Hells bells! Pro-Ject’s AC/DC turntable just left me thunderstruck becky.scarrott@futurenet.com (Becky Scarrott) | usagoldmines.com

• Pro-Ject’s AC/DC deck may set you on the highway to hell
• It’s limited edition, so are you ready?
• What (do you do for) money? Around $1,450 / £1,149 / AU$2,319

Rarely on this rock ‘n’ roll train we call life does a new hi-fi product make me consider whether I want to use it for music or hang it on a wall as art (although Samsung’s Music Frame is one other notable example). But make no mistake, Pro-Ject’s limited-edition AC/DC turntable is every inch designed for those about to rock.

The deck is the latest addition to Pro-Ject’s Artist Collection and if you want one, well… money talks. As you’d expect, it’s a big gun; the thunderbolt is of course back in black but there’s a red LED-lit sub-platter to make a T.N.T-style visual statement, plus an all-new acrylic tonearm and a heavy glass platter for the full witch’s spell effect.

Touch too much? Not for me – unlike the riff raff, I’d be willing to part with the full £1,149 for one when it arrives in the UK in March (which is around $1,450 or AU$2,319, give or take). No, it’s not exactly cheap. But if you want blood…

Who made who?

Pro-Ject started making turntables in 1991 and my beloved Sydney rock screamers formed in the early 1970s, so I think there’s your answer to that one.

Back to the jack in hand though, and given Pro-Ject’s enviable track record (see the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo for starters, which is still one of the best turntables we’ve ever tested) this is far from a shot in the dark. This is Pro-Ject, so the build quality will be hard as a rock and your vinyl will be safe (yes, even in New York City) under that pre-fitted Ortofon 2M Red cartridge.

I can’t currently afford this big balls Pro-Ject proposition, although the company has recently started making cheaper turntable music systems, which are a whole lotta rosie and might just as readily shake you all night long. For now, I’ll have to imagine inviting people over, casually saying “Have a drink on me” and setting Let There Be Rock down on the platter, as they whisper “Girl’s got rhythm” among themselves…

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