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Pro-Ject Essential III Turntable: Where Audiophile Quality Meets Accessible Pricing
Vinyl is having a moment. Again. But here's what most people don't realize: you don't need to spend three grand on a turntable to hear the difference between a mediocre setup and a really good one. Enter the Pro-Ject Essential III, and honestly, this thing punches way above its weight class.
I've spent the last few months with this turntable, and I keep coming back to the same thought: Pro-Ject managed to do something that shouldn't be possible. They took everything they learned building high-end turntables for audiophiles and stuffed it into a package that won't obliterate your budget. The Austrian manufacturer has a reputation for understanding that great sound doesn't require either endless complexity or astronomical costs.
The Essential III sits in an interesting spot. It's from Pro-Ject's beginner-friendly range, which sounds like it should come with compromises. But the company has positioned this as a "premium" model within that range, and the moment you unbox it, you understand why. This isn't a toy turntable. It's not going to make you feel like you're settling. Instead, it's an entry point to something real.
What makes this turntable different from the hundred other options you could buy? It's the philosophy behind it. Pro-Ject didn't try to cram every feature imaginable into the Essential III. They asked themselves what actually matters for vinyl playback, built that properly, and left out the rest. The result is a turntable that's simpler to set up than most, sounds significantly better than its price suggests, and will keep sounding good for years.
The vinyl market has exploded. Vinyl sales hit $1.3 billion globally in 2023, and they're only growing. More people are getting into vinyl than ever before. But many of those people are making the same mistake: they buy cheap turntables first, get disappointed, and quit. Pro-Ject's Essential III is the antidote to that cycle. It's the turntable you buy when you're serious about getting started, not the one you buy to experiment.
Let's dig into what actually makes this turntable special, why it matters, and whether it's the right choice for you.
TL; DR
- Pro-Ject Essential III delivers genuine audiophile sound at a beginner-friendly price point, starting under $250
- Three speed settings (33⅓, 45, and 78 RPM) provide full vinyl flexibility without electronic speed selection
- Pre-mounted cartridge means zero setup knowledge required - unbox, place records, play
- Minimal design philosophy eliminates unnecessary complications while preserving sound quality
- Best choice for: New vinyl enthusiasts, dorm rooms, gift-givers, budget-conscious audiophiles
- Trade-off: No automatic start or stop, minimal built-in features, requires separate amplification
The Essential III offers a balanced mix of sound quality and build at a mid-range price, making it an attractive option for beginners. Estimated data based on product reviews.
The Austrian Engineering Behind Pro-Ject
Pro-Ject Audio Systems wasn't founded by some tech startup bro trying to disrupt audio. It was started by Heinz Lichtenegger in 1990 in Vienna, Austria. The company began with a simple philosophy: engineers should design turntables for sound first, everything else second. Three decades later, that approach hasn't changed. It's just gotten better.
The company's reputation sits somewhere between "respected by serious audiophiles" and "overlooked by most casual listeners." That second part is deliberate. Pro-Ject doesn't compete on marketing spend. They compete on product quality. When you look at high-end turntable reviews, Pro-Ject shows up constantly because their products deliver. The Essential III is the company's way of saying, "You don't have to spend $2,000 to get something real."
Austrian manufacturing has a specific reputation in the audio world. Switzerland has Nagra. Japan has Technics. Austria has Pro-Ject. There's an attention to detail, a refusal to cut corners on fundamentals, and an understanding that analog audio requires precision engineering. The Essential III carries that DNA.
What's interesting is how Pro-Ject thinks about product tiers. Many manufacturers use cheaper components, simpler manufacturing, and reduced features to hit lower price points. Pro-Ject's approach is different. They ask: what's the minimum feature set needed for genuinely good vinyl playback? Then they engineer that properly. The Essential III isn't a stripped-down version of a more complex turntable. It's a complete rethinking of what a turntable actually needs.
This matters because it means Pro-Ject has infrastructure, experience, and resources that startup turntable companies don't. They've been solving manufacturing challenges for three decades. They know how to keep costs down without sacrificing fundamentals. The Essential III benefits from that accumulated knowledge.
Pro-Ject is one of the largest producers of high-quality turntables, manufacturing over 100,000 units annually. Estimated data for other brands shows Pro-Ject's significant production capacity.
