Pro-Ject's special edition, lightning bolt-shaped AC/DC Turntable shoots to thrill – and leaves us thunderstruck

AC/DC. Elvis. Charles Schulz’s Peanuts.

What do they all have in common?

Apart from being cultural icons in one way or another, all three have turntables designed in their honour. Elvis’ turntable has his name lit up in LEDs; the Peanuts turntable has Charlie Brown’s round head printed on the acrylic mat, and the AC/DC one? A plinth in the shape of the band’s iconic lightning bolt logo.

These are all special edition turntables made by Pro-Ject, as part of their Artist Collection series. You’ve probably seen many of their visually-striking designs that celebrate iconic artists: Metallica, The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine, The Dark Side Of The Moon, and more. Whether you’re a fan of the band in question or simply love the unique designs – these turntables are more like works of art to be collected, beyond just playing vinyl records.

While we’ve seen the Artist Collection turntables displayed at showcases such as the High End Show, we’ve often wondered what they are actually like to use as a ’normal’ turntable. Pro-Ject and its UK distributor Henley kindly lent us the AC/DC Turntable so we could have a play. We also got plenty of insight from Pro-Ject's CEO Heinz Lichtenegger, who talks us through the design process, the materials chosen, and how it affects the sound.

A collaborative effort

Every Artist Collection limited edition turntable starts with Pro-Ject being approached by the artist or band’s representatives to create a product, and they are brought to life in collaboration with the artist, Pro-Ject’s designers and tech team.

Heinz Lichtenegger, CEO and founder of Pro-Ject Audio Systems since 1991, tells us: “These are true collaborations, not just licensing projects. From the outset, the band brings very specific ideas about the look – we always aim to really express the artist’s character, and then bring in our designer’s suggestions. But all designs must ensure the sound will be great – the Artist Collection products may look different to regular turntables, but they are not toys, they are real hi-fi turntables with serious performance.”

Unboxing the AC/DC Turntable is a treat unto itself. You’re met with the skeletal lighting bolt plinth, which looks pretty snazzy. The famous lightning bolt logo was designed by Gerard Huerta in 1977, first appearing on the international version of the album Let There Be Rock.

The 28mm MDF plinth feels sturdy and there are adjustable feet, but the whole arrangement is also quite light due to its unusual minimal shape. Even before we finish assembling it or power it on, it cuts quite the sharp figure on our wooden hi-fi rack.

A bolt of inspiration

Care is taken to ensure that the plinth is still stable and offers a non-resonant foundation for the platter, while also producing something so visually striking.

The AC/DC’s lightning bolt plinth isn’t the only non-traditional plinth Pro-Ject has made in its history, either. It reminds me of the minimalist design used in the Pro-Ject Elemental (an oft-talked about deck at What Hi-Fi? Towers) and Genie turntables.

“For sure, our experience in making plinths in non-traditional shapes helps here,” says Lichtenegger. “We were one of the first companies to realise that non-rectangular designs can have acoustical advantages, as they help reduce unwanted resonances – just look at today’s speaker designs, where you see many rounded forms.”

In terms of making the unusual and quirky-shaped plinths, Lichtenegger says they’re not too challenging to make, other than needing a lot of CNC machinery to make the shapes, which is expensive.

Pro-Ject is no stranger to experimenting with materials, with various combinations of materials offered throughout the multiple ranges of record players, promising increasing performance with every step up. We visited the company’s factory and HQ a few years ago, and there seems to be no limit to what they’re able to do – as long as you get the core materials right, that is.

Still, there are challenges along the way. “People have very different tastes in both sound and design,” Lichtenegger says of the manufacturing and design process. “So close collaboration is essential.”

Special materials chosen for a special edition

The Artist Collection designs allow Pro-Ject to experiment with materials and assemblies to create a specific look to fit the brief. We spot plenty of unusual elements in the AC/DC edition that we don’t normally see in a standard Pro-Ject turntable.

There is the red-coloured, 10mm glass platter – which adds another stylish flourish to the turntable assembly – and an acrylic sub-platter. On Pro-Ject’s website, you can find plenty of add-on accessories to upgrade your turntable, but these aren’t one of them. We tend to see metal or acrylic platters, for instance.

All of these choices for the AC/DC Turntable make perfect sense once we realise that there is LED lighting underneath, which gives the turntable a stunning red glow. The overall red and black aesthetic is, appropriately, very rock and roll.

Of course, having a glass platter means that you’ll have to put on the included felt mat first before you put a record on; this subdues the red light shining through the glass and semi-opaque acrylic, but the subtle under-lighting still makes a lovely effect. Especially in a dark room, if you’re able to leave it turned on.

The cartridge supplied is the Ortofon 2M Red – a fitting choice – but another unusual element is the 8.6-inch flat tonearm. It’s mostly made of acrylic – a departure from Pro-Ject’s usual aluminium.

