Pro-Ject - Automat A2 - Automatic Turntable

A2 TECHNOLOGY

The A2 continues the success of Pro-Ject’s fully mechanical automatic turntables. With the A2, you can now select the drop off point for 7“ (singles) or 12“ (LPs) for 45 RPM records. They have also added 78 RPM to the system allowing you to dig back into old shellac collections. To enjoy listening to your A2, just press start and the tonearm automatically moves to the lead in groove of the record. Once playing, the automatics are completely taken out of the equation.

And because the automatics are working entirely mechanically – no additional electronics needed – they truly do not influence or degrade sound quality during playback! At the end of the record, the tonearm is automatically brought back and gently lowered into its resting position and the motor shut off.

Features

• Ortofon 2M Red Moving-Magnet Cartridge - 2M Red is an all-purpose cartridge that delivers open, dynamic sound with a slight touch of warmth. (*US Version comes with Sumiko Rainier)
• NEW Carbon fibre reinforced anti-magnetic headshell The headshell is made of carbon fibre reinforced polymer which makes it super stable and rigid, all while keeping the weight at a lowest to work perfectly with the ultra-light-mass tonearm design.
• Heavy MDF main chassis - The new heavy MDF main chassis is made and designed in Austria and carefully hand painted in a luxurious 8-layer matt black finish. It provides a very sturdy base for the sub-chassis and reduces hollow spaces to avoid resonances. Such a massive chassis is very unusual in this price range and the base for natural sound.
• Floating sub-chassis with aluminium diecast top - Isolating all the most critical turntable elements adds an extra layer of protection against outside noise. A must for automatic turntables.
• Damped Platter - Precision balanced aluminium. The damping ring on the inside adds weight and reduces resonances. In the last step the platter is turned and precision balanced to receive its fine edges and lowest wow and flutter deviations.
• Connect it E Semi-balanced RCA cable - To guarantee a perfect connection to your amp we use a high-quality phono RCA cable. Our Connect it E is a semi-balanced, low-capacitance cable, with superior shielding.
• 33/45/78 RPM - Ready for singles, LPs & shellacs. No need to change the belt position. Easily change speed with the push of only a single button & listen to your favourite LP, single or shellac.
• Automat Line - The A2 is fully handmade in Germany and looks back on decades of experience. Paired with Pro-Ject technology, it sets new standards in automatic turntable design.

Why sub-chassis?

Automatic turntables have many small mechanical parts, which means you need more hollow space in the chassis to fit them. Hollow spaces are the biggest problem as they always reinforce resonances. By using a sub-chassis, you decouple the tonearm and drive from the chassis. In other words, a sub-chassis is a MUST for automatic turntables and enables them to reach excellent sound performance.

Floating sub-chassis

The A2 employs a sub-chassis construction, where the tonearm, platter bearing and motor are mounted onto a separate floating sub-chassis. This isolates all the most critical turntable elements further and adds an extra layer of protection against outside noise, resonances and interference. This has especially big advantages, when your loudspeakers are very close to the turntable.

Pro-Ject Design Philosophy

Adding Pro-Ject designs and ideas, we have spent a lot of time on the A2‘s clean design language. You will see similarities to iconic designs of the German audio industry. Today, Pro-Ject believe that this minimalistic approach is very much modern again.

IMPROVED AUTOMATIC MECHANISM

Pro-Ject have invested in a new aluminium diecast top for the whole sub-chassis and automatic mechanism. They have tried to avoid plastic parts from the original German automatic design as much as possible. This is the first time in all the 50 years of its existence that the original automatic design has received an improvement like this. Due to the new aluminium diecast cover and the massive chassis, the whole sub-chassis construction is more effective and isolates unwanted resonance much better.

MASSLESS TRACKING FORCE ADJUSTMENT

The A2 uses a new system for setting the tracking force. As usual, you first level out the tonearm with the damped counterweight. Damping the counter- weight makes the tonearm as a whole more robust and decouples the counterweight from the tonearm reducing resonant frequencies. Afterwards the tracking force is set by turning a dial directly on the tonearm bearing. Not only is this system very fast, precise and efficient, it also keeps the centre of gravity directly on top of the bearing centre. The spring based anti-skating can also be adjusted directly on the tonearm base.

IMPROVED TONEARM & CARDANIC BEARING

The A2 features an 8.3” ultra-light-mass aluminium tonearm with an improved tonearm tube with bigger diameter. The is a perfect match for the slightly heavier Ortofon 2M Red. In combination we retain the super fast response and all transient detail with lots of fine microdynamics, while the new 2M Red adds a lot of body and musical warmth. The tonearm bearing has received a major upgrade, is now made out of aluminium and features a 4-pin-point cardanic construction with steel tip ball bearings from our own production. This allows for unhindered and free tonearm movement with the lowest amount of friction possible. The A2 will track your vinyl records with the utmost of precision and tightness.

WHY ULTRA-LIGHT-MASS TONEARM?

Since forever, there has been this technical discussion about light-weight tonearms with high compliance MM cartridges vs. heavy tonearms with low compliance MC cartridges. Both approaches have advantages and disadvantages and you‘ll find detailed analysis in concerned literature. However, when it comes to automatic turntables, we NEED ultra-light-mass tonearms. There is no way around it. We need the automatic mechanics to be like those in mechanical watches: small and precise. A heavy tonearm would result in a rougher mechanical design as much higher masses have to be moved. Therefore, the A2 reaches performance heights like no other automatic turntable on the market.

Specifications

• Speed: 3, 45, 78 (electronic speed change)
• Drive principle: belt drive, fully automatic
• Platter: damped aluminium platter
• Wow & flutter: 33: +/-0,14%; 45: +/-0,12%
• Speed drift: 33: +/-0,27%; 45: +/-0,22%
• Signal to noise: 74dB
• Tonearm: ultra-light-mass 8,3” aluminium tonearm
• Effective arm length: 211mm
• Effective arm mass: 7g
• Overhang: 19,5mm
• Included accessories: 15V DC / 0,8A power supply, dust cover, 7‘‘ single adapter, feltmat, phono cable
• Power consumption: 1,5W
• Dimensions: 430 x 150 x 365 mm (WxHxD)
• Weight: 7,3 kg net / 10 kg with packaging