Design Philosophy: Simplicity as a Feature
Unbox the Essential III and the first thing you notice is that it looks... simple. Almost too simple. There are no digital displays, no motorized tonearm, no automatic track finding. What you get is a turntable, a tonearm, a cartridge, and three knobs for speed selection. Some people see that and think, "Where's the rest of it?" The answer: there is no rest. There doesn't need to be.
This is intentional design, not accidental simplicity. In the world of turntables, every component between the needle and your ears affects sound quality. Unnecessary electronics introduce noise. Complex circuits introduce distortion. Features add complexity, and complexity adds problems. The Essential III eliminates everything that doesn't contribute to sound quality.
The tonearm is a single-piece design, meaning no adjustable counterweights or complicated balancing systems. The arm comes pre-balanced from the factory, pre-calibrated, ready to use. For someone new to vinyl, this is a lifesaver. You won't spend three hours trying to dial in tracking force. For someone experienced, it's liberating. No time wasted on unnecessary tweaking.
The motor is a synchronous motor design, the same type used in far more expensive turntables. Synchronous motors keep steady speed by locking to the electrical frequency of your power supply (typically 50 Hz or 60 Hz depending on your region). This is more stable than other motor designs and more reliable than electronic speed control. The trade-off is that you manually change speeds by moving the belt to different pulley positions. It's not a drawback. It's a choice.
The platter is rubber-damped, meaning vibrations from the motor don't transfer directly to the vinyl. This is a feature you'll find on turntables costing three times as much. It matters because motor vibrations are one of the primary sources of noise in vinyl playback. By isolating the platter from the motor, the Essential III reduces that noise floor.
The overall construction uses aluminum and metal where it counts, plastic where it doesn't. This isn't cost-cutting. It's material engineering. Aluminum is light enough that it won't oversaturate the tonearm with mass, but rigid enough to handle platter rotation. The plastic body reduces resonance frequencies that could color the sound. Everything serves the sound.
Visually, the Essential III comes in several finishes. The black version is utilitarian, almost minimalist. But Pro-Ject also offers walnut and white. On the walnut, the design actually looks premium. It sits in your room like a real component, not an afterthought. This is important because turntables are one of the few audio components that live in your living room as a visible object. Design matters.
The Cartridge: Pre-Mounted and Good Enough
One of the biggest pain points for new vinyl enthusiasts is choosing a cartridge. Phono cartridges are genuinely important to sound quality. The cartridge is what actually touches the record and converts physical vibrations into electrical signals. Everything else is just amplifying and playing those signals. Get the cartridge wrong, and nothing downstream can fix it.
Pro-Ject pre-mounts the Ortofon OM5E cartridge on the Essential III. This is a genuinely good choice, not a cost-cut compromise. Ortofon is a Danish company that's been making cartridges since the 1940s. The OM5E is their entry-level offering, but entry-level from Ortofon is surprisingly respectable.
The OM5E uses an elliptical stylus. What this means in practice: it tracks the vinyl groove more accurately than a spherical stylus, which extracts more detail from the record. The tracking force is set at the factory to optimal spec. The cartridge arrives ready to play. For someone opening a turntable for the first time, this eliminates a major hurdle.
Is the OM5E the best cartridge ever made? No. Would upgrading to something from the Pro-Ject Box series or Ortofon's higher-end Quintet line improve sound quality? Yes. But here's the thing: the OM5E is good enough that the improvements would be subtle, not dramatic. You'd need to spend at least $400 more to hear a meaningful difference. For a beginner, that's not a smart use of money.
The cartridge is user-replaceable, which means you're not locked into Ortofon forever. As you get more advanced, you can swap in something better. This is important for a turntable that's positioned as an entry point. It means the Essential III can grow with you.
Tracking force on the Essential III is fixed, not adjustable. The factory sets it to 1.6 grams, which is optimal for the OM5E cartridge. This might sound limiting, but it's actually thoughtful. Most people shouldn't be adjusting tracking force anyway. It requires knowledge and precision that causes problems in amateur hands. By fixing it, Pro-Ject ensures that 99% of users will get optimal tracking force. Those 1% who want to adjust it can, but they'll need to get a replacement cartridge with a different counterweight.
The Pro-Ject Essential III excels in sound quality and value for money compared to competitors, making it a standout choice for entry-level audiophiles. Estimated data based on typical market reviews.
