Pro-ject's budget decks have always shone bright. In the sub-£200 player market, the Genie and Debut have it all wrapped up.
Move upmarket to, say, a grand, and the company has struggled to make a similar impact. That could change with the 6 Perspex.
How's your physics? Remember the thing about opposing magnets repelling? Well that's the property Pro-ject uses to suspend the Corian sub-chassis. Three pairs of opposing magnets hold everything up.
The other technological highlight is the use of a carbon-fibre arm tube – very rare, even at higher price levels. In theory, it makes a rigid, well-damped structure for the cartridge. The arm and deck feel well made.
We used Ortofon's 2M Red and Goldring's 2400 as cartridges for this test – both are great sub-£200 moving magnet cartridges and fine partners for this deck.
Composed performance
This is an impressive turntable. It has an authoritative sound underpinned by low frequencies that lack for nothing with weight and power.
Play the likes of Nirvana and the music charges along with impressive stability. The 6 Perspex refuses to sound anything less than composed, no matter how hard it is pushed.
You can add good detail resolution and strong dynamics to the long list of plus points. It's as happy with the likes of Orff's Carmina Burana as it is rocking.
Our only criticism is minor: the deck lacks a little verve. Despite all its insight, dynamics and power, the 6 Perspex misses out on the final degree of excitement.
Despite this, the Pro-ject does enough to gain recommendation. If you're looking for a player at this price level, make sure you give the 6 Perspex a serious listen.
