Pro-Ject A2

Fully automatic three-speed turntable with floating subchassis and Ortofon 2Mred transmission

The Pro-Ject A2 is the first three-speed fully automatic turntable from this Austrian manufacturer. It aims to appeal to a wide range of audiophiles who prefer convenient operation and user-friendliness.The A2 is handmade in Germany by a traditional manufactory with extensive experience in the production of automatic turntables. Even the individual components are 98% designed and manufactured in Germany. Combined with floating sub-chassis technology and other innovations, the Pro-Ject A2 sets new standards in the design of automaticand has the ambition to offer a comfortable listening experience and excellent sound quality to all owners of extensive music collections.

The A2 has a fully automatic start/stop system, where the automatic is completely disconnected and decoupled throughout the entire phono record playback. The automatic is activated when the start switch is flipped and the arm automatically moves over the record's initial groove.And because the automatic works completely mechanically - no additional electronics are required - it really does not affect or reduce the sound quality during playback! At the end of the recording, the arm automatically moves back, gently lowers to the rest position and the motor shuts off.

PERFECTLY VERSATILE

The A2 is a three-speed turntable that, in addition to the standard 33 RPM speed, allowsconvenient playback of 7" (SP singles) and 12" (LPs) at 45 RPM.For music enthusiasts and lovers of rare shellac records, a third speed of 78 RPM, allowing owners to revisit old shellac collections.

The A2 is a true jack-of-all-trades and if you want to enjoy listening to your favourite record, just press the start button and the arm will automatically move directly into the record's loading groove. There is no need to change the position of the drive belt, but just change the rotation speed electronically, at the touch of a button. In addition, the stability of the motor speed is precisely controlled by internal electronics.

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY

Floating sub-chassis - Automatic turntables use a multitude of small mechanical parts and require more hollow space in the chassis to accommodate them. But hollow spaces are the biggest problem because they always amplify resonances. The A2 turntable design solves this problem by using an auxiliary floating subchassis that separates the arm, platter bearing and motor from the main chassis by a spring system.These most critical elements of the turntable are thus consistently protected against external noise, resonance and interference, which ultimately allows the full development of the turntable's sonic qualities.The floating sub-chassis technology brings the greatest benefits when the speakers must be placed very close to the turntable for prosumer reasons.

Great emphasis was placed on the design of the aluminium casting of the entire sub-chassis and the automatic mechanism. This mechanism avoids plastic parts as much as possible, compared to the original German automatic design. This is the first time in its 50 years of existence that the original automatic construction has seen such an improvement. Thanks to the die-cast aluminium casing and solid chassis, the entire construction is floatingsub-chassis is more efficient and much more resistant to unwanted resonances.

The new heavy MDF main chassis is both manufactured and designed in Austria, creating a very robust base for the floating subchassis. Such a massive chassis is rarely used in its price range and resists vibrations very well due to the minimization of hollow spaces. With a turntable, vibration is always the biggest threat to natural sound. The influence of external interference and resonance is further eliminated by the aluminium feet with an internal damping silicone layer that separate the turntable from the surface on which it is placed.Not forgetting the finish, which follows the minimalist design traditions of the German audio industry. The luxurious matte black lacquer has 8 hand-applied layers. The result is an unobtrusive aesthetic that will fit into any interior.

Arm and gimbal bearing - Automatic turntables require an arm with minimal weight, because itlow weight places less demand on the automatic's mechanics, which function like a mechanical watch - small and very precise. A heavier arm would require a thicker mechanical design.For these reasons, the A2 turntable is equipped with an 8.3" ultralight arm with a 4-point gimbal made of aluminum and steel ball bearings.The bearing reduces friction to minimal values, does not restrict the movement of the arm and allows perfect tracking of the groove.

The arm tube is made of aluminum and is topped with a headshell made of carbon fiber reinforced polymer. This material is super stable and rigid even while maintaining a very low weight. The composite material helps to improve internal resonance damping. The arm design is very suitable for the supplied Ortofon 2M Red transmission and maintains a fast response even inall details with plenty of subtle microdynamics, while the 2M Red transmission adds space and musical warmth. With these innovations, the A2 achieves performance highs not offered by any other automatic turntable on the market.

The A2 uses a specific system for pressure adjustment. The arm must be initially balanced using a new damped counterweight. The damping isolates the counterweight from the arm and eliminates the transmission of resonant frequencies. The tracking force is then adjusted by turning a wheel directly on the arm bearing. Not only is this system very fast, accurate and efficient, it also keeps the center of gravity directly over the center of the bearing. The spring antiskating can also be adjusted directly at the base of the arm.

Plate - The damping material on the inner circumferential side of the aluminum plate not only increases weight, but more importantly reduces resonance. In addition, the platter is precisely balanced, which guarantees very low wow and flutter values.

Semi-symmetrical phono cable with gold-plated connectors - A2 is supplied with the company's Connect it E phono cable. This is a semi-symmetrical low capacitance cable with excellent shielding. Compared to other digital and analogue music sources, the signal from the phono cartridge is very lowlow and cheap RCA cables usually fail to provide ideal conditions for the transmission of the phono signal to the amplifier. However, the Connect it E is purposely designed to connect the turntable and preamplifier and offers exceptional quality in this price class.

FEATURES

- Ortofon 2M Red transmission installed

- Innovative floating sub-chassis design

- Three-speed 33 / 45 / 78 RPM motor with electronic speed control

- 8.3" ultra-lightweight aluminum arm with 4-point gimbal bearing and damped counterweight

- Precision mechanics with automatic start and stop and arm return to rest position

- Damped aluminium plate to reduce speed fluctuations

- Special anti-magnetic carbon fiber reinforced headshell

- Resonance damped wooden chassis

- Aluminum feet with silicone damping

- Spring-loaded antiskating

- Premium semi-symmetrical Connect it E phono cable with gold-plated connectors

- Dust cover included

- Handmade in Germany