Pro-Ject Essential II DIGITAL Turntable Instructions for use

Below you will find brief information for Record Player Essential II DIGITAL, Record Player Pro-Ject 8.6. These turntables offer both analog and digital outputs, allowing connection to various audio systems. They feature a built-in phono preamplifier and are supplied with an Ortofon OM 5E cartridge. Setup instructions cover belt installation, cartridge downforce and anti-skating adjustments, and connection to amplifiers.

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INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE

Pro-Ject Essential II DIGITAL

Controls, features and connections

1 Power switch

2/22 Stepped drive pulley and drive belt *

3 Platter with felt mat *

4/44 Tonearm counterweight * and counterweight support rod 4a Downforce scale

5 Tonearm lift lever

6/66 Tonearm rest and removable transport locks

7/77 Tonearm tube with tonearm bearing housing and red coloured transport lock

Anti-skating stub with anti-skating weight adjustment scale

Anti-skating weight support hoop

Anti-skating weight with wire *

Headshell with finger lift and fitted Ortofon OM 5E cartridge

PCA output sockets (line level output), earth connection and OPTICAL output

Power supply socket

Hinge with hinge fasteners

Signal output cable

Power supply (not shown) *

Hexagonal keys (not shown)*

Pro-Ject Essential II DIGITAL

Dear music lover, thank you for purchasing a Pro-Ject Audio Systems record player.

In order to achieve maximum performance and reliability with this record player you should study these instructions for use carefully.

Warning of a hazard for the user, the unit or possible misuse

Important notice

** Your turntable has been delivered with a factory fitted and adjusted cartridge, please ignore the cartridge set up instructions unless changing the cartridge at a later date.

During assembly and adjustment of the deck small parts could be lost if not carefully placed in a suitable receptacle. Before starting assembly make yourself acquainted with the parts listed above and correspondingly numbered in the technical drawings above. Separately packed items are marked with an asterisk *.

Safety instructions

Avoid letting liquids enter the device or the power supply. Never place any item containing liquid, such as a flower vase on or near the device. Never spill any liquid on the device or the power supply.

Never place any naked flame sources, such as lighted candles on or near the device. The product shall not be used in damp or wet locations, next to a bathtub, sink, swimming pool or any other similar conditions.

Keep plastic bags away from children to prevent any risk of suffocation.

Set-up

The deck is supplied partially disassembled and carefully packaged for safe transport. Carefully remove all parts from the transport packaging.

Make sure the surface you wish to use the turntable on is level (use a spirit level) before placing the turntable on it.

Fit the drive belt (22) around the platter (3) and the smaller diameter part of the motor pulley (2). Avoid getting sweat or grease on the belt as these will deteriorate the performance and reduce the belt's lifespan. Use absorbent kitchen paper to remove any oil or grease from the outer edge of the platter and the belt.

Fit the felt mat over the spindle of the platter (3). Remove the transport lock (66) from the tonearm tube.

Store the transport lock in the original packaging so they are available for any future transportation.

Useful tips

The record player should be positioned on a low-resonance surface such as wood or multiple layer ply board to avoid structural vibrations disturbing replay.

Cartridge downforce adjustment

The counterweight (4) supplied is suitable for cartridges weighing between 3,5 - 5,5g (weight no. 00). Pushing carefully, turn the counterweight (4) onto the rear end of the tonearm tube (7), so that the downforce scale

(4a) shows towards the front of the player. Lower the armlift and position the cartridge in the space between arm rest and platter. Carefully rotate the counterweight (4) until the armtube balances out. The arm should return to the balanced position if it is moved up or down. This adjustment must be done carefully. Do not forget to remove the cartridge protection cap if fitted.

Once the arm is correctly balanced return it to the rest (6). Hold the counterweight (4) without moving it, and gently revolve the downforce scale ring (4a) until the zero is in line with the anti-skating stub (8). Check whether the arm still balances out.

Rotate the counterweight counter clockwise (seen from the front) to adjust the downforce according to the cartridge manufacturer's recommendations. One mark on the scale represents 1 mN (= 0,1g / 0,1 Pond) of downforce.

