Project Automat A1.2
OM10 - Fully Automatic Turntable - Black - Pro-Ject

There is a generation of record players that many vinyl enthusiasts look back on with nostalgia: the large, fully automatic German models from the 1970s and 1980s. Place the record on the turntable, pull a lever—and the tonearm glides automatically onto the lead-in groove, plays the side, and returns to its resting position on its own when finished. No manual lowering, no forgetting to lift the tonearm after falling asleep, no scratching across the end groove. The Pro-Ject Automat A1.2 carries this tradition into the present—with the Pro-Ject sound that vinyl lovers have cherished for decades, and an automatic mechanism built in the same Black Forest factory that once produced the legendary Dual fully automatic turntables.

The A1.2 is the updated successor to the A1—the very first fully automatic Pro-Ject turntable. Two key improvements clearly set it apart from its predecessor: a new die-cast aluminum platter with CNC balancing and the in-house Pro-Ject Pick it MM E cartridge. Both features aim for the same goal: greater sonic depth while maintaining the same ease of use.

The key to the Automat A1.2 is its heritage. St. Georgen in the Black Forest has an unusually long tradition of precision manufacturing—as early as the 20th century, the town was one of Germany’s most important production centers for watch movements and precision engineering. It was from this tradition that the Fehrenbacher company emerged, which for decades built the famous Dual fully automatic turntables—devices that, in their heyday, were considered the benchmark for mechanical precision. When production of the original Dual turntables ended in the late 1980s, Alfred Fehrenbacher continued manufacturing on his own.

In 2021, Pro-Ject CEO Heinz Lichtenegger entered into an exclusive partnership with Fehrenbacher: Since then, the Black Forest manufacturer has been producing the entire Pro-Ject Automat series. The result is an unusual synthesis: Austrian hi-fi engineering meets German precision mechanics backed by decades of experience in automatic systems. The A1.2’s automatic mechanism functions like a clockwork movement—small, precise, entirely mechanical, and free of electronics. And that is precisely the key point: During playback, the automatic mechanism is completely decoupled from the tonearm. It transmits no vibrations and exerts no resistance—the tonearm glides freely over the groove as if the turntable were fully manual.

The A1 was a solid debut—its successor refines the sound in two carefully selected areas. The new die-cast aluminum platter replaces the pressed aluminum sheet previously used. Die-casting allows for a significantly denser, more homogeneous material structure—and, crucially, each individual platter is precisely balanced using a CNC milling machine. Aluminum sheet tends to produce a slight, bell-like sound when subjected to vibrations; the newly cast and milled platter no longer exhibits this natural resonance. The result is a quieter, darker sonic background against which musical details stand out more clearly.

In developing the Automat A1.2, Pro-Ject also revised the drive system and introduced new silicone damping feet that better isolate the chassis from external vibrations.

The A1.2 is a turntable that requires no learning curve. The cartridge comes factory-mounted and pre-adjusted. The built-in, switchable phono preamp allows it to be connected to any amplifier—even one without a dedicated phono input. The included semi-balanced Connect it E cable with gold-plated RCA plugs is unusually high-quality for this price range. Electronic speed switching between 33 and 45 rpm is activated at the push of a button, and the electronically controlled motor ensures stable rotational speeds. The 8.3″ ultralight aluminum tonearm with an antimagnetic carbon-fiber headshell is optimized for high-compliance MM cartridges—a design necessity for fully automatic turntables, since the automatic mechanism can only function with small, precise masses.

The resonance-damped wooden cabinet shields the sensitive mechanism from external vibrations; the dust cover is included. For those who want to further improve their setup: The A1.2 is ideal as an entry point into the world of external phono preamps—the built-in preamp can be disabled, and a good external unit noticeably elevates the system’s sound to the next level.