Pro-Ject and PSB Bundle: Debut Carbon Evolution Audiophile Turntable in High Gloss White with Alpha AM5 Compact Powered Bookshelf Speaker in White (Pair)

Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evolution Audiophile Turntable in High Gloss White

The Debut History
In the mid-90s, at the height of the Compact Disc, Pro-Ject set a goal: bring back the analog sound experience. We decided to create a turntable that could deliver true analog sound at a price that a new, younger generation of record lovers could afford. It must sound great, be simple in setup and pleasing to use, then exude quality while remaining affordable. It should also come in a range of colors so it could serve as a centerpiece in any home. The first units that came off the production line in 1999 were a runaway success. We quickly scaled up production to meet the demands of a new wave of analog enthusiasts that the industry had forgotten about. After more than 20 years, the Debut is still one of the best-selling turntables in the history of Hi-Fi with close to 1 million units sold. The Debut made listening to vinyl an affordable option for music lovers, while its clean, minimalist aesthetic and premium finish options helped make analog fashionable again. We have continually improved upon the Debut formula, adopting new technologies and trends to ensure it was always the best option for under $500. In the early 2010’s the Debut Carbon was introduced, it stunned the high-end audio world by incorporating exotic materials such as carbon fiber, thermoplastic elastomer, and a cartridge with $100 retail value. The Debut Carbon exploded in the US market where the resurgence of vinyl was really born. Today, vinyl playback has once again become the center of music lovers’ systems.

The Evolution
Building a great high-end turntable requires design expertise. Building a great & affordable turntable requires not only expertise, but also skilled engineering, flawless manufacturing, advanced material sciences, and relentless passion. Creating a worthy successor to the legendary Debut Carbon required rethinking and reevaluating every component and each design choice. The new Debut Carbon EVO represents the epitome of Pro-Ject’s philosophy: high performance, clean aesthetics, and superb value. The elegant, simple aesthetic is unmarred by gimmicky lights, sliders, and buttons. It is a pure, high-performance turntable. Should requirements call for a phono preamp, Bluetooth or digital connectivity, USB interface, etc., we offer a wide range of external electronics, optimized for any application.

Good Vibrations – From the Record to You
Vinyl playback starts with the cartridge, converting what’s in the three-dimensional record groove to an electrical signal. The new Sumiko Rainier phono cartridge combines superb trackability with uncanny accuracy and clarity without sacrificing smoothness. Factory mounted and aligned on an 8.6″ low-mass carbon fiber tonearm, the Rainier offers a replaceable stylus that can be easily upgraded to a Sumiko Olympia (or even a Moonstone!) in a matter of seconds. No need to replace the cartridge, reset the alignment nor rebalance the tonearm. The signal from the Rainier is transmitted via a single run of high quality copper wiring direct to high quality RCA connectors with a completely separate ground, preserving the balanced signal from the cartridge output. The Debut Carbon EVO is supplied with our Connect It E: a semi-balanced, low-capacitance cable with superior shielding designed specifically to carry the delicate phono signal.

Modern Materials Meet Mass
The main platter upon which the record is played should be heavy and non-resonant. The Debut Carbon EVO approaches this problem by using our proven 12” steel platter, now lined around the outer edge (bottom side) with an anti-resonant thermo-plastic elastomer (TPE). The result is a heavier platter with minimal noise over an expertly engineered main bearing and sub-platter. The added rotational mass enhances the flywheel effect, yielding reduced wow & flutter and higher stability while damping resonance.

A Stable Stance
The Debut Carbon EVO benefits from the huge range of higher-level design elements Pro-Ject has to offer, incorporating the special TPE-damped metal feet from our award winning X1 turntable. Not only do the vibration-absorbing feet help isolate the turntable, they are easy to adjust and leveling the turntable is now as simple as can be. A perfectly leveled, solid & stable platform is crucially important for proper vinyl playback.

