Pro-Ject E1 turntable

The E1 turntable from Austrian manufacturer Pro-Ject is the first turntable in the E-Line range. It has been designed to offer excellent sound reproduction on a limited budget.

PRO-JECT E1 TURNTABLE: CHASSIS

The plinth is made of CNC-machined composite fibers. It is available in gloss black, gloss white or walnut finishes.

It is manufactured to guarantee the absence of hollow spaces inside, and therefore to be as dense as possible to limit resonance.

It rests on three absorbent feet for maximum stability. To protect your Pro-Ject E1 turntable from dust, an acrylic cover with adjustable hinges is supplied as standard.

PRO-JECT E1 TURNTABLE: PLATTER AND DRIVE

The new platter is made of ABS polymers. It is reinforced by specially designed ribs to create an ideal, anti-resonant platform. It is driven by a servo-controlled DC motor and equipped with electronic gear shifting (33 t and 45 t). This drives a molded ABS sub-platter via a belt.

The Project E1 turntable is supplied with a felt platter cover.

PRO-JECT E1 TURNTABLE: TONE ARM

The 8.6” tone arm is made of aluminum. It is lightweight and offers low friction. Although derived from the previous model, it receives numerous modifications, including a new cell holder. It has been optimized for the Ortofon OM5e cell (standard), allowing its full potential to be exploited. The counterweight is not graduated and the antiskating is not adjustable. So changing the cartridge is not really an issue. 

The Pro-Ject E1 turntable comes with a quality 123 cm phono cable.

PRO-JECT E1 TURNTABLE: SET-UP

Set-up is straightforward: just plug it into a phono input and press the power button... 

On our side, before sending it to you, and even if it's a “Plug & Play” turntable, we check the phono cell and tone arm settings, which are sometimes rather approximate.

PRO-JECT E1 TURNTABLE: TESTING AND LISTENING

The standard Pro-Ject E1 turntable is clearly the manufacturer's entry-level turntable! It's the most affordable European-made turntable on the market! Listening to it, we can immediately see that there's been a huge leap forward between the Pro-Ject E1 turntable and the low-cost Elemental!

The workmanship is far superior, and in terms of finish and reproduction, it's much closer to the Pro-Ject T1 turntable than to the Elemental.

The sound reproduction is very lively and transparent, without forgetting that this is an analog turntable! Its flattering balance combined with a rich, lively sound and elegant aesthetics certainly make it the best choice in this price range, all the more so as it remains hand-made in Europe. 

To be recommended. 

The new Pro-Ject E1 turntable is available in three versions to meet individual needs and requirements: a version equipped with a phono preamplifier, the Pro-Ject E1 Phono turntable, and a Bluetooth-equipped version, the Pro-Ject E1 BT turntable, complete this standard version.