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Pro-Ject Essential III (Red)

4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 40 ratings

Currently unavailable.
We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock.
Brand Pro-Ject
Connectivity Technology Wired
Material Engineered Wood
Item Weight 11 Pounds
Style Modern
Color Red (High Gloss)
Motor Type DC Motor
Voltage 110 Volts
Power Source Corded Electric

About this item

  • Ultra low-noise synchronous motor with diamond-cut aluminum pulley, silicone drive belt, and integrated DC-powered motor control unit minimizes motor vibration and ensures speed stability
  • Upgraded MDF plinth and platter for clearer sound and superior resonance-damping
  • Precise, low-tolerance platter bearing and stainless-steel spindle eliminate rotational friction and further improve speed stability
  • 8.6” low-mass aluminum tonearm with sapphire bearings and pre-mounted, pre-adjusted Ortofon OM10 phono cartridge
  • High-quality semi-balanced Connect It E phono cable with gold-plated RCA terminals and acrylic dustcover included
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Pro-Ject Essential III (Red)

Pro-Ject Essential III (Red)


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Product Description

The Essential III turntable from Pro-Ject was completely redesigned to offer several improvements over its popular predecessor, the Essential II. The upgrades are plenty, but perhaps the most noticeable is an all-new larger MDF plinth in three attractive high-gloss finishes and a more massive MDF platter in piano black. MDF (medium-density fiberboard) is a superior and acoustically inert material that effectively damps unwanted resonances that degrade the sound quality of your vinyl playback. The platter also features a more precise, lower-tolerance bearing and a stainless-steel spindle that reduces any rotational friction and allows for better speed stability and more consistent sound. Coupled with an ultra low-noise motor driven by an onboard DC-powered sine-wave generator, this setup renders issues with speed stability and motor vibration common to most other affordable turntables a thing of the past. The diamond-cut aluminum drive pulley along with a silicone drive belt complete the precision of the turntable’s drive section and further add to its already stunning and sleek looks. The same high-performance, low-mass conical aluminum tonearm with sapphire bearings is brought over from the Essential II, but the integrated headshell is now adorned with an upgraded OM 10 moving magnet phono cartridge from Ortofon. This pairing delivers lively, balanced, and enrapturing sound that will breathe new life to any record in your prized vinyl collection. Everything is supported atop three elastomer-damped feet that effectively decouple the turntable from its playing surface to eliminate outside vibrations and allow for the most accurate playback possible. Available in three gorgeous high-gloss finishes (piano black, red, and white), the Essential III sets a new standard for the highest performance possible at a refreshingly modest price.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
40 global ratings

Customers say

Customers like the appearance of the turntable, describing it as sleek and simple. They also appreciate the amazing sound quality. However, some customers have reported issues with the quality of the product, with some pieces coming defective and damaged. Opinions are mixed on the audio quality.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

3 customers mention3 positive0 negative

Customers are satisfied with the appearance of the turntable. They mention that it is sleek, sexy, and simple in design.

"The Pro-Ject Essential III turntable is a sleek, sexy, amazing sounding turntable...." Read more

"The turntable is simple in design. But for all its simplicity the instruction were some of the worst I have ever seen...." Read more

"...These are very attractive turntables from an aesthetic standpoint but unfortunately the quality of materials and parts do not match its great looks...." Read more

6 customers mention3 positive3 negative

Customers are mixed about the audio quality of the turntable. Some mention that it's dead silent and the sound is great, while others say that the motor makes an audible sound.

"...least, the Ortofon OM10 cartridge included in the package truly sounds incredible. The tones are rich and full...." Read more

"...ThanksUpdate: after 3 months of silence the motor makes an audible sound , not through the speakers but the turntable itself became a..." Read more

"i think it sounds great. received exactly what the description said i would receive. plugged it in and got to listening right away." Read more

"...one I got the cartridge OM10 was defective, and the new speakers would not play sound more than a whisper...." Read more

3 customers mention0 positive3 negative

Customers are dissatisfied with the quality of the turntable. They mention that pieces in the machine came defective, damaged on the corner, and the cartridge OM10 was defective.

