Only last year, I added a no-name DAC (paid dirt cheap from a no-name web vendor) for processing music from my 50" 4KUHD WiFi TV via its optical Toslink output. I hook up the DAC to my audio rig to get the best sound quality available from the music performances (mainly classical music) streamed from YouTube - FREE !! Pro-Ject is one of the go-to names when people talk about great-sounding yet affordable turntables, and the Debut Carbon (the predecessor to this new model), was perhaps the company's crown jewel. It's now been dethroned.

I do admit to being a slight turntable hoarder. They fascinate me and I have never been able to get myself to part with one, so, they accumulate.The ability to tie all the musical strands together and paint them on a precise and spacious canvas seems to come easy to the Rega, and in that aspect its delivery just works. This reference level pressing does show that the tonality of the Carbon Evo is very good indeed. Instruments sound convincing and it finds the details in Porter’s voice to turn it from a portrayal into a performance. That additional space helps to take these believable individual snippets and stitch them into something that involves and envelopes the listener. Even with the decidedly less audiophile musings of Circa Waves What’s it Like Over There, the Pro-Ject is still a big, confident sounding turntable. 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.

The Debut Carbon EVO focuses on the core aspects that make a turntable sound great. Technically correct design – expert craftsmanship – handmade in the EU. This turntable is built to last you a lifetime! Redesigned motor suspensionThe EVO took me under ten minutes to set up, and everything felt dialed-in and ready to go almost immediately.” – Drew Kalbach, The Absolute Sound The new Debut Carbon Evo stands on three height adjustable damped aluminium feet to guarantee the perfect stand. Either in store or from the comfort of your own home. We appreciate life is busy, so why not let us make it a little easier for you. One of the most significant aspects of this test has been to discover that some of the upgrades that Pro-Ject offers for the Debut Carbon Evo are more about ensuring it delivers the level of performance you might expect from the basic turntable but when used in more demanding conditions. The Cork IT, High Power IT and Absorb IT are less about boosting the performance of an optimally set up Carbon Evo and more about ensuring that it continues to work in spaces with more static electricity, with devices with two wire mains and in rooms where footfall is an issue. What’s more, they do this very effectively indeed. The Ground IT potentially also fits in this category too as it allows the Pro-Ject to function as the maker intended regardless of the surface you have placed it on.

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.The in-house designed and manufactured AC drive motor is made to fine tolerances for minimal noise, but to further eliminate any potential interference the motor is decoupled from the main chassis by a new mounting plate with TPE-damping. The mounting plate isolates the motor while still keeping it perfectly level with the sub-platter drive system for absolute speed stability. The turntable plinth also sits on three height-adjustable aluminium feet with TPE-damping to ensure an absolutely stable platform with good isolation from the shelf it is placed upon.