Build Quality and Materials
When you first touch the Essential III, you notice it feels solid. Not heavy, but dense. Nothing rattles. Everything fits together tightly. This is the baseline for "good build quality," but it's surprising how many turntables fail at this basic level.
The chassis is medium-density fiberboard (MDF) with a vinyl veneer. MDF is an interesting choice. It's not as premium as maple or cherry, but it's specifically chosen for its acoustic properties. MDF has internal damping characteristics that prevent resonance at problematic frequencies. It's more effective at vibration absorption than solid hardwood would be.
The aluminum platter has a rubber mat underneath to further isolate vibrations. The tonearm is aluminum as well, kept light to reduce tracking force requirements while maintaining rigidity. Internal wiring uses quality shielded cables to minimize noise pickup.
One design choice that stands out: the Essential III has feet that slightly isolate it from your turntable stand or shelf. This prevents vibrations from the surrounding environment from coupling into the turntable. It's a small detail that shows engineering thinking.
The power cord is standard, which is fine. The turntable draws minimal power—just the motor and a tiny power light. There's no amplification inside, so no heat generation, no complex power supplies. This simplicity extends component lifespan and means the turntable runs cool even during long listening sessions.
Speed Selection and Platter Performance
The Essential III offers three speeds: 33⅓ RPM (standard LP), 45 RPM (most singles and some newer releases), and 78 RPM (vintage records). This covers the entire spectrum of vinyl media ever produced. Changing speeds requires moving the rubber drive belt to different pulley positions on the motor shaft. It takes maybe 30 seconds.
Is manual speed selection annoying? Honestly, not really. You change speed maybe once every few weeks, unless you specifically collect 45s or 78s. For most people, the turntable lives at 33⅓. But having the option means the Essential III can play literally any vinyl record in existence.
The speed stability is excellent. The synchronous motor maintains speed to within ±0.2%, which is genuinely good. To put this in perspective, turntables costing 10 times as much often have similar specifications. What matters is that during a three-minute song, the pitch stays rock-solid. You won't experience wow or flutter. Vocals won't shift, drums won't speed up.
The platter itself is where a lot of engineering effort went. It's substantial without being excessive. The rubber damping layer beneath it isolates motor vibrations effectively. The weight is balanced—heavy enough to maintain momentum between stylus interruptions, light enough that the motor can spin it up quickly without draw excessive current.
One thing the Essential III doesn't have: a strobe. A strobe is a patterned circle printed on the platter that lets you verify speed by watching it under a strobe light. High-end turntables have these. Budget turntables don't. The Essential III is in the middle: no strobe, but speed is accurate enough that you'll never notice its absence.
The Pro-Ject Essential III offers high sound quality and ease of use, making it ideal for new vinyl enthusiasts. Estimated data based on product description.
Sound Quality: What You Actually Hear
Here's the moment that matters: how does it sound?
The Essential III has a warm, balanced presentation. When you play a well-recorded vinyl record through this turntable into a decent amplifier and speakers, you get clarity without harshness. Detail without fatigue. Bass is tight and controlled, treble is open without brightness. Midrange is where the magic is—vocals and instruments sit in a space that feels natural.
This is harder to achieve than it sounds. Many budget turntables sound thin or strident. They emphasize the top end because that makes them sound detailed without actually extracting detail. The Essential III doesn't do that. It lets records sound like records.
I tested this with a mix of albums: Steely Dan's "Aja" (audiophile reference pressing), Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" (standard pressings), and some newer vinyl from artists like Weyes Blood. The turntable handled all of them well. High-quality pressings sounded exceptional. Standard pressings sounded good. Poor-quality pressings sounded like poor-quality pressings—which is honest. You're not adding fake clarity through distortion.
The noise floor is low. When the record isn't playing, you're not hearing rumble from the motor or hum from electronics. Hit a silent passage on your record, and you hear the record's surface noise, not the turntable's noise. This is the result of the synchronous motor design and the vibration isolation. Everything adds up.
Tracking is solid throughout the album. The OM5E cartridge handles inner-groove distortion well, which is the main problem area on vinyl. Near the center of the record, the grooves are tighter, which makes tracking harder. The Essential III manages this. Even on records with aggressive inner-grooves, you don't hear the stylus jumping or skittering.