"...The second of the two electrical pieces came defective in the second one.I am sure this turntable is epic when it works. It looks great...." Read more

"Terrible QC in the case of my new ESSENTIAL III. Damaged corner as seen in the photo yet box showed no evidence of damage in transit and was..." Read more

"...Open box it was damaged on the corner ok not a big deal but putting it together was like solving a Rubik’s cube direction was joke ...." Read more

Hermosa, silenciosa y solida construcción
5 Stars
Hermosa, silenciosa y solida construcción
Antes de esta tornamesa tenía una Audio Técnica ATLP-60 la cual viene con un amplificador interno lo cual sinceramente para mi es una basura, después de cierto volumen el hummm es violento y por otro lado el sonido simplemente muy malo, quizás para alguien principiante que quiera usar sus viniles y no le importe para nada la calidad del sonido pueda servir!Es por eso que decidí investigar a fondo sobre alguna tornamesa de mejor gama, la Pro-Jec Essencial III me cautivó con sus reviews y que su construcción es realizada en europa, otro punto a favor es el catucho y aguja que trae es un ORTOFON OM10 de serie por lo que ganancia extra, sólo la aguja cuesta alrededor de $65 dolares por separado.Este modelo es precioso con un satidado super fino, plato y carcaza solida, nada de plasticos huecos, sus patas de apoyo brindan excelente absorción a rebotes, definitivamete vale cada dolar que pagas por ella.Detalle final y super importante, el modelo que compré es el que viene sin pre-amp de phono integrado ya que lo mejor es utilizar uno externo, en este caso compré el Pro-ject Pre-amp E Box y funciona perfecta, cero HUMMMM, sonido limpio y nitido y con fuerza!!
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Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2019
This thing is dead silent and sound is great. The seller is honest ( it was an open box ) and it's perfect in every way. Thanks

Update: after 3 months of silence the motor makes an audible sound , not through the speakers but the turntable itself became a resonent amp the makes the motor noise unbearable. I wanted to return this but due to the 15% restocking fee I decided to put the ortofon on my 1974 Sanyo I paid 12 bucks for and ya know, it sounds better.
The seller is at least honerable and I'm sure I wasn't sold something that was returned, that would be horrific karma. So I kept it.
The belt also went slack and the record ebbs and flows too much.
Run away from pro-ject anything. Cheap stuff
6 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2018
The Pro-Ject Essential III turntable is a sleek, sexy, amazing sounding turntable. After my old Sony turntable kicked the bucket, I was in the market for something that would last a little longer. Oddly enough, the first Pro-Ject turntable I purchased had an issue with the right channel being static filled, but a quick return to Amazon and a purchase of a new one was the ticket.

Design-wise, this is an amazingly simple product with many manual controls. The "on" switch spins the motor, the motor spins the belt, the belt spins the platter. That's it. The tonearm is all manual, meaning you have to take it off the arm it rests in, line it up with the start of the record, and lower the cue lever yourself. The tonearm will not return once the record is over. In my mind, this is a great design as there is less to go wrong with the turntable.

The counterweight and anti-skate weight are easy enough to set up - there are millions of YouTube tutorials to help you out!

