Pro-Ject Debut EVO 2, Next Generation Audiophile Turntable with Carbon Fiber tonearm, Electronic Speed Selection and pre-Mounted Pick it MM EVO Cartridge, Made in Europe (Walnut)

Absolutely love it was brought as a Christmas gift and honestly absolutely amazing I will be buying again

Ok so my first step into vinyl is this turntable. I like it because its all about sound quality, no phono stage, bluetooth, USB or automatic functionality is included.My setup for reference is M8 series pre/power musical fidelity feeding kef R11's.I purchased the satin white, be warned it is actually matt white but for me that was a pleasant surprise.Item is well packaged and the isolation feet, sub platter and tonearm are already fitted.Build quality is more than satisfactory , well put together nice looking and relatively hefty. I love the adjustable isolation feet as my hifirack was a couple of degrees off and wasn't levelI appreciate this is my first turntable Ive setup but be warned, the instructions are blocks of technically worded text. There are photos, that dont help much due to the terrible contrast applied to them. Fortunately there are youtube videos out there that are really helpful .This is where my hardware criticism starts. The Antiskate weight is not only tiny but has the thinnest wire attached to it, barely visible to the naked eye. Your expected to hook the loop of the cable around a notch in a tiny arm and then through a hook. It falls off so easily especially when you operate the tonearm . Stupid design . To counter it I strongly suggest a tiny 5mm piece of electrical tape across the top to trap the wire and keep it secure. No problems nowNext hardware flaw, the plastic cover. Be careful to lift it up once its seated on the two prongs, one time it came off the prong on one side and knocked the tonearm! Had to rebalance the whole thing!Next problem, The mat ! Why the hell make a felt mat! Almost every time you take a record off the static causes the matt fibres to stick to the backside record!! Still that's what cork matts are for.My final issue. While the supplied phono cable seems to be nice quality its not really. The connectors are pretty cheap and flimsy. Also the inbuilt ground cable is terminated and soldered with spade connectors. Small spade connectors which means the other end couldn't fit my preamp properly. Even just about getting it on still generated low level hum. To Fix that i installed 2.5mm gauge sheathed copper cable and connected via bare wire either end. Used instead, van de hul cables for the phono inputs. No Hum.To confirm these are annoying issues the first time round but after seeking alternatives and making my own little diy touches no longer cause me any problems.Sound quality is amazing . I was performing direct AB comparisons to CD equivalents with switchable inputs on my PRE. My first albums to name but 2 was both Fine Young Cannibals albums. Original issues .Wow what a detailed warm cohesive sound with incredible beats. Roland's vocals really become flesh and make you feel hes right in front of you especially with some of those dynamic peaks.Another album I demoed was Tina Turners Private dancer and while the record condition was far from great. The bass extension the project can pull out of the recording along with tinas maniacal peaks and deep lows was incredible . The songs became so lively and energetic I was scared how good it sounded.To top it off my dads Allman brothers band record. Never heard it before but the record was mint despite being decades old. Ive never generally associated Allman brothers albums with audio fidelity but wow. The vocals the instrument separation and the detailing of every guitar strum was so vivid it makes me want to listen to it again.In conclusion . Its got the looks the build quality . While I gave it a hard time on the setup side once you've solved these tiny problems its all good . I like how there is an extensive upgrade path and even though the supplied cartridge is apparently an average one it makes me wonder just how much more incredible this turntable can sound!

The media could not be loaded. This is my recent upgrade from a Rega P1. It was a little more involving to set up over the P1 and in my opinion a little less forgiving. Firstly, it does look the part especially since the upgrades I have installed. I’ve gone for the acrylic platter, aluminium sub platter, upgraded power supply and isolation platform all from Pro-ject……does it make a difference? It’s not night and day but I have noticed.I like that the supplied RCA is good quality and independent from the turntable ( Rega RCA is built in) so I have the option to change at a later date should I wish. This and maybe a combination of the upgrades has also eliminated the interference hum I used to get from the Rega.It does sound good and detailed, although a little harsh at times to my ears. My next upgrade will be a different cartridge.I love the aesthetics and the fact it has an upgrade path. My listening has been mainly dominated by streaming over the last few years but since buying this turntable I find myself heading towards my records more often leading to a downside……the expense of buying new vinyl at every opportunity!I don’t consider myself an audiophile…..far from it, just an average listener that’s in his 4th year of home audio.Last thing to note, the packaging left marks on the dust cover that I couldn’t get off that was a little frustrating but I don’t use the dust cover and it’s safely stored in the original box.

Arrived unusable, apparently the cartridge wasn't fitted correctly. And the tonearm balancing is a faff. Was returned for a refund and went to a local independent dealer for a Rega.