Pro-Ject’s Automat A1 is its first fully automatic turntable
Automat for the people
Do you ever think that your turntable asks too much from you? Doesn’t it know you’ve got better things to do than lift its tonearm? It’s pure laziness. Well Pro-Ject has just the thing for you.
The Automat A1, which goes on sale this month for £369 ($499), is Pro-Ject’s very first fully automatic turntable, so all you need to do is set the playback speed, press the start button and watch it do the rest. Unfortunately you will still need to choose your own record though.
Rather than adding electronics to shoulder this extra burden, which can risk introducing pesky interference, the system is entirely mechanical and is completely disengaged when the record’s spinning. There’s also a sturdy wooden base with a silicon-damped platter and feet, so it’s equipped to minimise unwanted vibrations and distortion – a turntable’s worst nightmare.
Pro-Ject has also made it easy to use in other ways, with a pre-aligned and pre-set OM 10 cartridge included, while the built-in phono stage means you can plug it straight into anything with a line or aux input and be ready to start spinning in a matter of minutes. If you’ve got something with a pre-amp onboard already you can easily bypass it.
Pro-Ject describes Automat as a new series, so while the A1 is its first and only addition so far, the suggestion is there are more fully automatic turntables on the way.
Tom Wiggins
Contributor 
