Turntables — Pro-Ject Debut Carbon EVO

Launched by Pro-Ject Audio Systems of Austria in 2020, the belt-driven Debut Carbon EVO marked the third major stage of the Debut line, following the original Debut of 1998 and the Debut Carbon of the early 2010s. Pro-Ject counts close to 1 million Debut units sold. The EVO is now in the maker's archive of discontinued models. It leaves the factory with a fitted and pre-adjusted Ortofon 2M Red moving-magnet cartridge, while the US version carries a Sumiko Rainier.

Key specs that matter

Speed selection between 33 and 45 rpm is electronic, and 78 rpm becomes available after fitting the supplied round belt. The 300 mm steel platter weighs 1.7 kg and turns on a bronze bushing around a stainless steel axle. Wow and flutter is rated at 0.17% at 33 rpm and 0.15% at 45 rpm, speed drift at 0.5% and 0.6%, and signal-to-noise ratio at 68 dB. The 8.6 inch one-piece carbon arm measures 218.5 mm in effective length, with 6.0 g of effective mass and 18.5 mm of overhang. An external 15 V DC supply powers the motor, which draws 4 W in use and 0 W in standby. The deck measures 415 x 113 x 320 mm and weighs 6 kg.

Engineering and use context

A ring of thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) bonded inside the platter rim damps ringing in the metal and puts extra mass at the edge for a flywheel effect. The AC motor sits on a redesigned suspension with a TPE-damped flange that keeps its vibration away from the plinth. Three height-adjustable metal feet replace the four plastic feet of earlier Debuts, so the deck can be levelled on an uneven surface. Power and speed are handled by a three-position switch on the underside, which leaves the top of the plinth clear. Arm tube and headshell form a single piece, a screw at the bearing end adjusts azimuth, and anti-skating uses a weight hanging on a thread. The MDF plinth came in three high-gloss and five satin painted finishes or in real walnut veneer. Pro-Ject deliberately left out a phono stage, Bluetooth and USB. The box contains an acrylic dust cover, an adapter for 7 inch singles and a semi-balanced Connect it E lead for the gold-plated RCA sockets and earth terminal.

Pairing

The factory 2M Red has an output of 5.5 mV and needs a 47 kOhm moving-magnet load, so the deck needs either an MM phono section in the amplifier or a separate MM phono preamplifier. The standard counterweight balances cartridges weighing 5 to 8.5 g, and any half-inch mount model fits the headshell. Playing shellac records requires an Ortofon 2M 78 stylus as well as the round belt.

Alternatives

The Pro-Ject Debut EVO 2 is the next-generation Debut, with a TPE-damped die-cast aluminium platter, a CNC-milled arm bearing block and a Pick it MM EVO cartridge.