Pro-Ject Primary E: a new £150 plug-and-play turntable with 5-star foundations

We’ve seen our fair share of super-cheap budget turntables over the last few years courtesy of the unrelenting vinyl revival, but the best of the bunch has arguably been Pro-Ject’s Primary (£170) and Elemental (£150) decks.

The former received five stars from us last year but now appears to have a limited shelf life ahead of it - which would be a shame were it not for the fact a very similar and even more affordable turntable will soon take its place.

It’s also only available in a black finish as opposed to a red or white one, too.

History would tell you that the Pro-Ject Primary E could be a good pick for anyone after their First Turntable. And as we already have a sample in our test rooms ready to spin our vinyl collection on, we’ll be finding out whether indeed history will repeat itself or not very soon.

Becky Roberts
Freelance contributor

Becky is a hi-fi, AV and technology journalist, formerly the Managing Editor at What Hi-Fi? and Editor of Australian Hi-Fi and Audio Esoterica magazines. With over twelve years of journalism experience in the hi-fi industry, she has reviewed all manner of audio gear, from budget amplifiers to high-end speakers, and particularly specialises in headphones and head-fi devices.

In her spare time, Becky can often be found running, watching Liverpool FC and horror movies, and hunting for gluten-free cake.