If you’re reading this Pro-Ject Debut Carbon review, you are probably interested in buying a high-quality turntable. You might’ve read something about the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC) in our best turntables under $1000 line-up and want to learn a bit more, or this is the first time you’re introduced to the turntable and want to crack its mysteries. Whatever your case might be, you’ve definitely come to the right mid-range turntable. Now, let’s learn more about the design, features, and performance of the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC) and see if passes your test.
Pros
- Precise, detailed, and consistent sound
- A high-end, carbon fiber, low-resonance tonearm
- Enlarged metal platter for better performance
- High-quality components, among which the Ortofon 2M Red moving-magnet cartridge
- The change speed has to be done manually
Design
Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC) is a turntable designed for the audiophiles out there that like to enjoy in clear and intense sounds. The turntable comes in various different colours offering greater personalization which is a plus. More precisely, it comes in gloss-black, white, red, blue, yellow, silver, purple, green, and walnut-like mat.
Whatever the colour, the turntable looks very sleek and its outer components’ designs perfectly add to its elegance. There’s the metal turntable platter that has an increased size and weight so it can perform better when the record is rotating. The platter comes with a black felt slipmat that prevents the record from being scratched by the platter and firmly keeping it in its position. Furthermore, the carbon fiber tonearm not only looks beautiful, but is also one with an upgraded quality in comparison to some of Pro-Ject’s other turntable models. The Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)’s feet are also really worth mentioning for they add to the overall appearance of the turntable too and provide good support for the it.
All of the components look great on the high-gloss or mat plinth, giving the turntable a hi-tech style. However, the good aesthetics are but a tiny piece of what they have to offer to the potential user. The components on the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC) have also been designed to be highly resonance-resistant and function with high precision.
The Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC) weights 12.35 pounds and comes within the dimensions of 12.6 x 16.3 x 4.7 inches. It is robust and not easily breakable, and there is also a detachable dust cover included in the package.
Features
Now, this Pro-Ject Debut Carbon review wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t mention some of this turntable’s excellent features.
As I mentioned earlier, the tonearm on the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC) is made from carbon fiber. Pro-Ject was really generous with this improved component because these types of tonearms are usually reserved for the higher-end turntables. But what’s the big deal? How does an 8.6 inch, carbon tonearm serve the turntable?
The answer lies, of course, in the carbon. The carbon makes the tonearm very light-weighted while at the same time resonance-resistant. These two qualities help the tonearm’s tracking and prevent the unwanted vibrations to obstruct the record’s sound.
Other than that, the tone arm has a great-quality anti-skating system and comes equipped with a counterweight to help balance it. However, the neatest part that is pre-attached to the arm is the Ortofon 2M Red magnetic cartridge. This cartridge is of great quality, and it is very precise. Its electric signals making sure they represent the motion of the needle on the record’s grooves very accurately. The cartridge is replaceable, and you can upgrade it with a cartridge model that you find more attractive.
Details matter
I already talked a bit about the size and weight of the platter being increased on the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC). This is a great improvement in comparison to some of Pro-Ject’s other turntable designs. The reason it was done was record rotation optimization.
Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC) is synchronous belt-driven turntable. This means that there is no interaction between the motor and the platter. The turntable’s motor is an low noise AC one with decoupling. It works great together with the DC power supply and its ultra precision frequency AC generator guaranteeing a consistent speed of the record and no vibration. This motor also has a TPE (thermo plastic elastomers) motor suspension system as a dampening material. So again, bye-bye vibration, and welcome clear sound.
The turntable will rotate records at 33 1/3 and 45 RPM and it comes with the required RCA cables. While other turntable having phono preamp built-in, Pro-Ject DC requires an external preamp. You will need to buy yourself a preamp, however, since there isn’t one included with it.
Performance
The sound quality is impeccable when it comes to this debut series turntable. Pro-ject Debut Carbon (DC) won’t fail to amaze you once you turn it on and put that record on the platter. The moment the first sound is produced, you will hear how intense it is. As you go with the flow and the records continues spinning, you will also get to hear how crisp the sound is. And once the melody starts going up and down and all the music elements start to shape the song, you will be able to hear it all. All those tiny details, all those different parts of the song—it will all be crystal clear.
The vibration-free components of the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC) will not let you down as well. You will listen to the tracks that are on your record and nothing more—no background noise, no buzz, but only a rich, clear melody. Also, the motor will work accurately and your record’s speed change will not increase or decrease while it’s playing.
Wrapping up our Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Review
Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC) is the full package for anyone who would like an overall great high-end turntable at a mid-range affordable price. If that’s your case, you now know that this turntable is a win-win since it has a great design and features, and it’s performance is high-quality too. The turntable stands out from many other audiophile turntables on the market. It certainly makes its price tag, well, make sense. Perhaps it’s time to free up some space for it? For more options, read our Denon DP300F review and Audio Technica LP60 review articles.
