Buy PRO-JECT - DEBUT III MATTE BLACK TURNTABLEPRO-JECT - DEBUT III MATTE BLACK TURNTABLE Product Description:
- Ortofon OM-5E moving magnet phono cartridgeFelt-covered steel platte
- Chromeplated stainless-steel axle and Brass bearing housing
- Aluminum tone armInverted hardened stainless-steel points for superior tracking
- Belt driveSilicone-damped arm lift
Product Description
Pro-Ject Debut III: The World's Best-Sounding, Best-Built Turntable Under $300 Now Save $80 on This Award-Winning Music Direct Best-Seller Forget about all the accolades and awards, what matters most is that the Pro-Ject Debut III delivers rich, organic, and inviting analog sound at levels unrivaled for its price. Now discounted by $80, it's a veritable invitation into a world of sound that yields constant rewards and pleasures. There's no longer any excuse to avoid diving head-first into the world of vinyl. The Debut III delivers the greatest return for the smallest investment of any product Music Direct offers. You have our guarantee on it. "They know how to build turntables at the Pro-Ject factory. Although the Debut III is their introductory model, great care has been lavished on its component parts - most are made in house - and on the final set-up. If you prefer to proceed cautiously into analog without risking a lot of money, the Debut III will communicate the essence of analog as well as any. In some ways, no CD player, no matter how much you spend can compete!" - Michael Fremer, Stereophile, Recommended Components Issue You've read the articles and heard the news: People are embracing vinyl like never before. Restaurants and retail businesses are spinning records on-site, boutique hotels are putting turntables in guest rooms, labels are reissuing artists' complete catalogs on vinyl, younger generations that won't touch CDs are spending hours rifling through LP racks, and sales are going through the roof. Why? Because there's nothing like the all-encompassing sound, hands-on feel, and multi-sensory experience of vinyl. "The Pro-Ject Debut III is a revelation...you will undoubtedly be stunned by how much more music you'll hear through the Pro-Ject Debut III turntable and its pre-mounted Ortofon OM-5E moving-magnet cartridge. You owe it to yourself to check out the Pro-Ject Debut III. I don't know of a turntable
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
95 of 107 people found the following review helpful.
Disappointment
By Steward Willons
Preface: I realize that this TT is very well received by many of the trade publications (Stereophile, et al.) and that many people think it's just great. Clearly, a great listening experience is possible. My review explains the problems that I had with the Pro-Ject Debut III so that if you identify with my position as a "guy who just wants to listen to records and have fun," you get the other side of the story. Before you give me a negative vote, at least read what I have to say and try to understand my experience.About me: I don't have a lot of money to spend on my audio hobby ($550 was my upper limit for the TT and a good phone preamp) and I tend to spend more money on buying music rather than gear. I have a lot of old jazz sides inherited from my grandfather as well as some newer electronic LPs. I'm a PhD student with reasonable motor skills (this will be relevant) and I'm no stranger to the world of audiophilia.My experience: After unpacking the TT, reading the instructions carefully, and watching two different tutorial videos, I was ready to try balancing the tonearm myself. It's fairly straightforward. I set the anti-skating weight according to the directions and everything was cool. Then I played my first record and noticed that the tonearm wasn't tracking properly and wouldn't stay in the groove. (This is a new LP, by the way) Clearly, I had not balanced the tonearm successfully. I repeated the process, this time adding a bit more downward force with the same result. Fast forward two frustrating hours of making infinitesimal adjustments and I could get the stylus to sit in the groove on a variety of new LPs. However, I was now getting thick distortion on everything. Too much downward force.I started all over again and found a happy medium, but I was still getting distortion in the left channel. This would seem to indicate that the cartridge was not properly seated. The instructions read, literally, "with the aid of a good magnifying glass..." reseat the cartridge, followed by insufficient instructions for a process I had never done, using a tools normal people do not have.I went to the net for advice on the many audio forums and found plenty of other people that had my same project - adults of normal intelligence who had trouble balancing the tonearm properly. Most of them bought a stylus tracking force gauge, which seemed to solve the problem in some cases. For others, they had to buy new tools and a powerful magnifying glass to reseat the cartridge themselves. This is all equipment that I could not afford after putting so much money into the TT and preamp. I put a call in to Sumiko, the North American distributor of