Pro-Ject Audio Systems has been one of our go-to names when it comes to record players for longer than we care to remember. The company, founded in Austria back in 1991, really hit the ground running, bagging five-star reviews with some of its very first turntables. Majoring on minimally-designed, simply-specified decks that concern themselves primarily with delivering great sound on a budget has, perhaps unsurprisingly, proved a record for continued success.
The company has excelled at the budget end of the market, turning out a seemingly endless succession of affordable and effective machines, each offering just enough of an upgrade (most of the time) to make it worth everyone's while. But there have been outliers, with some excellent high-end hi-fi turntables along the way, too. Without further ado, let's run the rule over our pick of the highlights...
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Pro-Ject 1 (1991)
The Pro-Ject 1 laid the foundations for what has been a virtually unblemished record of success. This deck was essentially a modified version of the Tesla NC-500, originally made as an affordable turntable for distribution across Central and Eastern Europe.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Pro-Ject founder Heinz Lichtenegger modified a batch to sell in his shop in Vienna. When these proved a success, he re-opened production at the original factory in the Czech Republic. It’s the same factory Pro-Ject turntables are made in today, and still houses the original Tesla machines.
The Pro-Ject 1 range is still alive and kicking, the 1 Xpression Carbon being the latest version. Because of its legacy, Pro-Ject can still supply all the 1’s original parts – so, if anyone has one...
Pro-Ject 6S/A (1996)
The original Pro-Ject 6 took home the What Hi-Fi? Best Turntable Award back in 1993, beating the legendary Systemdek IIX/900 that had taken home that accolade for the four years previous. So it was good, but this version was even better.
This upgrade arrived in 1996 and came with the addition of a Sumiko tonearm and Ortofon MC25 FL cartridge, bumping the price from £450 to £850. That's around £1500 in today's money for what was actually the least expensive cartridge option on offer.
"If you're looking for a turntable to grip you intensely, your search stops here," is how we put it in our original review, which sounds pretty good to us.
