Music lovers keen to join the vinyl revolution will need to invest in hi-fi gear, such as a turntable. Many disc spinners require listeners to get hands-on before grooving. But Pro-Ject removes this finicky process with a new Automat model.
Austrian hi-fi brand Pro-Ject has been manufacturing highly acclaimed turntables for more than 30 years, but every one of those needed living-room DJs to manually position the tonearm’s cartridge above the spinning records before getting into the groove.
Though not particularly taxing, lack of precision here can result in slippage, skating, arresting noise or even scratching. Pro-Ject opted to offer its customers an easier route to playback heaven with the launch of its first automatic model in 2022.
That entry-level vinyl spinner was joined by a higher-end sibling the following year. But its the original Automat A1 that’s now been treated to an upgrade.
Pro-Ject
Pro-Ject says that the A1.2 model comes with an updated drive system featuring a new “precision-balanced, CNC-machined die-cast aluminum platter” in place of the stamped platter of its predecessor, for the promise of “perfect playback.” With the vinyl record on the short spindle, the listener presses the start button on the upper face of the resonance-damped wooden chassis to engage the “mechanical automatics.”
The belt drives the platter at 33 or 45 rpm, courtesy of an electronically controlled motor. The 8.3-inch ultra-light-mass aluminum tonearm is automatically raised and moved to the lead section of the record and the new Pick it MM E cartridge lowered for playback. The cartridge is secured to a carbon-fiber headshell specifically designed for the A1.2 turntable.
The company says that budget audiophiles can look forward to an “extraordinary fast response and detail in terms of transients and microdynamics.” Tracking force and anti-skating settings will have already been adjusted to optimum at the factory.
The automatic mechanism is decoupled from the system during playback so as not to impact output quality. When the stylus reaches the end grooves of the record, the tonearm lifts and returns to its cradle, and the motor is powered down. There is a lift lever for manually interrupting play as well.
Pro-Ject
There’s a phono pre-amp cooked in for use with hi-fi amps that don’t have their own, or this can be switched to line input if you’d rather cable the turntable up to an external phono pre-amp or an amplifier that already includes one. The A1.2 also comes with the company’s semi-balanced, low-capacitance Connect it E shielded RCA cable.
The Automat A1.2 is handmade in Europe, and is expected to be available at dealers from May for a suggested retail price of €499 (which coverts to around US$540, though the street price will likely be less).
Product page: Pro-Ject Automat A1.2