Vibes We Don’t Want to Hear
Motors vibrate. That is a challenge for any turntable designer to overcome as those vibrations can transfer to the tonearm and cartridge, negatively affecting sound quality. The Debut Carbon EVO features a new motor suspension system, decoupling the motor from the plinth to reduce the transfer of vibration. The only vibes we want are in the record grooves. Leveraging advanced damping solutions with high-mass composite construction, we created the new motor suspension system using a steel plate and TPE decoupling to isolate the motor while ensuring the spindle is perfectly aligned with the sub-platter for impeccable speed stability and smooth transfer of rotational force.

No Need to Watch Your Speed
Many turntables utilize AC motors that rely on your power line to maintain the correct speed. Many are so erratic they have to provide speed-control which needs to be monitored and adjusted over time. Some high-end designs offer an additional, usually expensive external power controller to stabilize speed. The Debut Carbon Evolution implements a sophisticated onboard power control circuit that generates a very precise signal to ensure accurate and consistent speed regardless of power fluctuation. There’s no need for adjustment nor gimmicky lights and sliders. You can simply rely on spot-on accuracy. Given the increasing popularity of 9″ and high-quality 45rpm records (due to their superior sound quality), we have incorporated electronic speed switching on the EVO. The speed selector switch is cleverly integrated with the power switch under the front left corner, which also maintains the sleek ergonomic design the Debut is known for.

Time for Evolution
The heavy, solid MDF plinth is painstakingly layered with eight coats of paint, available in finishes that look and feel luxurious. Debut Carbon EVO is crafted in traditional high-gloss black, white and red as well as in beautiful satin finishes including new soft pastel colors and a real walnut veneer. The engineering and manufacturing are the culmination of decades of know-how, investment, and passion. We build our products for the love of music, knowing that they might be handed down to future generations along with lovingly curated record collections. We have taken our most beloved turntable design and improved nearly every aspect of it. The result is an incredibly refined product with a price/performance ratio that sets a new standard.

Features:

• 8.6″ one-piece carbon fiber tonearm
• Low-friction precision sapphire tonearm bearings
• Sumiko Rainier phono cartridge, factory mounted and aligned (US only)
• Heavy 1.7kg steel platter w/ TPE damping
• Electronic speed selection for 33 & 45rpm (78rpm capable)
• TPE-damped motor suspension
• Premium gold-plated, chassis-mounted RCA jacks
• One continuous run of high-purity copper tonearm wire
• Shielded termination box
• Height-adjustable TPE-damped aluminum leveling feet
• Hinged adjustable dust cover
• 1.23m semi-balanced phono cable with dedicated ground wire
• 8-coat lacquered finish in 3 high gloss colors, 5 satin matte finishes or real walnut veneer
• Manufactured in the European Union
• Two year parts and labor warranty
• Package Contents
• Debut Carbon EVO turntable
• Sumiko Rainier phono cartridge (mounted & aligned)
• Adjustable acrylic dust cover
• Drive belt for 33 1/3 & 45rpm
• Drive belt for 78rpm
• Adapter for 7″ singles
• Connect It E phono cable with external ground wire
• Felt record mat
• Multi-voltage power supply
• Specs
• Speed: 33, 45/(78)rpm (electronic speed change)
• Drive principle: belt drive, electronic speed control
• Platter: 300mm, 1.7kg steel
• Platter damping: TPE damping ring and felt mat
• Main bearing: stainless steel, brass bushing
• Wow & flutter: 33: +/-0.19%; 45: +/-0.17%
• Speed drift: 33: +/-0.6%; 45: +/-0.7%
• Signal to noise: 68dB
• Tonearm: 8.6″ carbon fiber one-piece tonearm tube
• Effective arm length: 218.5mm
• Effective arm mass: 6.0g
• Overhang: 18.5mm
• Included accessories: 15V DC / 0.8A power supply, dust cover
• Power consumption: 4W / 0W standby
• Dimensions: 415 x 113 x 320mm (WxHxD)
• Weight: 6kg net
• Sumiko Rainier
• Frequency range: 12-25,000Hz
• Channel separation: 25dB/1kHz
• Output voltage: 5mV
• Recommended load impedance: 47kohms (MM input)
• Compliance/stylus type: 10µm/mN – elliptical
• Recommended tracking force: 20mN
• Weight: 6.5g

