The Debut 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 longtime 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 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 – we offer a broad portfolio of components at different performance levels to suit your budget.

Features

Damped From The Inside

Our previous metal platter was already heavier than anybody else‘s on the market, but metal platters inherently have a disadvantage: resonance.

Our 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 platter‘s rim, the moving energy will also create a flywheel effect. The result is an even quieter and noiseless operation with less wow and flutter.

Anytime 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 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.

The 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 highend turntables into the Debut Carbon EVO.

Looking at more advanced TPE damping and highmass 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 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.

From The Record To Your Amplifier

The new Debut Carbon EVO features the proven 8,6‘‘ one piece Carbon tonearm design. In combination with the premium Ortofon 2M Red cartridge the super stiff, but lightweight tonearm delivers an insane sound quality with a convincing sound stage.

The one-piece arm and headshell 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 realized 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.

Options

Phono Box – Moving Magnet/Moving Coil Phono preamp with line output

Most of today’s amplifiers are built without a specific phono cartridge input. The Phono Box is an ideal phono preamplifier for these hi-fi systems, accepting both MM and MC cartridges. The analogue output of the Phono Box can easily be connected to the line-input of your amplifier.

Phono Box E BT

Our entry level phono stage has been highly requested by the aspiring and rising audiophile. After the big success of our VT-E BT we decided to create a phono preamplifier that turns any turntable (with moving magnet cartridge) into a modern Bluetooth streamer. Phono Box E BT offers two separate inputs, one phono and one line level input, as well as two separate outputs. It can be used as an ordinary MM phono stage that connects to any hifi amplifier via its line level output (3.5mm jack) or it can be used as a Bluetooth streamer. It takes any provided analogue input signal, converts it and sends digital audio to any Bluetooth receiver within a 10m range. Those devices could be either Bluetooth headphones, speakers or any other Bluetooth receiver. The super-fast pairing is the icing on the cake and makes sure that listening to your LPs will be as painless and quick as possible.

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.

Key specifications

Speed: 33, 45/(78) (electronic speed change)

Drive principle: belt drive with electronic speed control

Platter: 300mm, 1.7kg heavy steel platter with TPE damping and felt mat

Platter bearing: high precision stainless steel axle in bronze bushing

Wow & flutter: 33: +/-0,17%; 45: +/-0,15%

Speed drift: 33: +/-0,5%; 45: +/-0,6%

Signal to noise: 68dB

Tonearm: 8,6” one-piece carbon tonearm

Effective arm length/mass: 218,5 mm/6,0 g

Overhang: 18,5mm

Included accessories: 15V DC / 0,8A power supply, dust cover, 78 RPM round belt, 7‘‘ single adapter

Power consumption: 4W / 0W standby

Dimensions: 415 x 113 x 320mm (WxHxD)

Weight: 6 kg net