Please note: Adjust the downforce prior to installing the anti-skating weight.

The recommended downforce for the factory fitted cartridge is 17,5mN.

Anti-skating force adjustment

Hang the loop of the thread of the anti-skating weight in the groove of the anti-skating stub (8) corresponding to the downforce applied to your cartridge and feed the thread through the loop of the wire support (9).

The anti-skating force must be adjusted corresponding to the downforce as follows:

Downforce

10 - 14mN

Groove in the stub (8)

1 st from bearing rings

15 - 19mN

20mN and bigger

2 nd " " "

3 rd " " " 8

Fitting the lid

Fit the lid (dust cover) carefully over the hinge prongs and adjust the screws (14) until the lid stays open where you want it to without being too stiff to open or close.

Connection to the amplifier

The record player has two possibilities of connection to the amplifier.

The analog output:

The record player has gold plated female RCA phono sockets (12) so you can substitute the interconnect cables supplied with those of your choice for connection to the amplifier if you wish. Your dealer can advise you on alternative cables. Use a line input (such as AUX, CD, Tuner or Video) on your amplifier.

Due to the built in phono pre-amplifier, a connection to a phono input (sometimes labelled gram, disc or RIAA) or external RIAA phono pre-amplifier is not useful.

Take care to connect the left and right channels correctly. The right channel is usually marked red, the left channel black or white. Check the manual supplied with your amplifier for relevant information. The earthing wire of the tonearm lead should be connected to the earth terminal on your amplifier (if provided).

The digital output:

The record player has digital S/PDIF output through optical connector. Use the optical input on your amplifier, AV receiver or D/A converter. Optical cable is not supplied with the record player. Your dealer can help you with selection of the optical cable.

Due to the built in phono pre-amplifier, a connection to a phono input (sometimes labelled gram, disc or RIAA) or external RIAA phono pre-amplifier is not useful.

Mains power connection

The turntable is supplied with a power supply suitable for your country's mains supply. Check the label before connecting to ensure compliance with the mains rating in your house.

Connect the low voltage plug from the power supply to the socket (13) on the rear of the record player before connecting the power supply to the mains.

Switching on and off

Pressing the power switch (1) alternately starts or stops the motor.

Changing replay speed

Put the belt (22) over the larger diameter part of the motor pulley (2). To revert to 33 r.p.m. repeat the proceedings using the smaller step on the pulley.

Maintenance and cleaning

Your record player requires little or no regular maintenance. Remove dust with a slightly moistened antistatic cloth. Never use a dry cloth because this will create static electricity which attract more dust! Antistatic cleaning fluids are available at specialist stores but must be applied sparingly to avoid damage to rubber parts. It is recommended to fit the needle cover before cleaning or maintenance is carried out to avoid damage.

If the player is not used over a long period of time the drive belt can be removed to prevent unequal stretching.

Always disconnect the record player from the mains power supply as a precaution before maintenance!

Fitting and connecting the cartridge

** All cartridges with half inch mounting holes can be fitted. Leaving the needle's protection cover on, fit the cartridge to the headshell (11) using the screws supplied with the cartridge by passing one screw through each slot in the headshell (11). Do not tighten the nuts yet.

Connect the tonearm wires to the cartridge pins as follows: white red green blue left channel positive (L+) right channel pos. (R+) right channel return (R -) left channel return (L -)

The full sound quality of the record player can only be achieved if the cartridge is correctly adjusted. Particular tools like the Pro-Ject alignment tool “Align it” are required to accomplish this job properly.

If you are not well acquainted with the adjustment of cartridges you are advised to call upon the willing help of your Pro-Ject dealer to accomplish this task for you.

Please note: adjusting a cartridge and tonearm calls for the greatest care in order to avoid damaging the cartridge or tonearm bearings. Leave this work to your dealer if you are in any way unsure of the necessary steps and precautions to be taken.

Technical specifications Pro-Ject Essential II DIGITAL / Pro-Ject 8.6

Nominal speeds

Speed variance

Wow and flutter

Signal to noise

Effective tonearm mass

Effective tonearm length

Overhang

Power consumption

Outboard power supply

Dimensions (W x H x D)

Weight

33/45 r.p.m.

