While it's not the cheapest record player on the shelf, the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon is still an incredible value. We can’t recommend this turntable enough. 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.

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. 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. 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. 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 Speaker Box 5 S2 is an unreasonably good speaker. There’s a fundamental ‘rightness’ to the way it makes music

New for this model are a set of three height-adjustable, damped aluminium feet that will ensure the turntable always sits perfectly level on your cabinet or table, while reducing vibration. They look pretty cool, too, especially when contrasted against one of the more funky-coloured variants. 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

That’s not to say the Pro-Ject’s performance is clinical: it’s expressive, clearly displaying a good deal of subtlety and fairly wide dynamics. 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. Probably it’s the peak – bonus – prize of Pro-Ject’s decades-lasting honesty and respect towards vinyl and audiophiles. 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. We might seem too enthusiastic about a player in this price range, but the truth is that for the asking price, the Debut Carbon EVO does it all so well that it is hard not to admire the merit of the Austrian company.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 newest Pro-Ject’s creation outperformed tonally and once again emotionally – dare I say – pricier, older, and higher up the rank offerings. A classic signature feature of the original model that has been carried through is the carbon tonearm. Usually found on more expensive turntables, this provides significant benefits to the sound quality. Being stiffer than steel, the tonearm is more rigid, which helps reproduce the music more accurately. In short, the music sounds tighter, punchier and more detailed. 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. 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.

When the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon launched in 2012, three things initially stood out for us: the turntable's minimalist aesthetic, the range of bright colours variations, and the fact it had a carbon-fibre tonearm (hence the name). Well, all of those attributes are still present and correct in this new version.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.