Pro-Ject – Automat A1 Automatic Turntable

One-Touch Operation: Pro-Ject Automat A1 Automatic Turntable Offers Convenience, Pre-Installed Ortofon Cartridge, Enjoyable Sound

The Pro-Ject Automat A1 Automatic turntable delivers enjoyable, entry-level high-end sound without the hassles that sometimes make spinning records a chore. Easy, one-touch operation practically does everything for you: Touch the switch, and Automat A1 puts the tonearm onto the record, plays the LP side, and returns the tonearm to its resting position. Fully automatic start/stop, an electronically controlled motor with 33/45RPM push-button switching, damped aluminum platter, and bypassable phono preamp for easy connection with powered loudspeakers or an amplifier further speak to its feature set and versatility. 

In additon to a heavy MDF chassis and silicon-damped support feet, the German-made Automat A1 features an 8.3-inch, light-mass aluminum tonearm already outfitted with a factory-installed and -aligned Ortofon OM10 phono cartridge. Tracking force and anti-skating also come pre-adjusted, giving you plug-and-play convenience. Automat A1 arrives ready to go: You can unbox it and be listening to music in no time at all. minutes. This makes Automat A1 a great fit for for vinyl newbies as well as listeners who value sound quality and ease of use. A hinged dust cover and two-year manufacturer warranty provide protection and peace of mind.

“For the price and for a fully automatic operation, the Pro-Ject Automat A1 is a great little design. It blends price with ease of use and sound quality to offer a perfectly blended package.”
—Paul Rigby, The Audiophile Man, 8/10 rating

“The Pro-Ject A1 does almost all the stuff that people who are interested in the vinyl format are partial to. And in some areas it does it really, really well.”
—Stuff

“It journeys from the bottom of the frequency range to the stop in an even-handed, unforced and tonally consistent manner, and reveals a stack of detail at every stage.”
—Trusted Reviews

Push Start and Go!

When you press Start, the A1’s automation mechanism is engaged and the tonearm is automatically moved to the lead-in groove of the record. Once the record is playing, the mechanism becomes completely disengaged: It will not affect the playback quality or the free movement of the tonearm and platter in any way. Since the automation works mechanically — with no additional electronics needed — it does not influence or degrade the sound quality.

Carbon-Fiber-Reinforced Headshell

The Automat A1 headshell is made from a carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer, which makes it super stable and rigid, all while keeping the weight ideal to work perfectly with the ultra-light-mass tonearm design. The polymer/carbon composite material also results in excellent internal damping of resonances.

Heavy MDF Chassis

The chassis consists of a console made out of eight-millimeter-thick MDF panels. The automation mechanism, platter bearing, and tonearm are mounted on a solid thick MDF base plate. Pro-Ject design ensured that hollow areas were avoided wherever possible. The heavy mass of the chassis reduces unwanted resonances, and it decouples the A1 from outside influences.

Phono Cable with Gold-Plated Connectors

Automat A1 comes with a Connect it E semi-balanced, low-capacitance phono cable with superior shielding. Compared to other digital and analog music sources, the signal coming from a turntable cartridge is very fragile in nature. Cheap, poorly made RCA cables often do not provide the ideal conditions for getting a phono signal to an amplifier. 

Decoupling Feet 

Using an internal silicon damping layer, the feet are engineered to effectively decouple the turntable from the surface on which it rests. An essential feature for every good turntable, it acts as another mechanism to ensure vinyl playback is not influenced by outside interference and resonances.

Made in Germany

Automat A1 is handmade in Germany by some of the best technicians in the industry. Virtually all the individual components of the A1 are produced in Germany — in the factory and its immediate vicinity.