Pro-Ject Signature 12.2

The New Pro-Ject Flagship

After displaying prototypes at audio shows worldwide in recent years, we‘re more than excited to officially introduce our latest flagship turntable – The Signature 12.2. Pro-Ject’s goal has always been to make high-end tech affordable. To do so, we explore many materials & technologies in order to convey the sonics that epitomize ‘high-end’ according to our ears. Many design elements you see on lower-priced turntables have been adapted from this trial & error process.

The 12.2 pulls out all the stops. Every implement lends itself to sound quality and the turntable is voiced quite deliberately. We‘re thrilled to offer the 12.2 at a price that’s reasonable relative to the high-end features it offers, and relative to the prices of other high-end audiophile turntables you’ll encounter.

Expert Craftsmanship

The Signature 12.2 represents the highest level of turntable technology. Exclusive materials and luxurious finishing require the attention of only our most experienced turntable makers. All metal parts are hand-polished. CNC machining guarantees the precision of the 100+ parts that comprise the 12.2 (and all of that machining is done in-house at the Pro-Ject factory). It takes about 2 days to hand-polish & precision-mount the components before the turntable is sent to the next stage of evaluation. The heavy MDF plinth is hand-painted in 10 coats then carefully polished to achieve our classic, luxurious piano-black finish. The plinth is bigger and more massive than before. The rounded corners actually reduce standing wave reflections, and furthermore, we eradicate resonant hollow spaces wherever possible.

Platter & Bearing

Stable platter speeds require the use of thoughtfully selected materials and high-precision machining. The Signature 12.2 offers this and more… The high-mass platter spins on an inverted ceramic ball bearing with a magnetic support, reducing bearing noise and resonance to an absolute minimum. The main platter is CNC-machined from an aluminum alloy. We then coat the top 3mm thick in vinyl, creating the perfect record mat when coupled with the puck. The platter is then precision-balanced and damped with a TPE ring on the bottom side. The finished platter is high-mass & resonance-free. The ceramic ball bearing, stainless steel shaft and magnetic support ensure perfectly smooth rotation of the record platter.

Tonearm Design

The new 12“ S-shaped aluminum tonearm has several new features. Two of the more subtle changes include improvements to the counterweight & anti-skating systems. The counterweight now features a fine threading for smoother tracking force adjustment, allowing for finer increments of adjustment.

Adaptive Anti-Skating

Our anti-skating philosophy remains unchanged. Adaptive anti-skating means that greater force is applied as skating force escalates as the arm traverses the record. We have fine-tuned the positioning of the mechanism to make it more accessible & easier to adjust.

Sub-Chassis

Sub-chassis designs are more commonly found in lighter turntables. They are incredibly effective at isolating the record platter so we’ve refined a design for the Signature Series specifically. There are certain elements of a sub-chassis design that lend themselves especially well to high-mass mass turntables…

With the Signature 12.2, the tonearm and platter are mounted on a TPE-decoupled, resonance-optimized aluminum alloy sub-chassis – another measure of isolation for tonearm and platter from the plinth, which is also isolated via spring-loaded feet. The tonearm is equipped with an easily accessible 5-pin DIN output at rear of the base. On-the-fly VTA adjustment remains available via a set screw. Exploring and determining the optimal VTA has never been easier.

3-Point Pivot Tonearm Bearing

Among more significant changes is in the tonearm bearing. We have re-designed the bearing to a 3-point pivot system (instead of uni-pivot). Uni-pivot is an excellent solution that is widely used in high-end tonearms but there are drawbacks. They are very costly to produce and can often be difficult to set up. All the tonearm’s mass is supported by a single pin, which incurs undue stress. Therefore the material selection, design, and manufacturing must be carefully considered to ensure the viability of the uni-pivot design.

Our research has demonstrated the effectiveness of the cardanic 4-pinpoint bearing system in managing the weight and load of a tonearm. This has led us to experimenting with additional support for our uni-pivot design. Precise alignment of the three pivot points results in further reduction of friction and enhanced stability, out-performing cardanic and/or uni-pivot designs. 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 high-mass MC phono cartridges with more control & grace.

Spring-Loaded Isolation Feet

In order to accommodate the increased total mass of the Signature 12.2 compared to its predecessor, we have designed completely new spring-loaded feet. In the case of ultra-high mass like the 12.2 exhibits, our research has shown that our opposing-magnetic feet don’t quite cut it. The new spring-loaded feet provide a superior decoupling effect for the turntable. Additionally, this enables us to modify the damping characteristics and construct a mass-loaded sub-chassis. The feet use conical tips to ‘drain’ unwanted energy (vibration, resonance, noise, etc.) from the plinth. They are adjustable from the top of the plinth meaning this very heavy machine is quite easy to level.

Motor Block and Flywheel

The Signature 12.2 uses the same drive principle as always. The flywheel belt drive system ensures vibration-free operation which results in the most accurate and stable speeds. The motors are now mounted in a full aluminum motor block that enhances the isolation of drive mechanisms. Aesthetically, the new motor block adds another high-gloss polished aluminum element, enhancing the overall visual appeal of the Signature 12.2 – an elegant & luxurious touch.

Electronic Speed Control

The motor is powered by a DC-driven AC generator for extreme accuracy of playback speeds (33/45rpm). After careful consideration, we have decided to do away with the old display in favor of a more simple, elegant control panel crafted, again, from hand-polished aluminum. Displays have the inherent disadvantage of producing unwanted (and unnecessary) electromagnetic radiation. Removing the display is not only a commitment to the analog and haptic control elements that bring joy with use, but also a commitment to focus solely on sound quality.

High-End Phono Cable

Cables cannot add any information back to a given signal, rather, they’re responsible for allowing as much musical information as possible through to the receiving device. This is why we include the Connect it Phono DS 5P > RCA (a high-end phono-optimized cable). With quality OFC (99.99%) conductors and silver-plated connectors you can realize lossless signal transmission.

Upgrade to Balanced!

Balanced signal transmission is attainable with a 5-pin DIN > XLR cable, or a 5-pin DIN > mini XLR cable. You also need an MC phono cartridge as well as a balanced phono preamp. Pro-Ject offers just such cables & phono preamps. Visit the True Balanced section of our website for more.