Mechanical Description

The Pro-ject 6.1, sadly no longer made, is a suspended-subchassis design with a thick aluminum plate joining the platter bearing and tonearm. This subchassis is supported by three tapered coil springs (the overall shape is tapered, not the spring wire itself) which are very carefully selected to provide the correct compliance under the weight of the platter, tonearm, and record. To dampen motion Sumiko has provided a fluid damping pot. This clear plastic pot is mounted to the base and filled with a clear viscous fluid. A thin adjustable brass rod is threaded into the bottom of the subchassis with a slotted head accessed from above once you remove the platter. This rod is adjusted to rest in the liquid with the full weight of the subchassis.
 
The subchassis springs in turn rest in three recesses in the solid MDF base, along with the motor, motor AC filter, and the RCA jacks for the tonearm signal lines. The base has three threaded cone feet for leveling and the subchassis has threaded posts at the top of each support spring for independant leveling.
 
The platter is die-cast zinc with balancing holes drilled on the bottom, with a 1/8 inch glass platter laid on top and a felt mat supplied, along with a record clamp. All of these platter parts rest on top of a sub-platter of ribbed injection molded structural foam with the threaded spindle attached. The platter components can be easily removed and the felt mat can be placed between the metal and glass platters for a different sound.
 
The medium-mass aluminum tonearm has an overhang of 220mm mounted in a double gimbal with adjustable sapphire bearings. The outside gimbal is mounted to a large hollow aluminum post which is clamped in place by 2 hex-key setscrews to provide vertical adjustment for VTA. The arm wand is an extruded aluminum tube of large diameter with one end flattened and cut to function as a headshell. The arm tube is attached with a screw at the top rear of the inner gimbal that can be loosened to adjust azimuth alignment (you must unscrew the anti-skate notched stub to reach the screw). Anti-skating force is provided by a counterweight hanging from a micro-filament and a post with three notches projecting from the rear of the inner gimbal. The support for the anti-skating weight is thin powder coated wire and must be adjusted to a particular position for optimum functioning.
The tonearm counterweight threads onto a plastic stub screwed onto the back of the arm tube assembly and has a fairly accurate dial indicator for weight. The counterweight stub has a rubber cushion for a compliant mount, and is stepped down about 1/16 inch to bring the center of gravity of the counterweight below the centerline of the arm tube.
 
The tonearm wires pass through the support post into a hollowed-out chamber beneath the rear corner and are soldered to gold-plated RCA jacks attached to a steel cover, along with a ground post attached by wires to the tonearm and subchassis. 
 
 The dustcover mounts to hinges on the blocks at the back of the base and the front corners rest on two round posts. This arrangement is good-looking, but unfortunately provides a 1 1/2 inch gap around all four sides when the cover is closed; frequent cleaning is needed even with the cover closed.