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

Product Information

One thing that I was hoping to see on the E1 line is the auto-stop feature that seems to elude many turntables across all price ranges. This little accouterment can make a difference if you’re the type of person who listens to records while doing other things, and you want to save some wear and tear on your stylus by having the record stop once it’s reached the end of the side. For this price point, however, I guess it’s a feature that most can live without. Performance Derek Malcolm / Digital Trends Well if the pie chart published at the start of this article is even fairly accurate it seems those claims are rubbish. 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? 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!

The words ‘audiophile’ and ‘wireless’ are seldom seen in the same sentence together, unless the words ‘cannot be’ are included too. ukray2022 said:Absolutely right! I have a sizeable collection of classical orchestral, opera box sets and choral works on 78's. Some of the greatest performers in classical music and opera and many live performances 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?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. 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. Enjoy the best sound you’re your vinyl, plus the benefit of Bluetooth output, with the Project T1 BT. 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.) 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.

The What Hi-Fi?team has more than 100 years of collective experience in reviewing, testing and writing about consumer electronics – and that includes Bluetooth turntables. We have state-of-the-art testing facilities in London, Reading and Bath, where our team of expert reviewers do all our in-house testing. 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. 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.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. Every childhood home had a music centre in it – usually one the child in question wasn’t allowed to touch. 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 With a vast amount of experience and design expertise, few can beat Pro-Ject for turntable knowhow. Take a look at the design and build of this turntable and you can see that experience shine through. The CNC-machined plinth has no hollow spaces and provides excellent vibration resistance. Combined with the isolation feet and anti-resonance platter, this gives the E1 Bluetooth a well-damped, low distortion sound. The high quality, isolated DC motor gives smooth and stable pitch for lifelike sound. 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. To make a diverting product pretty much compelling, Cambridge has added Bluetooth connectivity up to a hi-res aptX HD 24bit/48kHz quality. Which means you can wirelessly stream vinyl to your system, at a truly high-end standard, from a turntable that’s positioned somewhere you’d like it to be rather than where it insists on being. My first impressions of the Pro-Ject E1 were not great … but after some fine-tuning on the receiver, this thing started to sing.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. 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. 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!