0.04% at 45. Wow and flutter come in at ±0.08% and ±0.10% respectively, and the signal-to-noise ratio is quoted at 73dB.

The manual also tells you a fair amount about the build. The platter rides on a sub-platter driven by a belt from a separate motor pulley. The sandwich chassis is held together with three transport screws that must be removed before use. The feet are height-adjustable and TPE-damped, and there are three of them, not four. In the box you get a leather mat, a record clamp, a two-point cartridge alignment protractor, a tracking force gauge, and white cotton gloves.

The tonearm is a 9-inch tube with an SME-style headshell connector, so cartridges can be swapped without rewiring the arm. The headshell has a small screw for azimuth adjustment, and the arm base has allen screws for VTA. Anti-skating is set with a hanging weight on a thread, with three grooves on the support stub corresponding to different downforce ranges. Nothing here is self-adjusting. It all gets set by hand, with the right tools.

The Reference has two output options: gold-plated RCA phono sockets and a balanced XLR output. The XLR path requires an MC cartridge and a separate "True Balanced Connection" phono cable to take full advantage. The RCA path works with any standard phono input, and there's an earthing screw between the sockets for hum troubleshooting.

The deck measures 462mm wide, 138mm tall, and 335mm deep, and weighs 6kg. Shipping weight is 8kg, and the manual urges owners to keep the packaging for future transport. Power comes from a 15V/0.8A DC universal supply, and consumption is rated at 5W. The deck ships partially disassembled, with the platter, belt, counterweight, and anti-skating weight packed separately to protect the bearing and arm in transit.

Historical Context

The Classic Reference sits at the top of Pro-Ject's Classic line. The company positions it as a "supremely upgraded" version of the Classic Evo, which itself retailed at $1,999. That price belongs to the Evo, not the Reference, and Pro-Ject hasn't published a figure for the Reference in the documentation reviewed here. Elusive Disc's category description places the Reference at the very top of the Pro-Ject range, describing a lineup that runs "from the entry-level T1 to the luxury Classic Reference." Gear Patrol's coverage called it a model that "takes the Classic line to a new hi-fi level."

Pro-Ject's own materials describe the deck as built on the basis of the Classic EVO and the VPO 175. That is a direct statement of parentage. The VPO 175 is the less commonly discussed of the two.

The manual is dated Revision 18.10.2024, which places the documentation in late 2024. Production years for the Classic Reference itself are not documented in the sources reviewed. Pro-Ject was still documenting and supporting the deck as of October 2024. The 78 rpm capability, balanced XLR output, and leather mat place it in the company's higher-end offerings rather than the entry-level Debut series.

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