What impressed me the most was the easy setup. The Debut Carbon EVO took me under ten minutes to set up, and everything felt dialed-in and ready to go almost immediately. The Carbon Evo is superbly made, isolated from the outside world in a way that most affordable turntables simply aren’t and it’s a breeze to setup. 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.

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. Pro-Ject includes a well-written manual and also a well-designed guide for the initial setup, something that we rarely find at this price point. There's nothing worse than buying a new record player and having no clue where to start. Thankfully, setting up the Debut Carbon is simple, even for beginners just getting into the hobby. This is due in no small part to the included manual which simply and clearly explains where everything goes.

While it's still incredibly easy to use (especially for anyone used to setting up more complicated players), you are giving up conveniences like auto start/stop, an anti-skate dial and a built-in phono preamp but for audiophiles, none of these downsides matter as the turntable’s sonic performance vastly outweighs its minor trade offs. It’s not the newest turntable around, and the competition may be tough, but even after a few years it has proved that it’s still among the class leaders at this price. We're loath to call it a negative – some would probably welcome the more subtle approach – but it did take a little sheen off our overall experience. Pro-Ject Debut Carbon EVO review: The alternatives The service from Richer has always been so good there was no choice where I would buy my replacement. There’s heat in the low frequencies, certainly, but they’re not overcooked and it’s certainly not at the expense of detail or texture. There’s a similarly lavish amount of detail retrieved in the midrange – it reveals so much about the glee and malevolence Nina Simone imbues her performance with it’s almost hair-raising – and while the top end is rolled off just fractionally, it’s far from a blunt instrument.

This is more great affordable Hi-Fi but done in a way that is brilliantly user-friendly. It’s hard to see the result as anything other than a Best Buy. The system has well-controlled, articulate, and detailed bass, without overemphasis.Rhythm sections were performed with a good sense of timing, good speed, and volume, avoiding any exaggeration. with the Debut Carbon EVO winning clearly. It achieved a phenomenal physical impact for its category, truthful tonal colors, and soundstage height. I was half tempted to have a change but the sound from the Evo was just right for my ears and set-up it seemed silly to change. The Debut doesn’t have any isolating suspension (unless you count a set of compliant feet) so make sure its support is as rigid and vibration-free as possible.Speed change is manual: you’ll have to take off the platter and move the belt by hand to go from 33⅓ to 45rpm. It has a kind of seductive, organic richness and woodiness, that we never were aware it was hidden inside the Ortofon 2M Red moving magnet – not until now. Like any worthwhile turntable, it’s very adept and tying everything together. There’s a tangible sense of performance from the Evo, even when it’s playing cut’n’paste collages from the likes of A Tribe Called Quest. The unity of a recording, the way the midrange rides on the low-frequency underpinnings, and the way the treble balances securely on the top, allows every record to sound coherent and convincing. Even with the most processed, machine-derived recordings, this Pro-Ject glides along with the sort of casual authority of sound that can only come from a well-sorted record player. There is no doubt that the entire performance of the Debut Carbon EVO model escalates to new levels of richness, realism, and detail retrieval, entering ‘restricted’ audiophile ground territory. What the Pro-Ject System does so well is give you the integration, flexibility, and convenience of an all-in-one but in a manner that is entirely Pro-Ject and tremendously appealing as a result.

Setting up the Debut Carbon EVO is ridiculously easy. Simply add the drive belt, platter and weights, and you'll be ready to drop that needle on the groove. Pro-Ject Debut Carbon EVO review: Sound Our review sample is in Fir Green, and very nice it looks too. The finish is flawlessly smooth, and as reassuring as the build quality. There's no built-in phono preamp with this model, though Pro-Ject goes some way towards compensating for this by including its high-quality Connect It E phono RCA cable in the box, ready for you to connect up your own device. 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.Of course, that is of little surprise. The company has long proven its ability to offer up a magnificently plush midrange, with vocals so often a particular treat when given so much warmth and held up by plenty of weight in the bass. The Pro-Ject handles tempos and rhythms with equal assurance. Oh, you’ll get a straighter edge and a more martial approach from a similarly priced Rega turntable, but the Evo counters (and strongly) with its unfussy nature and the almost ostentatious amount of detail it digs out. Prices valid in stores (all including VAT) until close of business on 28th November 2023. (Some of these web prices are cheaper than in-store, so please mention that you've seen these offers online.) It’s not the last word in absolute precision, and there are other similarly priced turntables that offer a little more bite and aggression. But if you value a smooth, informative ride from a beautifully engineered and nice-looking record player, don’t spend any money until you’ve heard the Debut Carbon Evo. Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo price and release date