The Pick it MM E sits at the entry point of Pro-Ject's Pick it cartridge range, designed to deliver honest, musical vinyl playback at the most accessible price. Moving-Magnet (MM) cartridges occupy the most practical tier of the cartridge market: they are simpler to manufacture than Moving-Coil designs, more affordable to replace, and crucially offer a user-replaceable stylus, meaning a worn tip can be swapped without replacing the entire cartridge body.
Generator and Generator Design
The Pick it MM E uses a low-mass generator system built around a miniature neodymium magnet. Neodymium's high magnetic field strength relative to its physical size allows Pro-Ject to keep the moving assembly compact and light. Reduced moving mass means lower inertia, and lower inertia translates directly into more accurate tracking of groove modulations, particularly at high frequencies where stylus-to-groove contact forces are most demanding.
Stylus and Tip Profile
The stylus assembly uses a conical diamond tip. The conical profile presents the same contact geometry regardless of stylus rotation, making alignment straightforward and tolerances more forgiving than line-contact or Shibata profiles. The result is a warm, smooth character across the frequency band, with low background noise from the groove surface. The stylus is fully user-replaceable, and a separate Pick it MM E Stylus is available as a spare.
Body and Damping
The enclosure is formed from resonance-optimised ABS plastic, with a total cartridge weight of approximately 5.5 grams. The body geometry and material specification are tuned to damp mechanical vibration before it can colour the output signal. A protective stylus guard is integrated into the design, shielding the delicate cantilever during handling and storage.
Mounting
The Pick it MM E uses the universal 1/2 inch (half-inch) mounting standard, ensuring compatibility with the vast majority of turntable headshells and tonearms. It is supplied pre-fitted to many Pro-Ject turntables in the entry-level range.