Pro-Ject E1 Review: The Easy Way Into Vinyl (Wired or Bluetooth)

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THE TURNTABLE

Here is the short version: I bought the Pro-Ject E1 as my first proper turntable, I have used it almost daily for over a year, and it is the easiest piece of audio gear I have ever owned. It comes pre-fitted with the cartridge, you plug it in, you put a record on, you press play. That is the whole setup. No alignment protractor. No tracking-force scale. No weekend lost to YouTube tutorials about anti-skate.

If you have been wanting to get into vinyl but the gear has scared you off, this is the post for you.

Pro-Ject E1: The Easy Way Into Vinyl

The Pro-Ject E1 is the entry-level turntable from Pro-Ject Audio Systems, the Austrian company that has been making genuinely good record players for over thirty years. It is designed for one job: to be the easiest possible turntable for someone new to vinyl, while still sounding properly good and being something you will not need to replace for years.

It comes with the Ortofon OM5E moving-magnet cartridge already fitted and aligned at the factory. The tonearm comes pre-balanced. The belt comes already on the platter. The included counterweight is set. You take it out of the box, level it on whatever surface you are putting it on, slot the platter on the spindle, plug it into your speakers or amp, and you are playing records in about ten minutes.

Tech Specs

Why This One Over the Others

The £300 to £500 turntable space is crowded. Audio-Technica AT-LP60X, Sony PS-LX310BT, Rega Planar 1, Fluance RT81. They are all fine. None of them are quite as straightforward as the E1.

What sets the Pro-Ject apart is build quality. The platter is steel and has proper weight to it. The plinth is dense MDF that does not buzz or hum. The motor is decoupled from the chassis, which is the kind of detail that matters more than it sounds like it should: it means the motor’s vibration does not transfer through to the cartridge and add hum to your music. The Audio-Technica and Sony at this price are made of lighter plastic and you can feel the difference the moment you set them up next to each other.

Wired vs Bluetooth: Which Version

The E1 comes in three flavours and the differences matter for what you are going to plug it into.

Pro-Ject E1 (£329)

The base model. No built-in phono preamp, no Bluetooth. This is the right buy if you have an amplifier or a receiver with a dedicated phono input, or if you have a separate phono preamp. You connect the turntable’s RCA cables to the phono input, and you are sorted. This is what audio people would call the “purest” option because the signal stays analogue from the cartridge to your amp.

Pro-Ject E1 Phono (£399)

This is what I have. It has a built-in phono preamp with a switch on the back. The switch lets you choose either phono level (going into a vintage amp with phono input) or line level (going into anything else: a normal amp, powered speakers, an active streamer, basically any modern audio gear). This is the version most people should buy because it works with everything.

I have mine wired into my WiiM Mini streamer, which then sends audio to my Edifier active speakers. Set up once, plays records the same way every time, no faff with pairing or codecs.

Pro-Ject E1 BT (£459)

Same turntable, but with Bluetooth 5.0 and aptX broadcast built in. You pair it to any Bluetooth speaker or pair of headphones and you are playing records wirelessly across the room. For people who do not want cables, who have wireless speakers already, or who want to put the turntable somewhere their speakers are not, this is genuinely brilliant. The audio quality is noticeably less detailed than wired, but for casual listening it is more than good enough and the convenience is huge.

If you have Sonos speakers or any decent Bluetooth speaker, the BT version of the E1 is a really easy way to bring vinyl into a wireless audio setup without rewiring the whole house.

What Makes Vinyl Worth the Faff

Honest answer: it is partly the sound, but it is mostly the ritual. With Spotify or Apple Music you press a button and music plays in the background while you do something else. With vinyl, you choose a record, you take it out of the sleeve, you put it on, you lower the needle, and then you sit and listen. The act of choosing what to put on, and committing to listening to a whole album side rather than half-paying-attention to a playlist, changes the way you experience music.

The sound is also genuinely different from streaming, particularly on records that were recorded analogue in the first place. Warmer, slightly less precise, more like being in a room where music is happening rather than listening to a perfect digital copy of it. Whether you prefer that depends on the music and your mood. For jazz, soul, classic rock, anything from the 60s through 80s, vinyl is glorious. For modern pop or electronic music, streaming is often the better way to listen.

What You Need Beyond the Turntable

The E1 needs three other things to make a working setup. Here is what I use and recommend.