PSB Alpha AM5 Powered Bookshelf Speaker in White (Pair)

Rich, powerful stereo sound for vinyl, music streaming, and more.
The Alpha AM5 is a powered two-speaker stereo system that will revolutionize your traditional home audio experience. Featuring trickle-down acoustic technology from PSB’s most iconic speaker designs, the AM5 powered speaker includes a custom designed driver set with a ¾” aluminium ferrofluid-cooled tweeter and a 5 ¼” midbass woofer that together deliver a rich and detailed full-range sound. You can listen to favourites on vinyl with a built-in phono preamp, or stream music and playlists via Bluetooth in true high-definition with Qualcomm aptX HD. It’s PSB legendary sound, for everything you listen to and enjoy.

Behind the Alpha Series
First designed and manufactured in a small Canadian town in 1991, the Alpha Series started with the simple idea of creating affordable speakers that were focused purely on performance. With passion and dedication in pursuit of a natural sounding speaker, and by leveraging almost 50 years of research conducted at the Canadian National Research Council, the Alphas are known as one of the world’s most iconic speakers and are still the reference benchmark for entry-level hi-fi speakers today.

Matched components, unmatched performance
Leveraging amplification expertise from our sister brands provided the PSB design team the considerable advantage of designing a speaker for a known amplifier. By adding the power of digital signal processing, frequency response, bass extension and output are optimized to a remarkable level of performance. Very few powered speakers share intellectual resources of this magnitude, making the Alpha AM5 a standout in the crowd of powered speakers. A renowned amplifier company and speaker company perfecting the powered speaker is truly a match made in acoustic heaven.

Flexible and convenient
Just like its smaller brother, the AM3, these powered bookshelf speakers are effortless to set up and use. There’s no amplifier to hook up or apps to download. Streaming your favourite music from your devices is easy thanks to aptX Bluetooth – simply pair and play. Enjoy connecting them to your computer or TV for clear, natural sound. The AM5 even features several sound modes, allowing you to accentuate dialogue, soundstage and more. Vinyl lovers will appreciate the dedicated RCA phono input. Where desired, use the sub output to add a subwoofer for even deeper bass.

Simple, timeless design
Featuring acoustically transparent detachable magnetic grilles in a choice of matte black or matte white finish, the AM5 offers a simple and timeless design that seamlessly blends into any décor. The elegant cabinet design lends itself to a wide variety of placement options, from desktop to bookshelf, or even stand mount.

Features:

• 5 ½” (133mm) Black steel polypropylene midbass woofer
• ¾” (19mm) Aluminium ferro-fluid cooler tweeter with front waveguide
• Built with a high-performance Class D amplifier with 50 watts
• Acoustically engineered cabinet with a tuned port for low bass
• Built-in phono preamp with a rear RCA input for turntables
• Qualcomm aptX HD for high-definition Bluetooth streaming
• Rear mounted volume control, sub out, and AUX inputs
• Specs
• Frequency Response
• On Axis @ 0°±3dB: 55Hz-20Khz
• LF Cutoff -10dB: 36Hz
• Amplifier Power
• Amplifier Power: 50 watts x 2 rms
• Acoustic Design
• Tweeter: 3/4″ (19mm), Aluminum Dome with Ferrofluid, Neodymium Magnet
• Woofer
• Woofer: 5.25″ (100mm) Cone, Rubber Surround, Steel Basket
• Inputs
• Analog: 3.5mm, Phono MM
• Digital: Optical, USB,
• Wireless: aptX™ Bluetooth
• Design Type: Bass Reflex
• Construction
• Cabinet: MDF
• Cabinet Sleeve: Vinyl
• Baffle Front: MDF
• Grille: Perforated Metal
• Size (W x H x D)
• Net Dimensions: 6 3/4” x 11 2/5” x 9 1/2” (170 x 290 x 240mm)
• Net Weight: 21.5 lbs (9.75 kg)
• Shipping Dimensions: 18 3/8” x 13 3/8” x 15” (467 x 340 x 381mm)
• Shipping Weight: 23.6 lbs (10.71 kg)