Pro-Ject Audio Systems is one of the largest turntable manufacturers on the market today. Especially when it comes to affordable turntables, as few manufacturers do it as well as Pro-Ject. And the new Pro-Ject E1 series comes to further confirm this claim. According to the manufacturer, the purpose of this new line is “to introduce a new audience of music lovers to the world of vinyl by offering quality technology at an affordable price”.
The ability to manufacture their own parts in a state-of-the-art facility in Europe and deliver consistent quality explains why Pro-Ject is one of the largest sellers of entry-level and high-end turntables. The new Pro-Ject E1 series consists of three models and has been designed and produced in Europe. Let’s see what this new series has to offer, because if you’re looking to get into the world of vinyl without breaking the bank, you might find it really interesting.
Pro-Ject E1: if you like vinyl now you can listen to them without spending a fortune
As we mentioned, the new Pro-Ject collection aims to introduce a new music-loving audience to the world of vinyl by offering quality technology at an affordable price. The entire E1 family has a royal subplate design, in which a low-mass synthetic main chainring is mounted on a high-density resin sub-chainring. The shaft is a polished stainless steel design that rotates smoothly in a low-friction brass bearing.
This assembly is in turn mounted on a solid MDF plinth, no gaps or plastic parts. The entire plinth is wrapped in one of three laminate finishes offered by the new Pro-Ject E1 series: high-gloss black, satin white, or satin walnut. The turntables feature a belt drive design and equip a wired DC motor that can run at 33 or 45 RPMselectable with a simple switch.
All three models in the Pro-Ject E1 series come equipped with an aluminum arm that includes a factory assembled Ortofon OM5 capsule. They also feature a hinged, removable acrylic dust cover that protects the entire assembly.
At the beginning we commented that the Pro-Ject E1 range is made up of three devices. Regarding the Pro-Ject E1, which would be the basic model, we also have the Pro-Ject E1 Phono, which adds a selectable phono preamp which can be used to connect to the auxiliary input of a smart speaker or any device that lacks a phono preamplifier. The phono preamp can be disabled for connection to devices that have a dedicated phono input.
And complete the range Pro-Ject E1 BT, offering both a built-in phono preamplifier and a Bluetooth audio transmitter for wireless connectivity with headphones, speakers, sound bars, or AV receivers.
The new Pro-Ject E1 range will be available in specialized stores during the month of May of this year. As for the price, the Pro-Ject E1 will be put up for sale at a price of €299the Pro-Ject E1 Phono comes with a price of €329 and the Pro-Ject E1 BT is put up for sale at a price of €399. In other words, we are dealing with fairly affordable and attractive models for those who want to enter the world of vinyl.
