With a Debut PRO and the Debut PRO S deck next to each other, it's also immediately obvious that the newcomer has a wider MDF chassis. Probably the most impactful difference is replacing the standard sub-platter used on most Debut models with a heavier aluminium disc. The price hike is not only caused by the changeover to another tonearm, but also some other upgrades handed to this new model. Priced at £799, the Debut PRO S is more expensive than the regular PRO model (£699), making the choice one that won't purely be based on taste. Yes, a lot of elements are the same, such as the motor assembly, main platter and feet, but you won't quickly find a competing brand offering a dual midrange flagship like this. The speed selector is underneath – switch right for 45rpm and left for 33.33rpmīoth Debut PRO models will continue to exist side by side, offering music lovers wishing to step up from the Debut EVO two very distinct choices. With the TPE-damped alloy platter removed, the new diamond-cut sub-platter, belt and AC motor are all revealed beneath. It's not a new cartridge, though, as Pro-Ject has been offering it separately for a while now. As you would expect, the factory-fitted cartridge isn't the Pick-IT PRO of the Debut PRO but a custom-built version of Ortofon's iconic Concorde moving-magnet. In fact, Pro-Ject currently only implements S-shaped tonearms on a few of its products, notably the flagship Signature 10 and 12. This is a Debut fitted with a 10in (254mm effective length) S-shaped tonearm, offering an alternative to the straight arms bundled with all other models in the range. Instead, we're talking about a very similar turntable with one – well, actually more than one, but we'll get to that – crucial difference, as indicated by the addition of an 'S' at the end of its name. But the PRO S is neither an 'SE' model nor an outright replacement for the existing PRO. You might think this is a special edition of the EISA Award-winning Debut PRO presented last year to celebrate the company's thirtieth anniversary, as Pro-Ject has a tradition of offering upgrades and 'superpacks' for existing products. Joining the ranks of its popular midrange Debut family is the belt-driven Debut PRO S, launched this autumn. Lacking accurate market numbers, it's hard to say conclusively, but there seems little doubt the company founded by Heinz Lichtenegger in 1991 is surely the largest turntable manufacturer on the planet, both for the in-house Pro-Ject brand and as an OEM supplier for third parties. Launching new turntable models as regular as clockwork is part-and-parcel of Pro-Ject's business model, but say what you will: its approach of incrementally improving and tweaking proven designs has certainly not done the Austria-based manufacturer any harm. Now there's a new model, with an equally new S-shaped arm The longest serving, and arguably most diverse of Pro-Ject's turntable ranges is the Debut, launched in 2000.
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