33: ±0,14% 45: ±0,25%

±0,12%

65dB

8,0g

8,6" (218,5mm)

22,0mm

4,5W

15V/500mA DC, suitable for your country's mains supply

420 x 112 x 330mm

4,0kg

Technical specifications MM-Cartridge Ortofon OM 5E

Frequency range

Channel separation

Output voltage

Recommended load impedance

Compliance/stylus type

Recommended tracking force

Weight

20-25.000Hz

22dB/1kHz

4mV

47kohms/amplifier connection – MM-input

20µm/mN – elliptical

17,5mN

Technical specifications moving magnet phono pre-amplifier

Gain

Output voltage typically

Input impedance

Noise floor

34dB

160mV/1kHz at 4mV/1kHz input

47kohms/100pF

>73dB

RIAA-equalisation curve accuracy 20Hz-20kHz / max. 0,5dB

Optical output: 24/96 kHz (bit depth/sampling frequency)

Potential incorrect use and fault conditions

Pro-Ject turntables are manufactured to the highest standards and undergo strict quality controls before leaving the factory. Faults that may possibly occur are not necessarily due to material or production faults but can sometimes be caused by incorrect use or unfortunate circumstances. Therefore the following list of common fault symptoms is included.

The platter doesn't turn although the unit is switched on:

The unit is not connected to the mains power supply.

No mains at the socket.

Drive belt is not fitted or has slipped off.

No signal through one or other channel or both channels:

No signal contact from the cartridge to the internal tonearm wiring or from that to the arm lead or from the output of the turntable to the amplifier. This could be due to a faulty plug, broken wire or solder joint or simply loose plug/socket connection.

Corresponding input not selected at amplifier.

Amplifier not switched on.

Amplifier or speakers is defective or muted.

No connection to the loudspeakers.

Strong hum:

No earth connection from cartridge or arm or arm cable to amplifier, or earth loop.

Distorted or inconsistent sound from one or both channels:

Record player is connected to wrong input of amplifier.

Needle or cantilever damaged.

Wrong r.p.m., drive belt is overstretched or dirty, platter bearing without oil, dirty or damaged.

Service

Should you encounter a problem which you are not able to alleviate or identify despite the above information, please contact your dealer for further advice. Only when the problem cannot be resolved there should the unit be sent to the responsible distributor in your country.

Guarantee repairs will only be affected if the unit is returned correctly packaged. For this reason we recommend keeping the original packaging.

Never return a record player without making sure that is it safely disassembled and correctly packaged in the original packaging according to the diagrams on the last page of this user guide.

Fit the cartridge protection cap and the transport lock for the tonearm tube (66), prior to carefully packaging the record player.

Warranty

The manufacturer accepts no responsibility for damage caused by not adhering to these instructions for use and/or by transportation without the original packaging. Modification or change to any part of the product by unauthorized persons, release the manufacturer from any liability over and above the lawful rights of the customer.

Pro-Ject Audio Systems is a Registered Trademark of

H. Lichtenegger.

This guide was produced by: Pro-Ject Audio Systems

The information was correct at the time of going to press. The manufacturer reserves the right to make changes to the technical specification without prior notice as deemed necessary to uphold the ongoing process of technical development.

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Key features

Factory-fitted Ortofon OM 5E cartridge
Analog and digital outputs
Built-in phono pre-amplifier
Stepped drive pulley for 33 and 45 r.p.m.
Anti-skating adjustment
Downforce scale
Dust cover
Easy setup instructions

Frequently asked questions

You can connect the turntable to your amplifier via the analog RCA phono sockets or the digital optical connector. Ensure you choose the correct input on your amplifier for the desired output type.

The recommended downforce for the factory fitted Ortofon OM 5E cartridge is 17.5mN.

The anti-skating force needs to be adjusted based on the downforce applied to your cartridge. Use the anti-skating stub and weight to adjust the force according to the downforce values provided in the manual.