Guest blog by Will
Pro-Ject are an Austrian-based turntable manufacturer. By using their own factory facilities they are able to produce quality turntables at reasonable prices. This particular model – the Pro-Ject Essential III – is finished in a deep gloss black, which has the look of a machine which is altogether more expensive. The design of the turntable is very contemporary, ensuring it’ll look the part, no matter what your décor. The overall build quality is of a very high standard – so you may want to make sure it’s front-and-centre, pride of place.
Setup for the average customer is easy and would certainly appeal to the first-time turntable buyer or someone returning to vinyl after a while away from the format.
The turntable comes provided with a tone arm and cartridges (OM3B) from Ortofon, which is as one would expect from Ortofon a very fine performer. Also included is a Perspex lid which helps protect your valuable vinyl records. All your cabling is sorted for you, complete with phono and a one 15V mains cable.
Using the Pro-Ject III was a joy, with the nicely balanced arm easy to position using the small lever.
To test the turntable I matched it with a Marantz amplifier and Polk S15 bookshelf speakers finished in black and walnut. Test material for the turntable was little-known up-and-coming (we jest) local musician Ed Sheeran’s album ‘Divide‘ which proved a great success amongst staff and customers alike. Sheeran’s self-proclaimed “love song to Suffolk” ‘Castle on the Hill’ was delivered with an infectious and enthusiastic sound. This turntable never sounded edgy and the timing was spot-on, leaving me to wonder just how they have incorporated this quality in such a budget.
Overall, I can thoroughly recommend this turntable. As somebody who usually streams all their music, I was left amazed by the sheer clarity and precision this turntable produced. Add to that the tactility of vinyl, the artwork of vinyl album covers and sleeves and, quite frankly, I’m at the front of the queue for my very own Pro-Ject III Essential turntable. Buy online, use Click & Collect to pick one up in as little as one hour or ask your local store about a demo.
