Description
Pro-Ject Debut Evo Acryl with Ortofon 2M red Cartridge
Bit of History
From the middle of the 1990s, only a handful of years after Pro-Ject Audio Systems was founded and right at the peak of CD’s popularity, we could already see the growing number of people missing analogue music. In 1998 Heinz Lichtenegger and his UK distributor and long time friend, Laurence Armstrong, were sitting together dreaming of a record player that would make analogue sound accessible to more people. They wanted a new model that could deliver as close to high-end sound as possible, but at a price that a new younger generation could afford. Thanks to their dear friend and ProJect’s original product manager, Jiri Kroutil, within only a few days they had a sample and the Debut was born.
Today, after more than 20 years, the Debut is one of the best-selling products in the history of hi fi with close to 1 million units sold. As it made listening to vinyl an affordable option for music lovers, with its minimalist aesthetic and premium finish options it also made analogue fashionable again. Through the years we constantly kept improving our formula, moving with technologies and fashion trends. In the early 2010s, the Debut Carbon gave new life to the ongoing Debut revolution and now in 2020, it is time for the next generation.
The Evolution
The Debut Carbon is already nearly the perfect turntable, especially considering the price badge and the used materials. Now we took our time to think again. We have done a lot of research to make the Debut Carbon even better, but our main objective has not changed over the years. We still want to build an affordable high-performance turntable that not just looks incredibly luxurious and modern, but also features a great sound quality.
The Debut Carbon EVO Acryl focuses on the core aspects that make a turntable sound great. Technically correct design, expert craftsmanship, handmade in the EU. This turntable is built to last you a lifetime! Additional features that might negatively impact the overall audio performance or longevity are left out. At that level of sonic performance, it is always better to opt for a separate phono stage. If you want Bluetooth connectivity or a USB interface, Pro-Ject offer a broad portfolio of components at different performance levels to suit your budget.
Acrylic Platter
Pro-Ject Acryl It turntable platter included. Acrylic and vinyl go together like wine and cheese. Machined to match the acoustic properties of a record, the Acryl It is designed to disappear, so you hear nothing but the music on your favourite album.
The Perfect Stance
The old Debut Carbon had just one real drawback which we definitely wanted to improve on our new EVO model. Until now the Debut series was shipped with 4 dampened plastic feet. Our new Debut Carbon EVO Acryl uses 3 height adjustable heavy duty metal feet to ensure a level positioning on every surface. By using only 3 feet we were able to increase the stability on uneven surfaces, because a perfectly level turntable is essential for real high-end sound.
Redesigned Motor Suspension
The Debut Carbon EVO features our new designed motor suspension. The motor inside a turntable always vibrates, that is naturally the case. As the cartridge and stylus are very sensitive parts, these vibrations will also be transferred to your speakers and can cause mechanical noise. That is why it is important to suspend and decouple the motor from the plinth.
Our old suspension worked perfectly almost all the time, but we have improved the old design to consistently reduce the vibrations better than before. We used our technology and experience gained from the past and fit damping techniques of high end turntables into the Debut Carbon EVO. Looking at more advanced TPE damping and high mass sandwich constructions we were able to come up with a new motor and suspension solution for the Debut Carbon EVO.
Controlled Playback Speeds
As a result of customer feedback the Debut Carbon EVO acryl has a built-in electronic speed control as 9-inch records and high-quality 45 rpm records are getting more popular and more common due to their superior sound quality. Besides being able to effortlessly change replay speeds with the push of a button, the playback speed is electronically controlled with the utmost precision, which results in the most accurate and stable speeds.
With the included 78 rpm round belt you are also able to listen to your shellac record collection. Just change the needle to an Ortofon 2M 78 (not included) and install the round belt and you are ready to enjoy your music. The speed control switch has been moved to the bottom of the plinth, to keep the clean look the Debut is known for. You wont find any button, switch or printing on the plinth to ensure the luxurious aesthetics.
Tone Arm and Cable
The new Debut Carbon EVO Acryl features the proven 8,6‘‘ one piece Carbon tone arm design. In combination with the premium Ortofon 2M Red cartridge the super stiff, but lightweight tone arm delivers an insane sound quality with a convincing sound stage. The one-piece arm and head shell design prevents unwanted resonances and offers a solid physical bond to the cartridge.
To guarantee a perfect connection to your amp, all our turntables come with a high-quality phono RCA cable. Our Connect it E is a semi-balanced, low-capacitance cable, with superior shielding. Compared to other digital and analogue music sources, the signal coming from a turntable cartridge is very sensitive. Cheap RCA cables often do not provide the ideal requirements for a clean phono signal transmission to the amplifier.
Time For Evolution
We have taken our most popular turntable design and improved every aspect of it. The result is an incredibly refined product. The heavy and solid MDF plinth with new 8x hand-painted finishes look and feel better than ever before. They have been carefully chosen to reflect current trends and customer fashions. The Debut Carbon EVO is not only timeless by offering traditional high-gloss black, white and red finishes, or our fabled real-wood walnut veneer. Completely new, unique and trend-setting are the beautifully realised satin signature finishes in 5 different variations.
The new platter, motor-suspension, speed control and height-adjustable feet are small details when taken individually but as a whole they add up and result in a new Debut that does not only sound better than before, but also looks and feels better and more impressive than any Debut ever did, by a long shot. Again, we hope to have set the bar for an affordable high-performance turntable that also looks and feels incredibly luxurious higher than ever before.
In the Box
The new Debut Carbon EVO is supplied with an adjustable acrylic dust cover. Also included is an adapter for 7‘‘ singles, a Connect it E RCA phono cable, and, in addition to the standard drive belt, a round belt for 78 RPM records. You will also find a new, easy to follow, setup guide with all the information you need to correctly set up your new Debut Carbon EVO turntable.
Specifications
- Design: Belt drive with electronic speed control.
- Speeds: Nominal speeds 33 / 45 electronic speed change
- Bearing: High precision stainless steel axle in bronze bushing
- Base: Medium density fibreboard (MDF) base with four vibration absorbing rubber feet.
- Platter: Acryl It (acrylic platter)
- Motor: DC motor decoupled from base for reduced vibration transmission and better sound.
- Tone arm: Pro-Ject 8.6 Carbon one-piece tone arm
- Counterweight: High quality counterweight mounted in Sorbothane
- Effective arm length/mass: 218,5 mm/6,0 g
- Overhang: 18,5mm
- Cartridge: Ortofon 2M Red Moving Magnet cartridge pre-fitted.
- Signal to Noise: -68dB.
- Wow & Flutter: ±0.17%.
- Speed Drift: ±0.50%.
- Input Impedance: 47k ohms/100pf.
- Output Jacks: Gold-plated RCA phono jacks.
- Leads: Detachable RCA lead is included.
- Lid: Hinged Lid/Dustcover
- Power consumption: 4W / 0W standby
- Dimensions: 415 x 113 x 320mm (WxHxD)
- Weight: 6 kg net
- Included accessories: 15V DC / 0,8A power supply, dust cover, 78 RPM round belt, 7‘‘ single adapter
To view a review on this model head over to What HiFi
To view another Pro-Ject in our range head over to Esprit
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.