Arm tube and wiring of the EVO AS arm.

The EVO AS employs an aluminum arm tube in an S configuration with internal damping and a universal bayonet-style headshell. The S-shaped arm not only draws attention on any turntable but also offers technical advantages. The geometry benefits from lower groove angle distortion and ensures excellent tracking. For cartridge enthusiasts, the user-replaceable headshell makes cartridge swapping easy. The arm tube is secured by a single screw allowing simple azimuth adjustment. The internal wiring consists of high-purity flexible copper, an excellent conductor for low-intensity phono signal. Each cable is equipped with a gold-plated cartridge connector.

Arm bearing.

The arm pivots on an inverted ABEC 7 quality gimbal bearing with 4 stainless steel tips. This type of bearing is highly stable and low-friction, ensuring clean tracking. This translates to a detailed and expansive soundstage where all the micro information of the record's rhythm is preserved. The bearing is housed in a fully aluminum casing providing necessary stability. The wide outer ring of the gimbal is open to avoid bell mode resonance. Due to the arm design, the bearing requires no maintenance but is straightforward to adjust if necessary.

Tracking force and VTA adjustment.

We supply two counterweights with each arm for broad cartridge compatibility from the outset. The counterweights themselves are more important than they might seem. They are damped by TPE, which significantly contributes to resonance control. The counterweight closest to the pivot point should always be used with the desired tracking force applied. This ensures maximum stability and keeps arm inertia as low as possible.

The arm height can be continuously adjusted by loosening and tightening the two set screws on the arm base. This allows the arm to be perfectly adjusted according to your VTA requirements. Experimenting with VTA and azimuth is crucial to extracting every last detail of performance from your phono cartridges.

An overview of Pro-Ject arm design philosophy.

The arm is one of the most crucial parts of a turntable and can have a significant impact on overall sound quality. For this reason, we conducted extensive testing with various bearing types, arm materials, and cartridge combinations to achieve the sound quality we were after. About 15 years ago, we designed and launched the innovative range of EVO CC arms in 9", 10", and 12" lengths with one-piece carbon fiber conduits. They were a great success and drove us in our research and testing to arrive at our latest and greatest arms. The EVO and EVO Premium arm ranges are the result of our work, and we are proud to offer them in new finishes and with many additional enhancements.

Ten key ideas from our research and development.

Pro-Ject has been designing arms for over three decades. We have tested numerous arms both audibly and with performance measurements with close to 50 cartridges from across the market. Our research has conclusively led us to these ten key ideas...

Damped counterweights and gimbals with high-mass bearings dampen arm resonance.

A one-piece arm conduit increases rigidity while reducing mass at the arm end, improving transparency.

Low compliance cartridges perform best in arms with high effective mass.

A high-mass headshell (arm) flange is crucial for securely mounting the arm to the plinth.

A variety of counterweights is optimal so that the weight itself can be placed as close as possible to the pivot for greater stability and low arm inertia.

A tapered arm conduit ensures resonance is shifted towards the bearing block (away from the cartridge) and also reduces moving mass of the arm/cartridge assembly.

The right combination between arm and cartridge and resulting resonance between cartridge and arm are crucial for accurate tracking and controlled bass reproduction.

Good conductors have a significant and positive influence on low-level cartridge signals, so we use the highest purity copper (EVO arms) and silver (EVO Premium arms) to carry the signal from your phono cartridge.

A solid and sturdy arm support actually reduces overall arm resonance.

A precision arm must be manufactured with the highest level of diamond blade machinery, allowing it to work with tolerances within 1/1000 of a millimeter.

We have designed the latest EVO arm series based on these technical insights. The core design concept is that a high-mass gimbal is used with a 4-point low-friction bearing assembly made in Switzerland. We have implemented the best 4-point gimbal bearings to ensure precise tracking and a wide soundstage.

The EVO range is a complete family of arms. It allows you to select the ideal arm for your favorite cartridge or an arm that can accommodate a collection of cartridges. We offer lower mass arms (carbon fiber), slightly heavier carbon/aluminum arms, as well as higher mass S-shaped aluminum arms with universal bayonet-style headshells. Of course, replaceable headshells allow for another realm of adjustments. EVO arms are available in 9, 10, and 12-inch lengths, in standard finishes in black or hand-polished silver. Premium versions use an enhanced stainless steel bearing block design, silver-plated arm wiring, and an improved counterweight design, making them the most comprehensive arm range on the current market.

Considerations for cartridge resonance frequency.

When selecting a cartridge for your turntable, the total effective mass of the arm (arm and headshell effective mass + cartridge and hardware mass) in relation to the mechanical compliance (elasticity) of the cartridge's cantilever system must be considered. A correct mechanical match between the cartridge and arm is one of the most important factors in achieving neutral sound. A mismatch can lead to poor transient behavior (lower dynamics and microdynamics resolution, narrowing of the soundstage, bloated or thin bass). A resonance frequency between 7 and 12 Hz is optimal for any arm/cartridge system.

Overview of turntable and arm compatibility.

Compatibility between Pro-Ject turntables and EVO arms is straightforward. In summary, if your current or future turntable has a 9" arm, any of these 9" variants will work perfectly: EVO 9 CC (included), EVO 9 CA Premium, EVO 9 AS, EVO 9 AS Premium. If your current arm uses a balanced 5-pin DIN connector, EVO arms connect the same way and are direct replacements (no soldering required). If your current arm terminates in a junction box with RCA outputs, soldering will be necessary. For DIY enthusiasts who can perform the advanced work required to properly install an arm on an external plinth, EVO arms are mounted according to the Linn standard and ship with mounting templates. Here's a quick summary of arm length compatibility with our current turntables:

9-inch arms

Xtension 9, X8 Evolution, RPM 9 Carbon, 6PerspeX*, X2 B*, RPM 5 Carbon*, The Classic EVO* (*requires soldering)

10-inch arms

Xtension 10, RPM 10 Carbon

12-inch arms

Xtension 12

Do not request an arm length that is incompatible with your plinth. For example, if you mount a 10" arm on a platform designed for a 9" arm, you won't be able to align your phono cartridge correctly. Also note that Signature 10 and 12 arms are not interchangeable with the EVO range.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Length

9", 10", 12"

Finish

Black, high-gloss

Features:

High-purity flexible copper internal wiring.

Aluminum bearing block.

4-point

 ultra-low friction gimbal arm bearing.

S-shaped aluminum arm tube.

Counterweight damped by TPE.

Precise azimuth and VTA adjustment.

The outer ring of the gimbal is open to avoid bell mode resonance.

The arm lift with silicone damping can be adjusted to fit the arm height.

Gold-plated 5-pin DIN output socket.

Hand-polished silver aluminum parts.

Available in AS Black and AS HG versions in 9, 10, or 12".

Made in Europe

Specifications (12 / 10 / 9"):

Effective arm length: 304.8 / 254 / 230 mm

Mounting distance: 291.6 / 238 / 212 mm

Offset angle: 18 / 21.4 / 24°

Overhang: 13.2 / 16 / 18 mm

Mounting slots pitch of the cartridge: 12.7 mm

Effective mass with headshell: 25.5 / 22 / 20 g

Effective headshell mass: 10 g

Cartridge weight: 7-22 / 6.5-18 / 6.5-16 g

Tracking force range: 0-3g

Minimum pivot to spindle distance: 125 / 126.8 / 130.6 mm

Maximum pivot to spindle distance: 251.7 / 248.2 / 243.7 mm

Arm weight: 311 / 305 / 303g