Acrylic is light, is easy to machine into specific shapes, and its low resonance properties work well for a turntable. It was an ideal material for the flat construction for the AC/DC Turntable, even if Lichtenegger concedes that perhaps the flat design isn’t perhaps stiff enough. “But on the other hand, it avoids the ‘ringing’ tube effect found in standard tonearms. So, all in all it is a very interesting design and may be used in future projects."

The bearing assembly, lifting mechanism and counterweight designs are all recognisably Pro-Ject. The turntable even comes with two options of belts in the box – a flat one and a circular one. We opt to use the flat one in our assembly.

One thing we particularly like is the detail of the finger-lift – it mimics the exact same lightning bolt shape as the plinth. It’s a nice little detail and is nice to use; moving the tonearm to the groove of a record is a smooth experience.

However, there is one thing that puzzles us: we note that the flat acrylic tonearm's lightning bolt is a considerably different shape to the rest – with different angles, a wider shape in the middle, but tapered off at the ends.

Pro-Ject’s designer says of this decision: "We indeed had to adapt the shape of the iconic bolt to ensure full functionality. The original logo's proportions wouldn't have aligned with the required geometry, making proper integration into the bearing block impossible. As a result, we adjusted the specific 'zigzag' angles for the tonearm housing, while keeping the original, classic bolt shape for the finger-lift at the front end.”

When asked if any of these materials used in the AC/DC turntable will make it over to Pro-Ject’s standard ranges, Lichtenegger plays it quite close to his chest. “Every new turntable is a learning experience, so yes, we will definitely use some technical ideas in future models. Watch this space!”

Let There Be Rock: listening to the AC/DC Turntable

Setting up the turntable is similar to other Pro-Ject decks: balance the tonearm with counterweight, set the tracking force and bias (1.8g for the 2M Red) and off you go. The interconnect phono cables are included in the box, while the rocker switch for changing the speeds (33 ⅓ and 45 RPM) is positioned underneath the plinth. The red light comes on with either speed choice.

The belt-drive design runs smoothly, and we’re soon playing records from Michael Jackson to Olivia Rodrigo. We sadly don’t have any AC/DC albums in our test rooms to put on, but our Buffy The Vampire Slayer musical soundtrack’s red vinyl matches the AC/DC deck beautifully.

We should note here that we don’t review or star-rate limited special edition products like these, as their intention and appeal is different from standard full-production models. Our time with the AC/DC turntable is therefore brief, but still enough to make an impression.

The AC/DC Turntable sounds tidy, clean and precise. These are hallmarks of Pro-Ject’s sound we’ve heard in the budget Primary E to the Debut Evo 2 – both Award-winners. The soundstage is pleasingly big and admirably stable, with the instruments and vocals all in focus.

Notes land in an organised manner, with ample detail and a good sense of punch to pop tracks like Rodrigo's Logical and MJ's The Way You Make Me Feel. The fast, complex drum patterns in Speed Demon sound taut and, well, speedy. The bass could be fuller and weightier, but it’s a nimble presentation that keeps things flowing nicely.

Sarah Michell Gellar’s unpolished vocals in the Once More With Feeling soundtrack sound clearly defined, with the Pro-Ject AC/DC deck able to relay that crisp diction and story-telling lyrics. We do wish there was a bit more expression and natural warmth overall – some of the subtlety of the excellent (and less costly) Evo 2’s performance would be lovely to hear here.

Ultimately, we find the AC/DC Turntable is a great showpiece and plenty of fun. True, its price puts it up against more focused purist alternatives that ultimately sound better.

But we're not sure how much that really matters in this case. Judging this turntable solely on sound quality would be ignoring its spectacular aesthetics and connection to the legendary band. The AC/DC Turntable does its job – it feels premium and special, it has an impressive effect, and it’s fun to use.

Balancing the design and sound quality is no doubt a tricky act. On these special artist editions, Pro-Ject is adamant about using premium materials throughout and ensuring they make good design choices. These limited edition turntables do come at a premium –the AC/DC Turntable officially retails at £1149 / $1699 / AU$2499 – that is the result of a collaboration with one of the best-selling rock bands of all time.

The aim is still to make a turntable that plays records to a high standard, with hundreds of hours of design work and many samples required to get the end result that everyone was happy with.

“At Pro-Ject, great sound is always non-negotiable,’ affirms Lichtenegger. “We would never approve a design that only looks great. So, in some of the Artist products it was a real challenge to make a turntable that looks incredible and iconic, while still delivering high sound performance. In our view, we achieved it.”

"They are not toys, they are real hi-fi turntables with serious performance"

Even after we had finished listening to the AC/DC turntable, we’re reluctant to pack it away. Like other limited edition products that have passed through our listening rooms – such as the Naim Nait 50 amplifier – we enjoy leaving it set up and displayed in our hi-fi rack. There is something about the design that is simply enthralling.

It just looks cool. And that’s the point, isn’t it?

The process of making these special Artist Collection turntables is “lots of fun” Lichtenegger says, and the feedback from buyers echoes the desired effect. He says customers’ feedback tend to include a lot of 🤘🤘🤘 [sign of the horns/rock on] emojis. “Which," he says, "I take as a good thing from AC/DC fans!”

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