Pro-Ject T1 BT Turntable with Phono Preamp and wireless audio streaming (Walnut)

Product Information

Prices valid in stores (all including VAT) until close of business on 29th November 2023. (Some of these web prices are cheaper than in-store, so please mention that you've seen these offers online.) The E1 BT adds wireless connectivity to the built-in phono preamplifier. Connect your turntable wirelessly via the BT 5.2 transmitter to your BT speaker, -headphones, or -amplifier. Just strap on some speakers and you’re good to go. All you need now are some records, and/or a music streaming app installed on your phone. The epically long model number refers to the fact that this turntable features aptX Bluetooth 5.0. It’s for wireless streaming of your vinyl to Bluetooth speakers or headphones. Plus there’s a USB output for recording vinyl to a computer. The Audio Technica also has a switchable phono stage, meaning it can slot easily into systems of all types. But there probably wasn’t room to shoehorn a reference to that into the model number too. Making sure you team it with sympathetic speakers is a much surer way of getting an acceptable level of low-frequency solidity than deploying the remote control’s ‘loudness’ button, which comprehensively skews the Pro-Ject’s tonal balance – and not for the better.

With its standard Bluetooth output, the E1 BT opens up a whole new range of connection possibilities. Perfect for connecting to a Bluetooth speaker or a Bluetooth enabled hi-fi system, the wireless connection lets you place the turntable much further away from the system than would otherwise be possible. Plus, it’s clutter-free! Well if the pie chart published at the start of this article is even fairly accurate it seems those claims are rubbish. The words ‘audiophile’ and ‘wireless’ are seldom seen in the same sentence together, unless the words ‘cannot be’ are included too.Enjoy the best sound you’re your vinyl, plus the benefit of Bluetooth output, with the Project T1 BT. Like a well-designed watch, looks are important when buying a record player. An attractive turntable can liven up a room, and that's precisely what Pro-Ject Audio's T1 BT does. After entering my apartment for the first time in more than a year, my friend's first words were “Wow, that looks pretty.” But the model he was admiring is a redesigned version of the T1 BT from Houseplant, a new company from actor and comedian Seth Rogen and his creative partner Evan Goldberg that sells cannabis and cannabis lifestyle accessories.

Cambridge Audio’s Alva TT V2 is the second generation to the original (and appealing) Alva TT wireless turntable, and is a relatively safe but well-thought-out evolution.Audiophilia has always included a hair-shirt element, a strong suggestion of ‘no pain, no gain’. Well, Cambridge is here to demonstrate what can be achieved when you attempt to rewrite that particular rule. The Juke Box Highpower Supply is optionally available. It features up to 50% more peak power output, increasing dynamic and bass response. The true ground connection over a 3 pin power plug can dramatically reduce hum and noise under critical power conditions. Bluetooth is for the iPhone generation, handy in cars, and for playing from your phone to a speaker. But you knew that, didn’t you? Safe to say Juke Box E sounds best when playing some vinyl. Pro-Ject has plenty of experience where these things are concerned. And Juke Box E has detail, dynamism and warmth to spare.

Sound-wise, the Pro-Ject E1 Phono pumped out a respectably dynamic sound that kept getting better the more records I spun. Lows and mids were big and tight and not at all boomy (except when faced with the low end of Metallica’s For Whom the Bell Tolls). Even the built-in preamp started to shine once I had the equalization sorted. My first impressions of the Pro-Ject E1 were not great … but after some fine-tuning on the receiver, this thing started to sing. We test Bluetooth turntables just as we would any normal turntable – taking the time to set them up correctly on a level surface. We ensure we spend plenty of time using and listening to each turntable, noting how easy or difficult it is to use as well as testing any extra features they have. We'll try them with different partnering electronics and various genres of music, too. With Bluetooth turntables, we also test them with some of our favourite compatible wireless speakers and Bluetooth headphones at relevant price points, to gauge how they sound when streaming vinyl. It seems that every time a research lab brings out a new method of broadcast/reception and the selling of music, it's claimed the public go mad to buy the new system. In some ways Pro-Ject’s Juke Box E is an exercise in revisiting the nostalgia of the music centre and luring in the vinyl revivalists at the same time. But – Pro-Ject being Pro-Ject – there’s a little bit more to it than that. Juke Box E is mostly a record player. But it also has 25 watts of amplification built in, as well as Bluetooth connectivity. It’s a receiver, unlike the other three transmitters in this group) and an analogue input for hard-wiring an additional source.

E1

Everything from Strawberry Fields Forever’s Mellotron flute intro to the whiny bendy guitar of The Smiths’ How Soon is Now sounded clear and defined, with everything properly situated in the soundstage, making for a higher, bigger sound than I was expecting. Note: I did not test the E1 running it directly through a set of powered speakers without independent EQ control, so I cannot speak to its sound without having the ability to adjust it. Unlike many other turntables around this price, the Pro-Ject T1 BT has all the elements of a proper hi-fi turntable - just at a lower price. Rather than plastic, the CNC machined plinth is made from MDF. This gives lower resonance for reduced distortion. Mounted to the plinth is a steel/brass bearing that’s the same as the award-winning Essential III and, combined with the new heavy glass platter, provides smooth and stable running for perfect pitch. After some coaxing, the Pro-Ject E1 pumped out a respectably dynamic sound that kept getting better the more records I spun.

It’s a simple thing, but changing a stylus on a turntable is one of the best ways to improve the sound of even the most beginner level of turntables. The Ortofon OM5e has a range of stylus upgrades that can do just that, for years or until you start getting more serious. Pro-Ject is also good with replacement parts like platters, belts, and accessories. Is there a better alternative? It’s not enough to make the Pro-Ject anything less than enjoyable to listen to, but it’s worth bearing in mind when speaker-matching – despite the JBE’s willingness to partner readily with any number of appropriately priced speakers, we find the Mission LX-2s have what’s required to make the Pro-Ject’s low end as martial as it can be. On the subject of system-matching, it’s worth noting the Juke Box E isn’t the out-and-out loudest system we’ve ever heard, so it’s also worth giving proper consideration to speaker sensitivity.Each of the turntables in the Pro-Ject E1 line offers all the features any beginner will need, and probably a couple that will set them up for success should they upgrade down the line. To preamp or not to preamp If you're only planning on using the Bluetooth turntable with a wireless Bluetooth speaker or pair of wireless headphones, then you don't need to spend a fortune. You won't be needing any extra cables, either, and can be flexible with placing them anywhere in the room. With its standard Bluetooth output, the T1 BT opens up a whole range of new connection possibilities. Perfect for connecting to a Bluetooth speaker or a Bluetooth enabled hi-fi system, the wireless connection lets you place the turntable much further away from the system than would otherwise be possible. Plus, it’s clutter-free!