Pro-Ject, left a detailed message with their support desk, and have yet to receive a response. This brings me to my first point:1) If you buy this TT online and you find that you can't set it up properly, you're simply out of luck. Maybe you know someone who has a stylus tracking gauge, but you probably don't. It's unreasonable to market a TT to neophytes with the possibility that they could end up like me.2) I'm unwilling to spend this much money on a product that requires extra equipment to do its job. Not everyone had this problem, but enough other people populating high end audio forums did that this isn't necessarily the 'plug and play' device that Pro-Ject would have you believe.3) At the end of the day, I'm not looking for a commitment; I just want to listen to some records and have a good time enjoying the music.4) Unless you have mostly pristine vinyl, this TT is very unforgiving. Most of my vinyl is old and, even though I clean it carefully, this TT really brings out the snap, crackle, and pop of old records.5) The anti-skating system on the Pro-Ject Debut line is idiotic. Where most TTs give you a dial that allow of a range of adjustments, Pro-Ject has a little magnet that hangs from one of three rungs, which means your anti-skating counterweight is always going to be approximate.6) It offers little isolation from vibrations. I live in an apartment and I can't put my audio system on its own high mass stand. Granted, tracking force issues may have exacerbated the touchiness of my TT, but it was pretty touchy anyway.Solution: I returned the Pro-Ject and bought and Audio Technica deck that, though scorned by the audiophile community as a (Gasp!) DJ turntable, is entirely sufficient. Sure, it's not the fanciest, best sounding thing on the planet and I'm sure it's not as good as a perfectly calibrated Pro-Ject Debut, but here's the point: it WORKS. I paid $400 for the Pro-Ject and $220 for the Audio Technica. That savings, plus the fact that it has a built-in preamp with USB output, saves me a meaningful amount of money. It's probably a big step down in sound quality, but I'll never know because I couldn't get even passable sound quality out of the Pro-Ject.Conclusion: If you have some TT expertise, or you know someone who does, and if you're okay putting a lot of money into something that may or may not work right out of the box, go for it. If you're like me and you just want to enjoy some records of varying quality, a lesser TT like mine still sounds good, works easily, and even has some nice features (e.g., built-in preamp, USB output, 33/45/78 speed adjustment, a tonearm holder that locks, massive construction that shields it from footsteps). Maybe I'll try another high end TT at some point when I have more time and money, but for now, I'm listening to records and having a great time!Please leave me any comments pro or contra. I'm happy to elaborate in any way that is helpful.
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful.
Elegant Simplicity, Audiophile Sound
By OwlCory79
I bought this record player after reading a very good review in Stereophile which said that this is truly an excellent choice for someone who cares about sound but doesn't have a fortune to spend on equipment. I had a cheapo turntable before and was skeptical if it would make much of a difference to spend a little more for this one. I was drastically mistaken, this turntable sounds fantastic, I was blown away by it. The sound I get out of this is infinitely better than my old one. Make sure and run it through a decent amp, one with a good phono input. You will be astonished. I got this turntable and the Marantz PM 5004 integrated amp, and the Marantz CD5004 CD player, both of which I highly recommend, and so for less than a thousand dollars I got a fantastic, true audiophile-quality sounding system. The turntable is well-built, the tone arm and cartridge are Ortofon, which is a very respectable brand in the audio world. I would recommend this to anyone looking for an entry-level audiophile turntable. It also looks fantastic, certainly better than what you would expect for only 350 dollars. I wish I would have gotten the shiny red one, but the black is sleek and classy looking. Setup was a breeze. Happy Listening! For more technical info, read Pro-Ject Debut III Record Player by Robert J. Reina in Stereophile magazine online.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful.Perfect, Minimalist Turntable
By offerson
Setup isn't too hard and the sound is great. I've found new sound and depth in some very familiar records. I like the basic look and function, which make me feel like there aren't a lot of gimmicks to break down later.I added an anti-static slip mat, as the rubber mat seems a bit harsh. Phonograph Turntable Record Player Anti Static Slip MatThe RCA-style audio cables attached are quite short. I have my turntable off to the side of the entertainment center and had to situate it sideways (front facing to the right) in order to barely reach the receiver. A niggling issue for myself, but maybe more for you.
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