Project Essential III A Turntable (White)

Product Information

Pro-ject has dominated the budget turntable market for more years than we care to remember. With the Award-winning Genie's price rising (blame the exchange rate and increased manufacturing costs) the company has developed another product to take over the entry-level mantle. Turntables are everywhere these days and their popularity is only growing, which is by no means a bad thing. It’s bringing more money in to what was almost a dead industry, getting more and more people brushing off their old LPs and reliving some classics. But we’re not just seeing an older generation getting involved. Vinyl has attracted a very young audience, with more kids than ever asking their parents for turntables and the popularity becoming so great that even some supermarket chains are starting to carry records and turntables! With this boost in the turntable world it has forced manufacturers to start pushing the limits and ultimately making turntables more appealing to a new generation, and what does the new generation of music lovers want? Wireless technology. To meet this demand, highly respected turntable manufacturer Project steps up to the plate with the Essential III BT. I started Pro-Ject to bring as many people as possible to the world of hobby hi-fi, especially in the 1980s when CD players were extremely expensive and generally inaccessible,” said Heinz Lichtenegger, the founder of Pro-Ject Audio. “At this time, I realized that a good turntable could sound even better than a CD. However, there were no quality turntables available that were low cost. So, in 1991 I decided I had to make one.” Nearly 30 years later, the company is still known for audiophile-grade turntables at affordable prices.

Using my experience with Fluance’s RT85 as a baseline, I got to grips with playing vinyl and resisting the urge to hover and touch the turntable while listening. I’ll admit that I still find manual speed changes cumbersome. Whenever I tried one, I almost always bunked it up and had the belt slip off altogether. That’s on me as I don’t hear the rest of the world complaining about it. It is what is. On the bright side, the premium looks are complemented by great sound. To find out what this turntable is made of in the sonic stakes, we grabbed a copy of Dire Straits' shedload-selling 1985 album Brothers In Arms. OK, it's probably not a record we'd play in the car with the windows rolled down these days, but there's no denying its musical virtuosity and that made it perfect for this particular job. Building and using separate Power Apps beyond the out-of-the-box Project application that access Project for the web or Project Online customer data requires a separate Power Apps subscription. Another advantage the Digital model has over the standard Essential III is the built-in phono pre-amp. This means that you can hook up to just about any Hi-Fi with an AUX input. If you’d prefer to use the phono pre-amp built into your existing amp then that’s fine, too, as the Essential III’s output can be switched to standard level. Before anyone starts muttering about Brexit and wanders off to burn an effigy of Nigel Farage, it is worth pointing out that the difference in price has more to do with changes to the specification than any pressure on s terling as a currency. The Essential III is a wholesale revision rather than a mild tweak and Pro-Ject claims it represents a significant jump in performance over its predecessor.The RPM Line is designed for audiophiles who want to have the best quality available within its price range and are happy to live with slightly unconventional product design," Heinz Lichtenegger says. "The RPM Line’s teardrop shape plinth and non-rectangular chassis cause less resonance (as in high-end speaker designs) and the motor is free standing and isolated at 100 percent to eliminate rumble or vibration. There are many little audiophile features (such as spiked cones and inverted bearing) that target the product to the discerned audiophile.” Switching to Philip Glass’ Solo Piano, the Project showed itself to be hugely capable at tone and timbre of a untreated instrumentation. The haunting melody of Metamorphosis One always puts hairs on end, and the playing here really sells it. The Essential III gave weight again to the piano, with a wonderful tone to the lower registers. In addition, the Essential III offered a sense of precision. You felt that the music had benefitted by a focus that gave the presentation a definite emphasis, adding weight to lead vocals and greater accentuation to the treble-infused cymbals, for example.

The Project Essential III BT Turntable features a gloss-finish platter constructed out of MDF, rather than the original acrylic platter used in previous models. The decision to use high-quality MDF in the Essential III BT's construction was to take advantage of its acoustically neutral character. The plinth has been mounted on three anti-vibration feet, allowing for effective decoupling from the surface on which you have placed your turntable. Official replacement drive belts for all Pro-Ject Audio Systems turntables. Drive Belts are used on all Pro-Ject turntables to connect the turntable platter to the drive motor. The Essential III takes the fundamental design principles and engineering feats that set its predecessor in such high regard, but sees improvements and upgrades made to the crucial aspects of the turntable to form an even more superlative machine at an outstanding and highly comfortable price point. The Essential III replaces the basic platter of the Ess. 2 models for Project's quality Acrylic-IT E, usually an optional extra at an added cost. This superior platter works in conjunction with a quality belt-drive mechanism with silicone belt, along with a specialised low-vibration synchronous motor. For Project Online trial subscriptions, your trial instances will be deleted 30 days after your trial period ends. Pro-Ject Replacement Turntable Motor Please note image is for illustration only, motor supplied may be different depending on options chosen.

Sound Quality

The phrase ‘vinyl revival’ is easily the most overused in hi-fi circles these days, but its ubiquity underpins just how popular vinyl records, and the turntables that play them, have become in the past five or so years.

One of the main features of the new design is the inclusion of the upgraded Acryl-IT E platter, an inert platform whose intension is to lower resonance, using a stainless steel bearing in a bronze bushing with Teflon-lined bottom.It has to be said that the adjustment is simple with the caveat that it is necessary to pay attention to the Anti-skating segment which needs more attention and nerves because of the really fine controls that change with especially small steps.

This is impressive because the bass response of turntables of this nature generally suffer at low frequencies and while the Pro-Ject can't match the more forceful low end of the Numark TT250USB it has a detailed and well proportioned bass response that keeps up with the speed and general fluidity of the rest of the frequency response. Just as impressive are the upper registers which are lively and detailed and give vocals and supporting instruments the space and tonal realism that they need. Even poor and 'hot' pressings are generally handled well. Furthermore, if you do play something good on it, the Essential III has the ability to justify the effort of doing so. All told, the Essential III proved a resounding success. The upgrades that Project had fitted took performance up a clear level from the Essential II, with a noticeable widening of the soundstage, and a fuller, more lifelike sound than its predecessor. As far as generational shifts go, the Essential III has been a hugely worthwhile one, offering a noticeable leap in sound quality whilst retaining the ‘house sound’ of all Project turntables. An easy recommend – call your local store to arrange a demo! Users with a Project Plan 3 subscription can submit resource engagement requests. They cannot review, fulfill, or approve resource engagement requests.

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