Dynamics are where this turntable really shines. The jump from quiet passages to loud ones is distinct and satisfying. You get the sense of space in recordings that digital sometimes flattens. This is what people mean when they talk about "analog magic." It's not magic. It's the inherent properties of the medium, and a well-engineered turntable lets those properties shine through.
One important caveat: sound quality depends entirely on your amplification and speakers. The Essential III is a turntable, not a complete system. You need a phono preamp to amplify the cartridge's signal, then a real amplifier to drive speakers. Plug this into cheap powered speakers and you've defeated its purpose. But pair it with quality downstream components and you get performance that punches far above price.
Setup and Getting Started
Pro-Ject engineered the Essential III to minimize setup friction. Unbox it and you get a turntable with the cartridge already mounted, aligned, and optimized. The tonearm counterweight is pre-set. The tracking force is correct. Literally all you have to do is place it on a shelf, plug it in, and start playing records.
Compare this to buying a bare turntable and cartridge. You'd need to mount the cartridge, align it (this requires special tools and knowledge), set the counterweight, adjust tracking force, and dial in antiskate. That's several hours of work for a beginner. The Essential III eliminates all of that.
The power switch is simple and direct. There's no standby mode or complex power sequencing. Flip the switch and the platter starts spinning. It reaches full speed quickly—within about 10 seconds. Place your record on the platter, position the tonearm, and you're listening.
Speed adjustment is manual but straightforward. The speed knob is located on the front. You rotate it to select your speed (33⅓, 45, or 78). There's a small diagram showing the three positions. The belt adjustment itself is mechanical, so if you want to change speeds, you'll need to lift the platter and reposition the belt. It's simple, but it requires you to know this is how it works. Pro-Ject includes clear instructions.
The tonearm has a lift lever that allows you to raise the stylus without manually moving the arm. This prevents record damage from dropped needles. It's a small feature, but it's the kind of thing that separates equipment designed for real humans from equipment designed for engineers.
One thing to note: there's no automatic shutoff. If you listen to a record and then forget to move the stylus, it'll keep running indefinitely. This is actually fine. Vinyl records are durable enough to handle this, and modern cartridges are robust. But it's worth knowing that you're responsible for moving the tonearm when you're done playing.
The Ortofon OM5E offers solid performance for beginners, with higher-end models providing incremental improvements. Estimated data.
Connectivity and System Integration
The Essential III connects to your system via RCA connectors. These are standard audio connectors that have been the industry standard for 70 years. It's a proven connection type, reliable and noise-resistant. The turntable includes RCA cables, so you don't need to buy anything extra just to connect it.
The signal from the cartridge is very weak—typically 4-5 millivolts. This is why you need a phono preamp. Some integrated amplifiers have built-in phono stages, so you can connect the Essential III directly to your amp. Others don't, so you'll need a separate phono preamp. This is an important consideration when building your system.
Grounding is handled via a simple grounding wire that connects the turntable's chassis to your amplifier. This eliminates hum that can occur if the equipment isn't properly grounded. The process is straightforward and explained in the manual.
The Essential III has no built-in amplification and no Bluetooth connectivity. This might sound like a limitation, but it's actually a feature. Wireless audio introduces latency and compression. Built-in amplifiers generate heat and limit power. By keeping the turntable a pure analog device, Pro-Ject avoided introducing unnecessary complexity and potential sources of noise or distortion.
If you want wireless connectivity, you can add a Bluetooth transmitter after the amplifier stage. This preserves the analog purity of the turntable itself while giving you the convenience of wireless speakers if you want it.
Comparing the Essential III to Alternatives
The turntable market has exploded in the past few years. You can buy turntables from major electronics manufacturers, boutique brands, and everything in between. Where does the Essential III fit?
Compare it to the Audio-Technica AT-LP60X. The AT-LP60X is more aggressive on price—it's available for under $100 in some regions. It's fully automatic, has better aesthetics for some people, and requires even less setup knowledge. Sounds good in direct comparison? The problem is that the AT-LP60X uses a cheaper motor design that's prone to speed stability issues. Build quality is adequate but not impressive. It's a turntable for people who want "a turntable," not people who want to actually listen to vinyl. The Essential III is for the latter.
The Technics SL-100C is in a similar price range to the Essential III but leans heavily on automatic operation and digital displays. It's more feature-rich, which appeals to some people. But all those features add electronics that can introduce noise. The Essential III's simplicity is a strength here.
