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ProJect Signature 12.2 Turntable
ProJect‘s Flagship Signature with Handmade Luxury Finish
After showing off various early design concepts of this turntable at audio shows worldwide over the last few years, Pro-Ject is excited to officially introduce their new flagship turntable, the Signature 12.2.
ProJect Audio Systems is not typically associated with the ultimate of high-end turntables; however, their goal has always been to make high-end technology more affordable. To really understand what 'high-end' means, their engineers have been working on different high-end turntable technologies to improve their reference designs and, as such, create spin-offs for more affordable record players.
That‘s why they've created the Signature line!
The Signature 12.2 represents the highest level of turntable technology with exclusive materials and a luxury finish. The turntable is handmade only by their very best trained people. All metal parts are hand polished, and there are about 100 different CNC parts used – all made in-house.
The heavy MDF main chassis is hand-painted in 10 layers and carefully hand-polished to achieve the classic, timeless and luxurious piano-black finish.
The main chassis is bigger and more massive than before, plus the new rounded edges reduce standing waves. With precision CNC machining they can avoid hollow spaces wherever possible, eliminating any unwanted resonances.
To ensure stable speeds, a proper platter bearing is needed. The Signature 12.2 uses a special technology. The heavyweight platter spins on an inverted ceramic ball bearing with a magnetic support to reduce bearing noise and resonance to an absolute minimum. The main platter is precision CNC-machined from aluminium and weighs a substantial 10.5 kg.
Taking this base, they have glued recycled vinyl records to the top (which act as a perfect mat) and baked this ‘sandwich’ before precision balancing it. With this solution the final product benefits from a wonderfully resonance-free, heavy platter, and with the magnetic decoupling we are able to relieve the main bearing and ensure that the platter runs ultra-silently.
The new 12“ S-shaped aluminium tonearm has received several new innovations. Two of the more subtle changes include improvements to the counterweight and the anti-skating. The counterweight now features a fine thread for smoother tracking force adjustment, allowing for smaller, more incremental changes.
The anti-skating philosophy has remained the same. The project's correct adaptive anti-skating mechanism adjusts the anti-skating to accurately reflect the force required between the inner and outer grooves of the vinyl record. They have also fine-tuned the position of the mechanism on the tonearm to make it more accessible and therefore easier to set up.
Sub-chassis designs are more commonly found in lightweight turntables. They are incredibly effective in isolating the turntable, especially if it is placed in very close proximity to the speakers. However, there are certain elements of sub-chassis design that lend themselves exceptionally well to being used in high-mass turntables.
In the Signature 12, the tonearm and platter are mounted on a TPE-decoupled, resonance-optimised aluminium alloy sub-chassis, another step towards separating the tonearm and platter from the mass & spring-loaded main chassis and the motor block.
The tonearm is equipped with an easily accessible 5P DIN connector on the back of the base and remains fully VT. Adjustable on the fly, just by turning a setscrew. Finding the right VTA could not be more intuitive.
The most significant change is in the tonearm bearing. It has been redesigned to switch from a uni-pivot to a 3-point pivot system. The uni-pivot system is an excellent solution that is widely used in high-end tonearms. However, there are also some disadvantages. They are very costly to produce and can often be difficult to set up.
The entire tonearm weight is supported by a single pin, which exerts significant stress on it. Therefore, material selection, design and manufacturing must be carefully considered to ensure the viability of this system.
The project's research has demonstrated the effectiveness of cardanic 4-pinpoint bearings in managing the weight and load of a tonearm. This has led them to experiment with adding an additional pivot point to their uni-pivot design.
Precise alignment of the three pivot points results in further reduction of friction and enhanced stability, outperforming cardanic or our previous unipivot bearings. The ability to track the most minute changes in the grooves of your vinyl records and extract the utmost detail has been improved by yet another step. The new bearing design will also accommodate heavier high-end MC cartridges more efficiently than before.
In order to accommodate the increased total mass of the Signature 12.2 compared to its predecessor, engineers have designed completely new spring-loaded feet. In the case of ultra-high mass, as seen in the Signature 12.2, research has shown that the current magnetic feet are not strong enough.
The new spring-loaded feet provide a superior decoupling effect for the turntable. Additionally, this has enabled modification of the damping characteristics and construction of a mass-loaded sub-chassis. The feet use conical tips to redirect any unwanted energy (vibration, resonances, noise, etc.) away from the turntable. They are easily adjusted from the top of the chassis, allowing for a level position to be achieved with minimal effort.
The Signature 12.2 uses the same drive principle as before. Its flywheel belt drive system ensures vibration-free running, which results in the most accurate and stable speeds. The motors are now mounted in a full aluminium motor block, which further dampens vibrations. Aesthetically, the new motor block adds additional high-gloss polished aluminium accents, enhancing the overall visual appeal of the complete Signature 12.2 package. An elegant and luxurious finishing touch.
The motor is powered by a precision DC-driven AC generator for playback speeds of 33 and 45 RPM with the utmost precision. After careful consideration, the project has foregone the old display in favour of an elegant control panel crafted, again, from hand-polished aluminium.
Displays inherently have the disadvantage of producing unwanted (and unnecessary) electromagnetic radiation. Removing the display is not only a commitment to the analogue and haptic control elements that bring joy to use but also a commitment to focus solely on audio quality.
Cables are not able to make your sound system sound better, but they ensure that every detail and piece of information of the signal is transmitted to the dedicated receiving device. The included Connect it Phono DS 5P/RCA is a high-end phono-optimised cable with quality 99.99% OFC copper conductors and silver-plated connectors for lossless signal transmission.
Pro-Ject Audio turntables and electronics are covered by a 2-year warranty.
Speakers are covered by a 5-year warranty, and vacuum tubes used within components (such as the Tube Box S2) are covered for 90 days, all from the date of purchase.
*This information has been obtained from the manufacturer's website. We advise that features, specifications & prices are subject to change from the manufacturer without notice.
E&OE
753-755 Nicholson Street
Carlton North VIC 3054
Australia
0394195070
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