An Entry-Level High-End Turntable Built to Please: European-Made Pro-Ject T1 Sounds Fantastic and Features Ortofon Cartridge, 8.6-Inch Tonearm and CNC-Machined Plinth

It's easy to find a cheap turntable at your local box store, but those machines will never give you a taste of the glorious detail and natural warmth that has vinyl lovers hovering over record store bins everywhere. So, how do you get audiophile-grade performance and still have plenty of money left over for music? Pro-Ject Audio's belt-driven T1 turntable. Winner of the prestigious 2020-2021 EISA Award for Best Value Turntable, it stems from an Austrian hi-fi company that has been building analog gear with an obsessive commitment to high-quality parts and classic European fit and finish for decades. The European-made T1 maintains such standards at an very low price point by implementing manufacturing and design processes Pro-Ject uses to make its flagship models. The result is an entry-level 'table that delivers lively dynamics, vivid imaging, and superb tracking.

Underneath T1's high-gloss finish, you'll find a CNC-machined plinth that involves no plastic parts. It arrives carefully constructed to eliminate gaps and hollow spaces that cause lesser turntables to vibrate and rob music of clarity and focus. A heavy blasted-glass platter further reduces resonances common to cheaper plastic or lightweight steel designs. Utilizing a newly developed sub-platter and bearing assembly found in Pro-Ject's highly praised Essential III Series, T1 renders black backgrounds and provides propulsive pacing that will keep you reaching for record after record.

T1 also comes ready to play with Ortofon's OM 5E MM cartridge already professionally mounted and aligned on the one-piece, 8.6-inch aluminum tonearm. And because the T1 touts super-shielded, low-capacitance RCA cables, you won't have to worry about about noisy hum and radio-frequency interference that make lesser turntables a challenge to properly position. Vibration-absorbing feet, an elegant dustcover with adjustable hinges, and the choice of three attractive finishes help round out this analog steal.

If you're searching for a way to save money without sacrificing sound quality, T1 is a budget-conscious music lover's dream. 100% Music Direct Guaranteed.

"With its machined plinth, high precision bearing, glass platter and newly-designed one-piece aluminium tonearm, it offers a wonderfully weighty and detailed sound – and even the Ortofon OM 5E MM cartridge is pre-installed, making it completely plug-and-play."
—EISA, 2020-2021 Best Value Turntable Award