Today, analog players are not only a kind of caretaker of sonic traditions, but also a very competitive source of music with excellent quality. Plus, their appearance is not faceless, but rather pleasing to the eye. On the other hand, for many buyers, high-quality analog equipment remains a luxury item. Or is it still not? Possible options...

I'M LOOKING FOR A VINYL PLAYER POSSIBLE OPTIONS

The English-language magazine Stereophile recently published statistics on record player sales between 2005 and 2016. The data on sales volumes of the records themselves are better known, but the equipment itself is mentioned less frequently. The statistics was obtained from the CTA association and reflects only the US market, but it is indicative. The last two years have been not just sales growth, but a 2000% explosion!

The blue chart is the number of turntables sold per year in thousands. The yellow chart is sales in millions of dollars. 

Today, analog players are not only a kind of caretaker of sonic traditions, but also a very competitive source of music with excellent quality. Plus, their appearance is not faceless, but rather pleasing to the eye. On the other hand, for many buyers, high-quality analog equipment remains a luxury item. Or is it still not? Options are available...

The best available

In this brief review, we want to look at two turntable models that are really popular and in demand. They are produced by one of the world's largest manufacturers of this kind of equipment - the Austrian company Pro-Ject Audio. In Europe, Pro-Ject certainly occupies a leading position in terms of sales of turntables, and by a huge margin from competitors. The company manufactures products at its own factories in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and due to large production volumes, it achieves the cost of products that is quite affordable even for an ordinary consumer.

Pro-Ject Essential II

This is an inexpensive model, but without the characteristic signs of cheap Asian production. It differs from competitors in everything: the materials of the body and platter, the design of the tonearm and drive. Sold with an installed pickup head from the most popular manufacturer (Ortofon).  

The design of the Essential II series models is carefully thought out: it is simple, but effective and useful. For example, to change the rotation speed from 33 to 45 or vice versa, you do not need to remove the disk - you can transfer the belt on the pulley instantly.

The Essential II has a solid MDF body combined with a sub-chassis, an MDF platter whose steel shaft rotates in a Teflon bearing. The tonearm is straight, standard length (effective length 8.6 inches / 218.5 mm), and new sapphire bearings have been specially developed for it. An Ortofon OM5 MM cartridge is installed and adjusted in the tonearm at the factory. Since the tonearm is completely standard, replacing or upgrading the cartridge will not present any difficulties to the user - and this is an additional plus when choosing in this price segment. The player comes with a transparent dust cover and an external power adapter. Case color - white, black or red.

From all points of view, Essential II- one of the first candidates for the prize "best entry-level player". For fans of rewriting vinyl to a computer, there is a special version of it with a built-in phono stage and USB output, and for connecting to multiroom systems to a soundbar, etc. there is even a version with a digital optical output.  

Pro-Ject Debut Carbon

Debut Carbon represents the next series in the company's product range. Keeping the "earthly" price, Pro-Ject begins to demonstrate the stock of its engineering and design ideas at a higher level. The seriousness of the model is immediately visible: this is a massive sub-chassis body, a tonearm made of high-tech material, a weighty platter, etc. But let's get it right...

The Pro-Ject Debut Carbon drive is based on a belt drive from an AC motor. The silicone belt is installed in one of two positions on the pulley, which provides a change in the speed of rotation of the disk from 33 to 45 rpm and vice versa. The synchronous motor itself is powered by a precision electronic control unit, which guarantees quiet and stable rotation. Next, the engine is connected to the platter with the help of a belt. To prevent engine microvibrations from entering the subchassis, thermoplastic elastomer (TEP) vibration decoupling is used. At the factory, the engine is rigidly fixed - so that the suspension is not damaged. When installing the player, you need to unscrew the two locking screws, after which the engine hangs on two rubber strings. The engineers have thought of everything carefully. 

To improve moment of inertia and rotational stability, the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon platter is made from 300mm steel as standard. The set includes a felt mat for the record. An alternative is the Debut Carbon Esprit version with an acrylic platter. The manufacturer considers the tonearm to be the most noticeable change in the Debut Carbon series in comparison with the Essential: carbon-fiber tonearms have never been seen in this price category before. High-tech carbon fiber gives the tonearm rigidity and prevents the propagation of resonances.

At the factory, an Ortofon MM head is installed and aligned on the turntable . In the initial configuration, this is OM10, and in a slightly more expensive one - 2M Red. There are more options for the color scheme of body finishes - black, red, green, blue, yellow, silver or white.

Both Pro-Ject models are excellent choices for your first step into the world of analog sound. We recommend that you come to our salon for a face-to-face acquaintance with them.