Essential vs Carbon

[bearchuck]

I recently stumbled upon Michael Fremer's review of the Pro-ject Essential in Analog Planet.  The critique of said turntable is informative, but what I found most interesting is the comparison between it and the Carbon.

 

Basically Fremer contends that the Essential is a decent entry-level turntable, but for $100 more, you get way more bang for your buck with the Carbon.  I quote ...

 

"Here's the thing: Pro-Ject was obviously trying to give folks a serious, well-made turntable for as little as possible and in that they have succeeded. However, the Carbon for $100 more is way better than $100 better. Listening to the Carbon without being able to see it, you'd neverknow it was a $399 turntable. But listening to the Essential without seeing it, you'd know it was inexpensive (not "cheap")."

 

I've never heard either of these tables so I have no real opinion.  Still, since both come up in the entry-level turntable discussion quite a bit on VC, I figured that some of you might find the review enlightening.

[isavedlatin54]

I've heard the carbon in its stock form, and I personally have the essential, and honestly, I didn't notice a HUGE difference in sound. I am no audiophile, not by a long shot, but that $100 difference was enough for me to just go with the essential, I love it. However, i have yet to find out where to get a replacement belt for it when the time comes. 

[AdventureIsOutThere]

That's pretty interesting. I'd love to hear an essential to be able to compare it to my carbon just for fun.

[kidamnesiac]

The cartridge on the Carbon (Ortofon 2M Red) alone is a $99 value and a pretty major step up from the OM5e on the Essential. The Carbon also has a better tonearm and removable interconnect cables. So yeah, you're getting a lot more bang for your buck with the Carbon.

[thefinalsound]

Fremer has great ears and the system he was comparing them on was likely a very high resolution setup. On a low end system the difference between the Essential and the Carbon might not seem too vast to a casual listener, but as you upgrade your gear to get the most out of your vinyl the differences will become readily apparent.

 

The choice is between buying a table for $300, then having to buy another better table when you upgrade your gear, or spending another $100 to start with and having a table that can make the most of the better equipment you will eventually be getting. Seems like a better idea to save a little extra $ and get the Carbon if it is at all possible.

[bearchuck]

Doy ... I forgot the link.

 

http://www.analogplanet.com/content/how-low-can-you-go-pro-jects-299-essential-turntable

 

Fremer never mentions the other gear, but something tells me that for the purpose of his review, it wasn't too high-end.  He knows better than that.

 

But yeah, I don't even have to hear either one to know that the Carbon will be able to better keep up with upgrades throughout the rest of your set up.  No clue what the ceiling is, but there's no doubt that the carbon is a more-than viable (and affordable) option for beginners.

[timbrh2001]

Ive heard this said plenty of times about the Carbon and for that reason I feel pretty confident in saying its the best bang for your buck for a new TT at $400 or under.