Pro-Ject Debut Carbon EVO, Audiophile turntable with Carbon Fiber tonearm, Electronic Speed Selection and pre-mounted Ortofon 2M Red phono cartridge (High Gloss Black)

Product Information

The EVO weighs in at 13.2 pounds and measures 16.3 inches wide by 4.5 inches high and 12.6 inches deep. Pro-Ject specifies the wow and flutter at +/- 0.19 percent and speed drift +/- 0.6 percent, both at 33 rpm. The signal-to-noise ratio is specified as 68 dB. From there, the Carbon Evo builds on the qualities of its more affordable brethren. The biggest gains are to be had in the soundstage and bass. Put succinctly, the Carbon Evo finds more space in the record and then proceeds to fill it more effectively. Without the low end ever sounding overcooked or dominating the performance, the Pro-Ject hits harder and goes deeper. Analogue bass is a function of engineering; it can’t be easily created any other way. The Carbon Evo is able to give much more of a hint as to what the high end of analogue is capable of at a fairly terrestrial price point.

The Speaker Box 5 S2 is an unreasonably good speaker. There’s a fundamental ‘rightness’ to the way it makes music So please advise me on my placement of my 2-way KEF standspeakers: being 5ft 10.5 ft between centre to centre of both speaker boxes, 10ft 2inch from from centre of each loudspeaker box to my ears. Both loudspeaker boxes are toed-in directly toward my ears."

Upgrade Your Debut Carbon EVO Turntable

The Carbon EVO had a good range, a sense of transparency and speed while at the same time being soft and relaxed, with a slightly dark character, which rules out any possibility of roughness. The Debut Carbon EVO features Pro-Ject's new designed motor suspension. Pro-Ject have improved the old design to consistently reduce the vibrations better than before. Right from the beginning, the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon EVO was far better: more emotional and weighty, more living-and-breathing, more detailed, more dynamic, more spacious. Also much more engaging and resolute without any distraction of harshness. As a somewhat 'seasoned' vinyl guy (owning 1,000+ LPs), I can only tell you there is huge gap between digital & vinyl. Pro-Ject's TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) technology now helps to damp the resonance completely and also increases the weight to 1,7 kg. Because the TPE is mounted to the inside of the platters rim, the moving energy will also create a flywheel effect. The result is an even quieter and noiseless operation with less wow and flutter.

One of the most significant aspects of this test has been to discover that some of the upgrades that Pro-Ject offers for the Debut Carbon Evo are more about ensuring it delivers the level of performance you might expect from the basic turntable but when used in more demanding conditions. The Cork IT, High Power IT and Absorb IT are less about boosting the performance of an optimally set up Carbon Evo and more about ensuring that it continues to work in spaces with more static electricity, with devices with two wire mains and in rooms where footfall is an issue. What’s more, they do this very effectively indeed. The Ground IT potentially also fits in this category too as it allows the Pro-Ject to function as the maker intended regardless of the surface you have placed it on. Pro-Ject's previous metal platter was already heavier than anybody elses on the market, but metal platters inherently have a disadvantage: resonance. You wrote like an loudspeaker expert, telling us proper positioning the loudspeakers could make digital sound better. Despite that nod to convenience, we think you’ll want to interact with this record player as much as possible. Having followed Pro-Ject’s Debut line for many years, we find there’s a real sense of it reaching adulthood with the new Debut Carbon Evo. Pro-Ject used Pro-Ject's technology and experience gained from the past and fit damping techniques of highend turntables into the Debut Carbon EVO. Looking at more advanced TPE damping and highmass sandwich constructions Pro-Ject were able to come up with a new motor and suspension solution for the Debut Carbon EVO.The metal-based platter is heavy at 1.7kg, it features a thermoplastic elastomer damper on the inside rim that creates a flywheel effect. Pro-Ject claim this delivers a “quieter and noiseless operation with less wow and flutter”. A passive preamp is therefore a "bypass" straight line, an absolute comparison reference, technically & sonically for any preamp with gain, including Nelson Pass preamps, for sure. That should please newcomers who want to enjoy vinyl with minimal fuss, but be aware that the Planar 2 doesn’t have a built-in phono stage, so it needs to hook up to a stereo amplifier that has one. Or you can always buy a separate unit. That’s the case with both of these turntables, so certainly it’s not a reason to discriminate between the two. The Debut Carbon EVO is an attractive turntable with clean, modern lines. The plinth is available is nine different finish options, including Satin Walnut and a variety of colors in both satin and gloss finishes. A few months ago, a friend asked me to recommend a record player. This friend knows and loves music as much as I do; when he visits, we spend our time drinking wine and listening to records. Last time, it was Scott Walker, Fela, Joni Mitchell, Jacques Brel, Burzum, and both glorious sides of The Chronic.

The Pro-Ject Debut Carbon EVO is a fine piece of engineering that will fit well in the highest quality HiFi systems The turntable to which this arm is attached is also recognisably a Debut but one that a fine tooth comb has been applied to. The platter is made from steel, as it has been on many previous iterations but there is now additional dampening. This takes the form of a ring of TPE (Thermoplastic Elastomer) around the inner lip of the platter and it results in a pleasingly inert sound when you tap it.

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Sound quality is always our main concern, so it’s still the Rega for us, but that’s a split, rather than an unanimous, decision. The answer to which is better for you will come from hearing both for yourself, but don’t let that frustrate you – you’ll be in the company of two of the best record players ever made at this price. Structurally, the Debut Carbon EVO is most recognised by its expertly finished main chassis, available in nine elegant finish options. The traditional rectangular footprint has a timeless minimalism, and is made of MDF for its excellent anti-resonant properties, and this tendency to minimal vibrations continues throughout the Debut design. Pro-Ject is one of the go-to names when people talk about great-sounding yet affordable turntables, and the Debut Carbon (the predecessor to this new model), was perhaps the company's crown jewel. It's now been dethroned. First off, do you know what 70dB+ means to you? Some 10 million time from 0dB !!! Do you know our ears "channel separation" on incoming soundwaves ??? Whether or not the Debut Carbon Evo is the best record player for you might be decided by whether you prefer its fuller, more relaxed character or the more spritely and lean alternative of its main competitor. What is clear from the 10 stars shared between the two is that there is no clear winner for every listener.