MAGAZINE
High-quality materials, a CNC-machined wooden chassis without hollow spaces and an aluminum tonearm developed by Pro-Ject are, according to the manufacturer, guaranteed to provide high-quality record playback. The new, belt-driven polymer platter with resonance damping and stiffeners is said to be equal to heavier platters in terms of sound.
The matching Ortofon OM 5E cartridge comes pre-mounted and -adjusted on the turntable. An optimized phono cable is fixed on the player, so that the Pro-Ject E1 can thus be connected directly to all hi-fi components with phono input (MM) via RCA. Switching between 33 and 45 RPM is done electronically. The chassis of the E1 is available in three different finishes.
Many hi-fi systems and amplifiers today no longer have a phono input, though. The solution: the Pro-Ject E1 Phono with built-in preamplifier, perfectly matched to the Ortofon MM pickup, which is again pre-mounted. The drive and tonearm are based on the E1, but the E1 Phono provides a high-level output signal if desired. With that, it can be connected and operated with almost any audio device with an analog input. The phono-preampof the E1 Phono can also be bypassed with a switch, allowing it to be connected to an external phono amplifier (MM) or a corresponding input on the hi-fi system.
The Pro-Ject E1 BT, meanwhile, offers the maximum connectivity options of the E1 line. Its solid drive, lightweight tonearm and high-quality cartridge aim to guarantee the same hi-fi quality as the E1 Phono. An additional transmitter sends the music signals wirelessly in the Bluetooth 5.0 format, so that any Bluetooth-enabled amplifier and Bluetooth speaker with its own volume control can receive the stream. But the Pro-Ject E1 BT is not limited to wireless playback: its two analog outputs make the music from the record available to other components. This can be a hi-fi system with phono input (MM) or an all-in-one solution with a high-level input – the E1 BT delivers all three signals simultaneously if desired, making Vinyl listening flexible.
All three versions are supposed to be available from Pro-Ject dealers starting May 23, 2022*. The prices of the new turntables are around 300 euros (E1)*, 330 euros (E1 Phono)* and 400 euros (E1 BT)*, regardless of the color chosen.
*Availability and prices for Germany.
