Pro-Ject Audio Systems has added a new series to its coveted turntable range for 2022. The Automat range will be the first fully automatic turntable series from Pro-Ject, and its inaugural product, the A1 is available in the UK now.
The company said the A1 delivers “class-leading sound” alongside an effortless user experience, which makes listening to vinyl records in high quality easier than ever before. It is designed to be both elegant and minimalist in its aesthetics while adhering to purist audiophile standards to deliver the best possible sound.
From its sturdy wooden base sat upon four silicon-damped feet, through to its damped metal platter and reinforced headshell – every part of the A1 is designed to keep unwanted resonances away from the musical signal for perfect playback.
What sets the A1 apart from others is its fully automatic belt-drive system. This well-established technology delivers a quiet, efficient, and reliable fully automatic experience at both 33 and 45 RPM. The system is also entirely mechanical, avoiding the need for any extra built-in electronics, and is entirely disengaged when the record is playing – allowing the turntable to perform without interference. All you have to do is set the playback speed and then push ‘START’.
There is further convenience thanks to its built-in moving magnet (MM) phono stage, meaning it is ready to connect into almost any audio system with a spare LINE or AUX input available. However, by making the phono stage switchable, this feature can also be bypassed for systems that already have or wish to upgrade to an external phono pre-amp.
The A1 features a sturdy, low-mass aluminium tonearm finished with a carbon fibre reinforced headshell, perfectly suited to Ortofon’s popular OM cartridge range. The supplied OM 10 cartridge with its elliptical diamond stylus profile is pre-aligned and pre-set for tracking-force, allowing for “plug and play” playback of the turntable out of the box. But the OM range can also be easily improved with stylus upgrades that can further enhance the sound from your system.
Supplied with a detachable dust cover and also with Pro-Ject’s popular Connect-IT E turntable-ready RCA phono cables in the box; the company said this is as near to plug-and-play convenience as you can get while still experiencing a true hi-fi sound.
Last year, Pro-Ject signed a new partnership agreement with Fehrenbacher GmbH in St Georgen (Germany), the iconic production facility of the original Dual turntables in the 20th century. This gave Pro-Ject access to reliable, made-in-Europe automatic drive technologies that were proven for hi-fi performance.
And Pro-Ject said the Automat series is “the next step to bring hi-fi stereo musical enjoyment to as many people as possible”.