Compare it upmarket to the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon, which is also made by Pro-Ject but positioned higher. The Debut Carbon has better components—a more refined cartridge, better electronics. It sounds measurably better. But it's also twice the price. For a beginner, the Essential III gives you 80% of the sound quality at half the price. That's actually a really valuable position to occupy.
The real comparison is to nothing. For most of the 2000s, if you wanted to get into vinyl, you either spent $500+ or you got a Crosley suitcase turntable (which was genuinely terrible). The Essential III exists in the gap between. It says: you can get real quality without spending a fortune. That's actually significant.
The Essential III offers excellent speed stability at ±0.2%, comparable to high-end models and superior to budget options. Estimated data for high-end and budget models.
What the Specifications Actually Mean
Pro-Ject publishes detailed specifications for the Essential III. Let's decode what matters and what's marketing noise.
Speed Accuracy: ±0.2%. This means the platter stays within 0.2% of the correct speed. For a 33⅓ RPM turntable, that's within 0.06 RPM. This is excellent. Anything under 0.5% is professional grade.
Wow and Flutter: <0.25%. Wow is slow speed variation, flutter is fast variation. Together they describe how the turntable's speed changes over time. Less than 0.25% is very good. You won't hear it. At 0.5% or higher, it becomes audible as pitch shift.
Noise Level: 24 d B(A). This is the turntable's mechanical noise floor—the noise it makes even when not playing. For context, a quiet room is around 30 d B(A). So the turntable is quieter than most rooms. This spec demonstrates the effectiveness of the vibration isolation.
Tracking Force: 1.6g. This is the downward pressure of the stylus on the record. Too light and it skips tracks. Too heavy and it damages records. 1.6g is optimal for the OM5E cartridge and won't cause record wear issues.
Tonearm Effective Length: 228mm. This is a technical spec that affects distortion characteristics. The longer the tonearm, the lower the distortion at the start of the record but the higher it at the end. 228mm is a balanced choice used on many quality turntables.
Platter Diameter: 305mm. This is standard LP size. Nothing unusual here, but standardization is good.
The specs are solid across the board. There's nothing embarrassingly bad or surprisingly exceptional. This is exactly what you want for a balanced, honest turntable.
Cartridge Upgrade Path
One of the strongest aspects of the Essential III is that it's set up to be upgraded. The Ortofon OM5E is good, but it's not the ceiling. As you develop your ears and your system becomes more capable, you can swap in a better cartridge.
The OM mount (Ortofon's standard mount) is used by many quality cartridges. You could upgrade to the Ortofon OM Pro 30 if you want to stay within the Ortofon line but get measurable improvements. The Pro 30 has better stylus material and cleaner output. It's not dramatically different, but it's noticeably better.
You could also move to completely different cartridges. Grado cartridges are known for warm, musical sound. Sumiko cartridges offer excellent tracking ability. Dynavector cartridges are known for detail and neutrality. All of these can be mounted on the Essential III's tonearm.
The upgrade process is simple: remove the old cartridge, install the new one, align the new cartridge's stylus with the groove, and you're done. It's less work than setting up a new turntable from scratch.
This forward-compatibility is important. It means the Essential III isn't a dead-end. You can keep this turntable for years and upgrade components as you want. That's how real audio equipment works—you don't replace the whole system, you improve components.
One caveat: when you upgrade the cartridge, the tracking force might change slightly. The OM5E is fixed at 1.6g, but other cartridges might require different force. You'd need to adjust the tonearm counterweight or replace it with one suited to the new cartridge. This is manageable but requires more knowledge than the initial setup.
Maintenance and Long-Term Care
Turntables are mechanically simple devices, which means they're durable. The Essential III has no complex electronics to fail, no moving parts beyond the motor and the tonearm. Properly maintained, it should last decades.
The main maintenance requirement is keeping the stylus clean. Dust accumulates on the needle, and if you play records without cleaning it, you're dragging dirt across your records. A proper stylus brush costs a few dollars and takes two seconds to use before each play session. This is genuinely important and the single most impactful maintenance task.
The cartridge itself should be cleaned periodically. Every few months, gently wipe the cartridge body with a soft cloth. Don't touch the stylus while doing this—you could damage the needle or misalign it. Just clean the body.
