Reviews of the Pro-Ject Debut PRO, identical to the Debut PRO B, but lacking the Debut PRO's balanced MM cartridge and balanced XLR outputs.
Editor's Choice Award 2024 – hi-fi+ Magazine
"Its prowess in handling dynamic shifts, subtleties in harmonic balance, and rhythmic expression sets a new standard in affordable fidelity.
"The Debut Pro's remarkable performance in delivering natural timing and musical expression solidifies its position as a standout choice for the vinyl newcomer. The Debut Pro's effortless expression exemplifies its exceptional ability to reproduce music faithfully, making it a standout performer at a very sensible price."
- hi-fi+ magazine, 25th Anniversary Issue, April 2024
Best Overall Record Player 2024 - What Hi-Fi?
"Not only a multiple What Hi-Fi? Award-winner, it's also now the best value option at this price point."
"This Debut Pro turntable is terrific at digging deep into the production and revealing layers of instrumental textures that most at this level ignore. It sounds incredibly precise and crisp. Its presentation is a little on the lean side, but the upside of such a balance is agility. It produces a stable and controlled sound too, one that retains its composure even when the music becomes dense and demanding. Stereo imaging and a spacious soundstage prove admirable and we are impressed with the sonic authority on offer."
- Kashfia Kabir, What Hi-Fi?, February 21, 2024
Best Designed Record Player 2024 - Rolling Stone
"Sleek and sophisticated, the Pro-Ject Debut PRO turntable is perfect for the stylish audio crew. It’s equipped with a fully adjustable Azimuth & VTA, an aluminum tonearm for perfect tracking, and a heavy aluminum platter with a TPE ring to dampen all resonances and minimize flutter. If you’re looking for the sexiest record player out there, look no further."
- Rolling Stone, February 20, 2024
Recommended Component 2023 – Stereophile
"The Debut PRO is a lively, fun, exhilarating turntable; it makes records—or rather music from records—jump, boogie, and sing… I was consistently surprised at the Debut PRO's ability to relay gobs of detail in a natural, compelling manner."
"This… handsome-but-unassuming record player proved to me what a manufacturer with decades of experience and expertise can do when designing an analog machine to a price point. The Debut PRO bowled me over with its dynamics, detail, soundstaging, spatial depth, and scale."
- Stereophile, April 1, 2023
"The Pro is the most ambitious and sophisticated Debut model we’ve heard. It is a superb sounding package that’s built well and is easy to set-up. If you are looking for a record player at this level, ignore this one at your peril. Highly recommended."
- What Hi-Fi?, October 12, 2022
Recommended Component 2022 - Stereophile
"The Debut PRO is a lively, fun, exhilarating turntable; it makes records—or rather music from records—jump, boogie, and sing."
"I was consistently surprised at the Debut PRO's ability to relay gobs of detail in a natural, compelling manner."
"If you're in the market for a $1000 turntable, the Debut PRO is an easy choice."
- Ken Micallef, Stereophile, December 30, 2021
The 10 Best New Audio Products of the Year - Gear Patrol
"It's stunning to look at, obviously, but it also has some key upgrades — redesigned tonearm, Sumiko Rainier cartridge, heavy aluminum platter — to further eliminate resonance and ensure it sounds spectacular. You're not going to find a better turntable for less than a grand."
- Tucker Bowe and Eric Limer, Gear Patrol, December 9, 2021
"Having lost count of the Debuts I've tried, I'll confirm one thing: each new model delivered an advance on its predecessor. If, as CEO Heinz states, the PRO is the ultimate expression of the Debut concept, and further gains mean moving up to the next range in the catalogue, he couldn't have come up with a more fitting way to mark Pro-Ject's 30th anniversary. Simply stated, the Debut PRO is a knock-out."
- Ken Kessler, Hi-Fi News, October 25, 2021
"With the Debut Pro, Pro-Ject Audio Systems has introduced an outstanding product to celebrate the company’s 30th anniversary. Companies often launch flagship products to mark special occasions, but what I like about this turntable is that it’s in keeping with the company’s tradition of making high-quality vinyl playback accessible to the masses."
"Although the Debut Pro sits a rung above entry level on the high-end ladder, its asking price seems like a bargain given all that it offers. For the money, one gets a European-made turntable fitted with an excellent cartridge, plus a gorgeous tonearm made from aluminum and carbon fiber, with nickel-plated parts throughout. Furthermore, the Debut Pro offers an excellent platform to experiment with cartridge upgrades and better phono stages to elevate its performance even more, making for a package that could easily serve as the backbone of an analog system for many years. Even for a tweaky audiophile, the Debut Pro is likely the only turntable one would ever need—so recommending it is a no-brainer for me."
- Philip Beaudette, SoundStage! Hi-Fi, October 1, 2021
EISA Award - Best Value Turntable 2021-2022
"Launched to celebrate the company’s 30th anniversary, this very refined version of Pro-Ject’s entry-level turntable comes with a raft of improvements, not least of which is a new one-piece alloy/carbon fibre tonearm. The platter is now more heavily damped and non-magnetic, the suspension of both arm and motor have been enhanced, and a new Pick it Pro cartridge comes pre-fitted for near instant set-up and use. Described as ‘the ultimate expression of the Debut concept’, it sounds assured and involving – it’s an absolute knock-out, and a new champion for the entry level."
- Expert Imaging and Sound Association (EISA), 2021
"There is simply no discipline that the Debut PRO is weak in, and that is what makes it so good. If I had to highlight particular strengths, it would be its pressure and its low-frequency pull, which almost reminds me of old Garrard-style friction wheel players."
"...this new Pro-Ject Debut PRO fulfills old HiFi criteria such as resolution, freedom from discolouration and spatiality with flying colors, but it also offers that special something, that emotional kick, which turns HiFi into high end. To be honest, I wouldn't have surprised me at twice the price of this device."
"...a fine-mechanical, very coherent device, designed with a lot of experience and attention to detail, which is a visual and haptic delicacy. In terms of sound, it sets new standards in its price class, which the competition will have to nibble on. Powerful and dynamic, fun to play and colorful, it shows no weaknesses in fulfilling all HiFi standard criteria and thus shows how cheap real high-end can be in the meantime. This Pro-Ject is going to be a classic!"
- Carsten Bussler, HIFISTATEMENT NETMAGAZINE, August 3, 2021
