Pro-Ject Turntable Shines A Light On The Dark Side Of The Moon

For those of us of a certain age, the release of Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon, half a century ago marked a seminal moment in the history of music. The album soon became one of the world’s best-selling records, with its cover featuring the image of a prism splitting white light into a colorful spectrum.

The Dark Side Of The Moon has one of the music world’s iconic album covers, designed by Storm Thorgerson of Hipgnosis and illustrated by George Hardie. Pro-Ject Audio Systems has now unveiled a limited-edition turntable for fans of this fantastic album.

The Dark Side Of The Moon turntable is the latest model to join Pro-Ject’s Artist Series collection and marks 50 years since Pink Floyd released their eighth studio album. The new turntable can recreate the image of a beam of white light scattering into a spectrum at the flick of a switch. The turntable has an LED-backlit rainbow with a dimming function and can deliver stunning visuals as records spin on the platter.

Even the beam of white light from the album cover makes an appearance as the deck’s extended on/off lever. Pro-Ject says the result is an unmistakable homage to one of the world’s most recognizable album covers.

The Dark Side of the Moon theme continues with a triangular plinth that mirrors the album cover’s dispersive prism. A solid aluminum sub-platter sits in the bronze bushing, supporting the 10mm glass structure.

As well as its unique visual cues, the new turntable sports an 8.6-inch low-resonance tonearm made from acrylic and aluminum. The turntable is fitted with a Pick it PRO Special Edition cartridge and can be ready to use within minutes of unpacking. The belt-drive mechanism has 33 and 45 RPM speeds changeable by an electronic speed control. Pro-Ject also supplies an adapter for playing 45RPM singles.

Pricing & Availability: The Pro-Ject Audio Systems The Dark Side of the Moon turntable is available from Henley Audio in the UK and Ireland later this month. The price is £1,599 / €1,799.

More info: project-audio.com and henleyaudio.co.uk

Tech Specs:

• Dimensions (WxHxD): 495 x 135 x 405mm
• Drive principle: belt drive with electronic speed control.
• Effective arm length/mass: 218.5 mm / 6.0g.
• Included accessories: 15V DC / 0.8A power supply, seven-inch single adapter.
• Overhang: 18.5mm.
• Platter bearing: stainless steel axle in a brass bushing.
• Platter: 10mm glass (felt mat included).
• Power consumption: 4W / 0W standby.
• Signal to noise: 68dB.
• Speed drift: 33: +/-0,40%; 45: +/-0,30%.
• Speed: 33, 45 (electronic speed change).
• Tonearm: 8.6 inches (22cm) straight acrylic.
• Weight: 6kg net.
• Wow & flutter: 33: +/-0,16%; 45: +/-0,14%.