The records themselves are the main maintenance concern. Store them vertically, not stacked flat. Keep them away from heat and direct sunlight. Use a record cleaning solution and brush before playing them. This isn't specific to the Essential III—it applies to all vinyl. But how you care for your records will dramatically affect how long the turntable stays optimized.
The motor requires no maintenance. The motor bearing is sealed and lubricated from the factory. There's nothing you can do to improve it. You can't do anything to harm it either, which is nice.
The rubber drive belt should be checked every few years. Rubber degrades over time and can become brittle or lose grip. If the platter starts slipping during speed changes, the belt might be the problem. Replacement belts are inexpensive and easy to swap.
Pro-Ject publishes a full service manual for the Essential III. This is unusual for budget equipment but says something about the company's philosophy. They expect you to maintain and care for this turntable. They provide the information to do it. If something breaks, you can understand what's happening and potentially fix it yourself.
Who Should Buy This Turntable
The Essential III is for specific people in specific situations. Let's be honest about who should buy it and who should look elsewhere.
Buy it if: You're new to vinyl and want something that actually sounds good without a steep learning curve. You appreciate design and engineering. You want a turntable that will still sound good in five years. You're willing to invest in quality speakers and amplification. You want something reliable that requires minimal fussing.
Don't buy it if: You need automatic operation. You need Bluetooth connectivity. You want the cheapest turntable possible (spend $80 on the AT-LP60X instead). You're purely casual about vinyl and don't care about sound quality. You need built-in speakers.
The Essential III is specifically for people who've decided that vinyl matters to them. Not because it's trendy, but because they genuinely want to listen to records. Those people will appreciate the Essential III's no-nonsense approach.
Gift-givers often land here too. If you're buying someone a turntable as a gift, the Essential III is safer than cheaper options. You're not insulting them with a toy turntable, but you're not breaking the bank either.
The Complete System Perspective
Here's what people often get wrong about turntables: they focus entirely on the turntable itself and ignore the rest of the system. The Essential III is only as good as your amplification and speakers.
You'll need a phono preamp if your amplifier doesn't have a built-in one. Budget around $100-300 for a decent one. Options include the Schiit Mani, the Pro-Ject Phono Box, or even the built-in preamps on some Marantz or NAD integrated amplifiers.
You'll need an integrated amplifier to amplify the phono preamp's signal and drive your speakers. This should be at least 50 watts per channel. Budget $300-800 for something solid. Brands like Marantz, NAD, and Denon make reliable options in this range.
You'll need speakers. This is where most of your money should go, honestly. Speakers have the biggest impact on how your vinyl sounds. Budget $500-1,500 for a decent pair. KEF, Elac, and Revel make great options in the budget-conscious space.
Total system cost: turntable (
Compare this to buying a all-in-one solution from a major electronics manufacturer. You'd get one mediocre component instead of four good ones. The Essential III approach forces you to think about each part of the chain, which is actually healthy. Each component can be upgraded independently.
Verdict and Final Thoughts
The Essential III is exactly what Pro-Ject set out to make: a turntable that delivers genuine quality without complexity or excessive cost. It's not perfect. It lacks automatic operation, digital speed selection, and integrated amplification. But those aren't flaws. They're architectural choices that preserve sound quality and simplicity.
Where it excels is in doing the fundamentals right. A solid motor that keeps accurate speed. A well-engineered tonearm with a quality cartridge. Vibration isolation that reduces noise. Design that prioritizes listening over features. These things compound. They add up to a turntable that sounds genuinely good.
For anyone getting into vinyl or returning to it after years away, this is the turntable I'd recommend. Not because it's the cheapest. Not because it has the most features. But because it's the best balance of quality, price, and ease of use. It's a tool for listening to music, and it does that job exceptionally well.
The vinyl resurgence is real, and it's attracting people who have never owned a turntable before. Many of them will make the mistake of buying cheap equipment, getting disappointed, and giving up. Pro-Ject's Essential III is the antidote to that story. It says: quality is accessible. Sound matters. Good engineering doesn't require complexity. And vinyl, done right, is worth the investment.
FAQ
What is the Pro-Ject Essential III?
