Pro-Ject Debut Carbon EVO, Audiophile Turntable with Carbon Fiber tonearm, Electronic Speed Selection and pre-Mounted Sumiko Rainier Phono Cartridge (High Gloss Black)

This turntable is a real beauty. I have the walnut version and it looks classy. The carbon tonearm, walnut plinth, sumiko cartridge, and dust cover all look great with clean lines and great style.The turntable itself came with the cartridge perfectly aligned from the factory. The counter weight and tracking were easy to set up and it all came well packaged with zero damage (which is surprising as I live in Alaska and things are often beat up when they arrive here).As for sound, first put on a Craig’s Brother album, followed by the Frightnrs, Brain Eno, and then some Debussy. So with a little punk, reggae, ambient, and classical had a good listen. The player stock from the factory sounded warm with great full bass and clear vocals. It might be a little less precise sounding then some tables but overall was very pleased with the sound.I wish it came with a nicer platter mat and wish the power supply had a longer cord. Besides those two small complaints, I’m really happy with this and am stoked that it’s all made in Europe with a Japanese cartridge. It’s nice to not be buying more Chinese stuff.

Nice . Easy set up

This record player is classy. It looks great on a shelf and it makes music sound… like music to my ears. The included needle is high quality but unfortunately I dropped it and ended up buying an upgraded replacement from the same brand. I did have issues with volume when I first set it up, but realized I needed to add a pre amp. I am new to audiophile quality equipment so I had to ask a friend what was causing this issue. With the tube pre amp the volume is great. It has two speeds for playing different sizes of records. It was also a little tricky to get the arm balance set up but I googled that and figured out that you need to follow a very specific order with setting the counterweight against the arm, which is indicated in the included directions. I love this thing but it definitely may be intended for more experienced users than me. It does not have Bluetooth connectivity but you can plug in an adapter for that if you’d like to, but that may diminish the sound quality.

Best for it's price range!

This is just a quick, direct, and honest one-month plus ownership review. At the time of this review, I have played around 30 LPs.Let’s start with the pros:- Unboxing and setup: 5 stars. Just follow the instructions, and in 10 to 15 minutes, you’ll be listening to your first vinyl. The tonearm counterweight force tracking scale is pretty precise. I used a force tracking scale, and it was only 0.1 grams off. To be honest, I don’t even think that the scale I used (I bought it on Amazon for 13 bucks) was precise enough to confirm the variance.- The motor is quiet and very precise. I measured the RPM at 33 1/3, and using my iPhone 12, I got 33.40 (I’ve seen reviews of $4k or more expensive turntables, with RPM higher variances. Not bad for a $600 turntable.- Platter: Seems to be well balanced. Nothing extraordinary, but at this price point, no complaints.- Plinth and feet: Are just good, nothing special to add about them (you can check the specs for further details).- Tonearm: It's lightweight and stable, with an elegant design that I think is well-executed.- Cartridge: The Sumiko Rainier is, without a doubt, an excellent choice for this turntable. When the stylus reaches the end of its life, and if the turntable’s performance remains the same, I’d consider an upgrade (the Sumiko Rainier can be easily upgraded by simply replacing the stylus). I’d suggest checking out some reviews about the interchangeable stylus for the Sumiko Rainier cartridge.Now, the cons, and the reason I rated the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo 4 stars instead of 5:- The dust cover hinges were too tight and very poorly installed, making the dust cover hard to open. After a few days, I realized that the screws attaching the hinges to the plinth started pulling out, damaging the plinth. I removed both hinges to assess the damage and find a solution. Once I became aware of a possible fix, I did a little research online and found a couple of postings confirming the issue and proposing the correct solution. This can be easily fixed by adding a spacer to both hinges (this is a known issue, so I’m surprised that the technicians [who don’t need to be engineers] couldn’t get this right from the factory).