Pro-ject Essentials II turntable thoughts?

[avguytx]

There's one for sale locally to me for $75 in black and I have sent a message about what cartridge it has on it and what shape it's in.  From a performance standpoint, I know this is a fairly entry level table in their line and in comparison to many out there.  Currently I have 2 main T/T's that I use; one is a JVC QL-F4 quartz drive or a Pioneer PL-55x D/D with a Shure V15 Type IV with a JICO SAS stylus on it.  Is this Pro-ject a step up or sideways...or down?  I was thinking eventually I'd sell off my older tables and buy something new.  But if  these are decent....

[baron167]

FWIW, I bought a Debut Carbon and sold it after a couple months.


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[MeloManiac]

I own a Pro-ject essential III special edition George Harrison. I bought it new, but it was in promotion and I paid €199 for it (retail price is €499)

I believe the Essential II has an Ortophon OM5 cartriged, while the III has a slightly better OM10 Cartridge.

For its price, I think it is a bargain, though this it is a budget turntable, not entry level, but certainly not high-end.

 

Negative points:

• The installation/callibration of the arm is fiddly, but once it is done, there 's little need to do it again.
• Changing from 33 1/2 to 45rpm must be done manually by changing the rubber elastic, and is fiddly and irritating: I always mess it up. So if you own lots of singles and plan to switch rpm often, stay away from it.
• It doesn't have auto-stop, so when the last track is played, you must manually put the arm back on the rest.

 

If there is another thing to consider, it is that there are some special versions, with 'options': a built-in phono amp, a built-in DAC/usb for digitizing vinyl. If present, it drives up the price/value.

 

 

[kevinmi]

You get what you pay for, especially in turntables. I'd save my money until I could afford something better.

[avguytx]

Kind of what I'm thinking, too.  Both the JVC and Pioneer tables do a fine job so I don't really feel like I'd be gaining anything unless I went way on up the ladder which isn't really in the cards at the moment.  But for the minimal entry price, it would be fun to tinker with and see just how it measures up to the others.  I wouldn't think I'd lose any money if I sold it off.

[MeloManiac]

If you have $400,000 lying around somewhere, you may well consider the TechDAS Air Force Zero Debut Audio Salon. You can pre-order it right now, as ten or so have already done.

;-)))

https://www.analogplanet.com/content/techdas-air-force-zero-debut-audio-salon—first-impressions-stun-listeners

[avguytx]

Let's see... $400k turntable or our new house we're building. Hmmm.... I think I have to save $50k and stay with the new house. I've read about that thing....crazy. 

[rplace]

On 4/24/2019 at 12:30 PM, ILI said:

If you have $400,000 lying around somewhere, you may well consider the TechDAS Air Force Zero Debut Audio Salon. You can pre-order it right now, as ten or so have already done.

 

Better pick up a spare also, just in case.