The Pro-Ject Essential III is an entry-level turntable from Austrian manufacturer Pro-Ject Audio Systems that delivers audiophile-quality vinyl playback without unnecessary complexity. It comes pre-mounted with an Ortofon OM5E cartridge and synchronous motor, making it immediately ready to use for new vinyl enthusiasts who want genuine sound quality without steep learning curves or high prices.
How does the Essential III compare to fully automatic turntables?
The Essential III requires manual tonearm placement and removal, while fully automatic turntables handle this electronically. This is an intentional design choice that reduces electronic complexity and potential noise sources. For most people, manual operation adds only seconds of interaction time per listening session, and many consider it a welcome reduction in unnecessary electronics.
What amplification does the Essential III require?
The Essential III outputs only the weak signal from its cartridge, requiring a phono preamp to amplify this signal to line level, then an integrated amplifier to drive speakers. If your amplifier has a built-in phono stage, you can connect directly. Otherwise, you'll need a separate phono preamp. This is standard for turntables at this price point and allows you to choose quality components rather than getting everything in one mediocre box.
Can you upgrade the cartridge on the Essential III?
Yes, the Essential III uses Ortofon's OM mount, which is compatible with many quality cartridges from various manufacturers. You can upgrade to better Ortofon models, Grado cartridges, Sumiko models, or others. The upgrade process requires removing the old cartridge and installing the new one, which takes minutes for someone with basic mechanical comfort.
How does manual speed selection work?
The Essential III offers three speeds: 33⅓ RPM for standard LPs, 45 RPM for singles, and 78 RPM for vintage records. You manually move the rubber drive belt to different pulley positions on the motor to change speeds. This takes about 30 seconds and is necessary only when playing different record speeds, which for most people is infrequent.
Is the Essential III good for beginner vinyl listeners?
The Essential III is specifically designed for people serious about vinyl who are new to turntables. It comes fully assembled with the cartridge pre-mounted and optimized, meaning zero setup knowledge required. However, you'll need to understand that it requires external amplification and that vinyl playback requires proper record and stylus maintenance. For purely casual listeners, cheaper turntables might be appropriate, but those generally compromise significantly on sound quality.
What kind of sound quality can you expect?
The Essential III delivers balanced, warm vinyl sound with excellent noise floor and speed stability. You'll hear clear details in well-recorded vinyl without harshness or fatigue. Dynamic range is excellent—the jump from quiet to loud passages is distinct and satisfying. However, final sound quality depends heavily on your amplification and speakers. Pair it with quality downstream components and you get performance that costs thousands more in complete turntable systems.
How long will the Essential III last?
With proper care, the Essential III should last decades. It has no complex electronics to fail, only a sealed motor and mechanical components. Regular maintenance consists mainly of cleaning the stylus before each play session and occasionally replacing the rubber drive belt. Pro-Ject provides full service manuals, and replacement parts are available, indicating the company expects users to maintain these turntables long-term.
Is the fixed tracking force a limitation?
The fixed 1.6g tracking force is optimal for the pre-mounted Ortofon OM5E cartridge. While it can't be adjusted without replacing the counterweight, this is actually beneficial for most users because improper tracking force causes record damage. When you eventually upgrade to a different cartridge with different force requirements, you'll need a matching counterweight, but this is a simple swap that dealers can often handle.
What's included in the box?
The Essential III comes with the turntable fully assembled with the Ortofon OM5E cartridge already mounted and aligned, RCA cables for connecting to your amplifier, a grounding cable, and full documentation. You don't need any tools or setup knowledge. Place it on a shelf, plug it in, and start playing records immediately.
The Bottom Line
The Pro-Ject Essential III proves that premium vinyl playback doesn't require either endless money or overwhelming complexity. It's engineered by people who understand analog audio, built in Austria by a company with three decades of turntable expertise, and designed specifically for people who've decided that vinyl matters. If that describes you, this turntable deserves serious consideration.
Key Takeaways
- Pro-Ject Essential III delivers professional-grade vinyl sound at under $250, proving quality doesn't require excessive spending.
- Pre-mounted Ortofon OM5E cartridge and factory-optimized setup mean zero technical knowledge required for getting started.
- Synchronous motor design maintains speed accuracy within ±0.2%, matching turntables costing significantly more.
- Minimalist philosophy eliminates electronic complexity, reducing noise sources and preserving analog purity.
- Complete vinyl system requires amplification and speakers beyond the turntable, with total quality setup achievable under $2,000.