Speakers (or Headphones)

Active (powered) speakers are by far the easiest option. You plug the turntable straight into them, no separate amplifier needed. Edifier R1280T at around £100 is the most-recommended pair under £150 and is what I use. Kanto YU is a step up at around £250. Either pair will give you significantly better sound than a Bluetooth speaker can.

If you live with people who would rather not hear your records, a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 770 M through a headphone amp is heaven for late-night listening. (My full headphones review is here.)

A Record Brush

A carbon fibre brush at around £10 keeps your records dust-free. Run it across the surface before each side. This makes a noticeable difference to clicks and pops, and it extends the life of both your records and your stylus.

Records

Start with the records you genuinely love. Do not buy “audiophile pressings” of music you do not actually want to listen to. The whole point is enjoying the listening, not the equipment. Charity shops are surprisingly good for cheap second-hand records to start with, and once you find what you actually want to keep, the new pressings on Bandcamp and from independent record shops are where the joy is.

What I Wish I Had Known Before Buying

• Levelling matters more than I thought. A small bubble level under £5 saved me a lot of confusion. The turntable needs to be flat or the cartridge tracks unevenly and you get more wear on one side of every groove.
• The belt does need changing eventually. Every 3 to 5 years, depending on use. A replacement Pro-Ject belt is around £15 and takes about 5 minutes to fit.
• Do not put it on a wobbly piece of furniture. Footfall, kids running past, the washing machine in the next room: anything that vibrates the surface the turntable sits on will affect playback. A solid surface, ideally with a wall behind it, is ideal.
• Stylus replacement is a thing. The Ortofon OM5E stylus lasts about 1,000 hours. After that, replacing just the stylus (not the whole cartridge) costs around £40 and clips on in seconds.
• Lifting the tonearm is okay. Modern tonearms have anti-skate built in. You will not break anything by carefully placing the needle on the record. The fear of damaging your records is mostly unfounded if you are gentle.

The Honest Conclusion

I have had the Pro-Ject E1 Phono for over a year, it has been used hundreds of times, and it has given me precisely zero problems. Setup was straightforward, the sound is genuinely lovely, and the build quality means it will outlast a lot of more expensive gear. If you are getting into vinyl and you want a turntable that just works, this is the one I would buy again tomorrow.

For the rest of my home audio setup including the headphones and the desk mics, read My Home Studio Mic Setup and Three Headphones, Three Jobs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Pro-Ject E1 a good turntable for beginners?

Yes, genuinely the best at this price point. It comes pre-set up with the cartridge fitted and the tonearm balanced, so you can be playing records within ten minutes of opening the box. No technical knowledge required. The build quality means you will not outgrow it for years.

Do you need a separate amplifier with the Pro-Ject E1?

It depends which version. The base E1 needs an amplifier with a phono input, or a separate phono preamp. The E1 Phono has a built-in preamp and works with any active speakers or modern amplifier. The E1 BT works wirelessly with any Bluetooth speaker. Most people should get the E1 Phono for maximum flexibility.

Can the Pro-Ject E1 BT connect to AirPods or Sonos?

To AirPods, yes, with a Bluetooth 5.0 pairing. To Sonos, only via Sonos speakers that accept direct Bluetooth input (newer models like the Sonos Era 100 and Era 300 do this). For older Sonos systems, you would need a Bluetooth-enabled Sonos speaker or a separate streamer like a WiiM Mini.

How does the Pro-Ject E1 compare to the Audio-Technica AT-LP60X?

The E1 is meaningfully better. The Audio-Technica is around £200, fully automatic, and a fine starter turntable, but it has lighter plastic build, a less capable cartridge, and a less refined sound. The Pro-Ject is twice the price but feels and sounds three times the turntable. If your budget can stretch, the Pro-Ject is the smarter long-term buy.

Is vinyl actually better than streaming?

Different rather than better. Vinyl has a warmer, more analogue sound that suits some genres (jazz, soul, classic rock) particularly well. Streaming is more convenient, has wider catalogue, and is technically more accurate. The reason to buy a turntable is usually as much for the ritual and physical connection to the music as for the sound itself.

How long does the Pro-Ject E1 stylus last?

The included Ortofon OM5E stylus lasts approximately 1,000 hours of playback. Replacing just the stylus (not the whole cartridge) costs around £40 and takes seconds. Most people get 3 to 5 years from a stylus depending on how often they listen.