Pro-Ject make some of the best turntables you can buy, and while their focus is on the higher end of the market they make some pretty great affordable turntables too: the Pro-Ject Primary E is currently sitting at number 3 in our best record players guide, where we rate it as the best cheap record player. And now there's an updated version of its excellent all-in one system for people who don't want to choose their own hi-fi components.
The Pro-Ject Juke Box E1 is the successor to the highly rated Juke Box E1, and it's an all-in one system to which you just need to connect speakers; you can also buy it in a bundle with speakers included. Underneath the platter there's a phono stage, a pre-amp and 50W per channel of class D amplification. There's also Bluetooth connectivity and an analogue input so you can play music from other audio sources.
What's new in the Pro-Ject Juke Box E1
As before, the new E1 version is based on the firm's Pro-Ject E1 turntable. And the new model delivers all the strengths of the existing Juke Box while adding some significant improvements. The tonearm has been reworked and given a new headshell, there's a new anti-resonant ABS polymer platter, speed change is now more convenient due to the new electronic speed changer and there's a new damped DC motor too.
The cartridge here is an Ortofon OM5e, which is pre-mounted and the tracking force already set; anti-skating is pre-set too. That means you should be able to take your E1 out of the box, adjust the feet, connect your speakers and start listening immediately without any faff or fuss.
Although this Juke Box is designed as an all-in one, it's also designed to be flexible: its outputs include not just speakers but a fixed line out and phono out, so if you decide you want to upgrade your audio experience later on you can take your Juke Box with you and use it like a stand-alone turntable.
You can buy the Pro-Ject Juke Box E1 in two ways: as a stand-alone device to connect to your own speakers, or as a speaker bundle. The former option is £599 and the speaker bundle, which gives you a pair of Pro-Ject Speaker Box 5 speakers and accessories, is £799. Whichever option you go for you can choose from gloss red, gloss white or gloss black finishes; if you're buying the Juke Box E1 by itself there's also a walnut colour option.
