If you’re a music lover with a penchant for collecting pieces from the past, there’s a good chance that the current resurgence of vinyl has set the stage for your next great obsession. However, while you can hardly go online these days without stumbling on heaps of modern stereo components that look as good as they sound, finding the right turntable can be a more daunting task. If you’re looking for something as sexy as it is affordable, we offer for your consideration the Pro-ject Elemental Phono USB.
The beautifully minimalist Elemental boasts quality sound and high design — something you don’t often find at its entry-level price of $200. And when it comes to striking a unique aesthetic, few turntables on the market can match it. As you can see above, the Elemental is a belt-driven turntable — the preferred method of operation by most audiophiles. In fact, the unit wears its belt on the outside so you can see the whole thing go down. And after all, isn’t that half the fun of the vinyl experience?
But the sleek little unit puts just as sharp a focus on quality sound as it does design. The unit is decked out in features to help it deliver the most from your precious collection. Those include gold plated RCA contacts and cartridge pins, a motor with DC power designed for silent running, a low mass tonearm that’s pre-adjusted for anti-skating, and even an integrated phono preamp with RIAA equalization to allow you to connect it to any standard amplifier or receiver. In addition, the Elemental’s USB output allows you to transfer those hard to find records into digital form.
While this player is sure to turn heads for its looks and sound, it doesn’t pack a whole lot of frills when it comes to operation. It’s a manual turntable, meaning you’ll have to set the arm yourself, and replace it when the record’s done. But if you don’t mind a bit of extra work, the Elemental pays off in sheer cool factor.
It takes some extra time to find the turntable online right now, but we expect that to change soon as Pro-Ject adjusts to meet demands. Besides, there’s something satisfying about procuring a piece that takes a bit more effort, isnt’ there? The player is available in red-black, white-black, and silver-black to help it blend in with any decor. For those who’ve recently been bitten by the vinyl bug, this little unit might just be the perfect cure.
