Review, Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Premium Turntable WITH Ortofon 2M RED
After having a turntable for all of my adult life and also for nearly all of my teen years I was a little devastated my classic and reliable Goodmans was causing some problems. 21 years of usage had taken it's toll. I did get it fixed but the sound was not the same. I did contemplate not having a turntable but I am one of those rare people who have always purchased records. Ok nothing like I used to but the odd one or two now and then. Mostly albums I really like. And also I do love the sound of records mostly as much of the so called remastered release thing is a load of crap. No record company will ever dish out master tapes for a remix. They may give out copies of the master so then you are buying a mix of a copy of a master. But anyhow the original mix tends to be the best. I decided to let my record collection live on.
Looking about the world in turntables has changed so much in the years. The big names seem to be gone. Well not so much gone but they are now fairly equal in terms of what they offer. All the budget models offer a USB connection, this is NOT what I want at all. I have no interest in connecting to a computer and recording as I have all my music digitally anyhow. Also the music quality of these turntables in the budget area are really bad.
Looking about the internet and Pro-Ject seem to be a big well respected brand. Reviews are all very good but do the magazines just opt for the ones who pay more for adverts? Chat to Hi Fi store and a quick listen. Ok I am interested. £300 on the credit card. Is it worth it?
Well for £300 you get a great solid base made of wood, three adjustable feet, a carbon fiber tone arm and the usual weights and belt tools. But this one has the Ortofon 2M RED cart as well. From my reading online it is a well respected cart. The carbon fiber tone arm shows how technology has come on, back in the 90s that was easily £1000+ for a deck with that. I love how the phono leads are not connected but you have the option of what leads to connect as the phono output is provided (many turntables have leads built in). Set up is a doddle and 10 min later I am browsing my records.
This deck has many things missing from my old one, it is not an automatic as in the record will never stop and then return the arm. Reasons are simple, to keep down noise and extra cost. But a simple and easy switch is placed at the side for the platter on/off. You get used very quickly to this. Also no speed switch! you have to remove the platter and switch the belt by hand. But I am a big album fan so it is not a real big problem. And I do find you tend to play singles one after another anyhow.
Choosing an album I have on CD and Vinyl for comparison*... AC DC and Back in Black. It is a handy one as I can play much of the guitar and bass on this album so I have a great idea of the tone the band use. The records sounds very much alive and loud, big difference is in the bass and mostly the drums. You can feel all the drum hits, CD sounds great but just a little missing in the rhythm area. Not so much loudness but that little push you can give on a drum stick or bass line. The songs on the album that are a little less loud like Rock n roll... sound very much the same on both formats. But this was a rock album and the songs that need the sound have it. The record is a 1980 German press with A2,B2 stampers so nothing as near as a UK or US first press. The bell at the start of Hells Bells feels far more vibrant and the echo could make rats turn there heads 20 miles away. Again the CD lacks that sound.
Shoot to thrill finally feels like it's title, nice chugging bass sounds from Cliff, you do not always hear this mans playing but it is vital to the band, the riff on Give the Dog a Bone sounds fantastic, big bold and as like nothing I have heard from this album before. Vocals also sound way brighter, less treble and more of a fatter sound to them. The stereo sound on this feels way more instant as well, just a little bit here and there to keep you on your toes, again I have never noticed that.
Other albums again come over very well, Pretenders first album sounds way better to me, again more help is given to the bass and vocals. I have never heard Chrissie like that before! A newer album in Nick Cave and Push the Sky Away one of my favorite albums of 2013. I have had about a year to listen to this album and it has never sounded as good as this. The intro to the first rack genuinely makes me jump, the clarity is immense. His voice sounds so clear, as does the music. With a nice ensemble of instruments it is a great album to test the turntable, all the music sounds fantastic.
I have some classic albums from first pressings as well, first up is Bruce Springsteen, Darkness on the Edge of Town. This album does not sound as loud as others but it is perfectly balanced. I did not have to turn it up as I feel this is how the album was made to be enjoyed. As the melodies come in on Badlands you feel a little more of the volume from the extra vocals. Guitars do sound far better on this turntable and it does help this album, Candy's Room has a nice little solo/interlude part that fills the room.
All in for £300 a great turntable and well worth the money. Great quality and much room for upgrades if and when you want to. A new platter or cartridge could easily improve it even more. But that is really for the big budget of an audiophile. For nearly all music fans after a great deck then this is it. Out of the box it works really great. There are even a set of good leads thrown in. Negatives are very few, the slip mat is really pitiful, I have my own so suggest buying a new one off e bay (£10 or so), sound wise it is really great, bass is rich and vocals are clear as a bell.
My set up is Cambridge Audio A300 amp, Cambridge Audio 640p phono stage and Eltax Millennium Speakers (non bi wireable). Good interconnects and speaker wire throughout.
Twitter: 29xthefun
*The CD vs Vinyl debate is one I find fun to do, but it is not for all albums as all are recorded, mastered and mixed completely differently.
