Turntables, Arms & Cartridges

In February 1990, when most people thought that vinyl was in its twilght years, a successful Austrian retailer and distributor took an exploratory trip across the Czech border to visit a factory in Litovel, near Prague. Heinz Lichtenegger was looking for a decent turntable for his customers, but it had to be very affordable. While the mass-market players currently offered by this once-state-owned factory weren't suitable, Heinz looked through the archives and identified a well-made single-play turntable designed back in the 1970s. This, he realised, was the basis for his own deck and within a year he'd set up a collaborative venture to produce the 'Pro-Ject 1'. This was a reworked version of the 'Gramofon Tesla NC 500', a two-speed belt-driven deck with an AC motor mounted, as with so many of Pro-Ject's subsequent models, using a rubber suspension at 10.30 o'clock at the back of the plinth.

What followed, as every audiophile knows, is arguably the biggest success story in hi-fi history. Pro-Ject Audio Systems' new headquarters is based in Mistelbach, Austria [see HFN Sep '18] and pictured here is its latest 'Debut' player in real wood veneer, complete with acrylic lid. PM