Last but certainly not least, the Ortofon OM10 cartridge included in the package truly sounds incredible. The tones are rich and full. Don a pair of headphones and listen to your music come alive.
7 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2021
Antes de esta tornamesa tenía una Audio Técnica ATLP-60 la cual viene con un amplificador interno lo cual sinceramente para mi es una basura, después de cierto volumen el hummm es violento y por otro lado el sonido simplemente muy malo, quizás para alguien principiante que quiera usar sus viniles y no le importe para nada la calidad del sonido pueda servir!
Es por eso que decidí investigar a fondo sobre alguna tornamesa de mejor gama, la Pro-Jec Essencial III me cautivó con sus reviews y que su construcción es realizada en europa, otro punto a favor es el catucho y aguja que trae es un ORTOFON OM10 de serie por lo que ganancia extra, sólo la aguja cuesta alrededor de $65 dolares por separado.
Este modelo es precioso con un satidado super fino, plato y carcaza solida, nada de plasticos huecos, sus patas de apoyo brindan excelente absorción a rebotes, definitivamete vale cada dolar que pagas por ella.
Detalle final y super importante, el modelo que compré es el que viene sin pre-amp de phono integrado ya que lo mejor es utilizar uno externo, en este caso compré el Pro-ject Pre-amp E Box y funciona perfecta, cero HUMMMM, sonido limpio y nitido y con fuerza!!
Customer image
5.0 out of 5 stars Hermosa, silenciosa y solida construcción
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2021
Antes de esta tornamesa tenía una Audio Técnica ATLP-60 la cual viene con un amplificador interno lo cual sinceramente para mi es una basura, después de cierto volumen el hummm es violento y por otro lado el sonido simplemente muy malo, quizás para alguien principiante que quiera usar sus viniles y no le importe para nada la calidad del sonido pueda servir!
Es por eso que decidí investigar a fondo sobre alguna tornamesa de mejor gama, la Pro-Jec Essencial III me cautivó con sus reviews y que su construcción es realizada en europa, otro punto a favor es el catucho y aguja que trae es un ORTOFON OM10 de serie por lo que ganancia extra, sólo la aguja cuesta alrededor de $65 dolares por separado.
Este modelo es precioso con un satidado super fino, plato y carcaza solida, nada de plasticos huecos, sus patas de apoyo brindan excelente absorción a rebotes, definitivamete vale cada dolar que pagas por ella.
Detalle final y super importante, el modelo que compré es el que viene sin pre-amp de phono integrado ya que lo mejor es utilizar uno externo, en este caso compré el Pro-ject Pre-amp E Box y funciona perfecta, cero HUMMMM, sonido limpio y nitido y con fuerza!!
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Customer image
Customer image
Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2020
The turntable is simple in design. But for all its simplicity the instruction were some of the worst I have ever seen. When I had a problem the manual did not have a contact number. It stated contact the dealer. The amazon experts tried but was not helpful. I had to figure it out on my own.
The first one I got the cartridge OM10 was defective, and the new speakers would not play sound more than a whisper. One of the two technical electrical pieces in the machine came defective (80$ piece to replace). It looks great so we returned it and the second one arrived.
The second one was evident that it was returned before by the wear and damage done to the side packaging. This would not be a problem if it worked fine. As soon as I picked up the power cord I became worried. It rattled inside the plug-in piece. As expected the second turntable would not even power up. The second of the two electrical pieces came defective in the second one.
I am sure this turntable is epic when it works. It looks great. But my experience was not a good one. It cost me about 6 hours to unpack, setup, troubleshoot, and return two turntables. Not to mention the shipping cost losses, and the time it took to write this review. Have a great day!
2 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2020
i think it sounds great. received exactly what the description said i would receive. plugged it in and got to listening right away.
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2021
Terrible QC in the case of my new ESSENTIAL III. Damaged corner as seen in the photo yet box showed no evidence of damage in transit and was factory sealed. Appears to have been be a crude attempt to repair as I was told by a professional painter who examined.. Very disappointing. These are very attractive turntables from an aesthetic standpoint but unfortunately the quality of materials and parts do not match its great looks. Customer service/responsiveness in the US poor. Made in the EU.
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rk
3.0 out of 5 stars More sizzle than steak with this brand. Would not buy again.
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2021
Terrible QC in the case of my new ESSENTIAL III. Damaged corner as seen in the photo yet box showed no evidence of damage in transit and was factory sealed. Appears to have been be a crude attempt to repair as I was told by a professional painter who examined.. Very disappointing. These are very attractive turntables from an aesthetic standpoint but unfortunately the quality of materials and parts do not match its great looks. Customer service/responsiveness in the US poor. Made in the EU.
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One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2021
A nice well built turntable.
Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2018
German enginiring fine likes all ways
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5.0 out of 5 stars Red Music
Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2018
German enginiring fine likes all ways
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2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Francesca
5.0 out of 5 stars Ottimo acquisto
Reviewed in Italy on December 31, 2023
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 Ottimo acquisto, qualità eccellente.
Ha pienamente soddisfatto tutte le aspettative
One person found this helpful
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Erick Barem
5.0 out of 5 stars Pro-ject é realmente impressionante!
Reviewed in Brazil on July 5, 2020
A qualidade do equipamento é impressionante, porque por um lado ele é muito simples, esse modelo III Essential não tem nada de sofisticação além da qualidade dos seus componentes, ele é exatamente o que um toca-discos tem que ser, sem nada que perturbe o sistema, motor silencioso, ótimo acabamento, material de elite com um braço de alumínio muito leve e ao mesmo tempo robusto. Excelente!
André
4.0 out of 5 stars Sehr guter Plattenspieler
Reviewed in Germany on August 22, 2018
Der Sound ist wirklich super. Den einen Punkt Abzug gibt es, weil der Spieler GAR KEINE Abschaltautomatik hat, wenn die Platte zu Ende ist. Mann muss leider auch diesen Prozess manuell ausführen.
War gut verpackt und die Beschreibung ist auch gut; aber auch da wäre noch "Luft nach oben".
One person found this helpful
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