Pro-Ject Debut III Phono SB, Audiophile Turntable with Aluminium tonearm, Electronic Speed Selection and pre-Mounted Ortofon OM5e Phono Cartridge (Walnut)

When I saw that Pro-Ject was having a summer sale and this was going to be available for almost 40% off, I had to give it a shot. I've never heard anything negative about the brand and I've so far been impressed.Set-up was pretty straightforward. I'd never had to assemble a turntable before so it did take a bit of trial and error to balance the tonearm. Other than that, everything went smoothly.There's nothing automatic about this turntable, so if you're looking for that, I'd suggest another option. When the record gets to the end, the tonearm doesn't return.If you don't mind all the DIY involved, though, the sound from this unit is pretty impressive. Great range, great clarity, no complaints!

Great beginner turntable. Better quality than the audio technics entry level and as good as the rt83. At $250 I wouldn't hesitate to recommend. I upgraded to an acrylic platter from a third party and it works well, adds to the aesthetics, and gets rid of the static noises.

Easy set up and amazing sound with the cartridge it comes with

Usually these come out of the box and ready to go with very few steps necessary. Not here. Be prepared to be perplexed. Even the power adapter needs to assembled. That's right, the power adapter! Terrible instructions do not aid the frustration. I thought I could also replace my Kelpsch turntable with the Pro-Jet. Nope! Both have incompatible jacks. Go elsewhere unless you're a tweaker.

Pros:-Sound quality and musicality-Includes Speedbox and Phono preamp-OM-5e cartridge pairs particularly well with this tonearm-PriceCons:-Audible motor vibrations (solved)!I bought this to replace a ~15 year old entry level Music Hall TT after seeing the Debut IIIs were being closed out (I assume in favor of Pro-Ject's newer entry-level lines). This version, Debut III SB Phono, has the advantages of superior speed stability and hands-off 33/45 rpm switching through its built-in speedbox, plus a built-in phono stage (selectable) for those who need it, at a price undercutting many entry-level TTs that lack these features entirely and have significantly less sophisticated tonearms to boot.The turntable came quickly, and was packaged excellently in a double box to protect it during shipping. Indeed, it arrived in flawless cosmetic condition and took all of about 15 minutes to leisurely set up in place of my existing TT. The Ortofon OM-5e was pre-aligned, true to Pro-Ject's claims, and I didn't need to touch it (bravo!).However, to my great dismay, a mechanical hum picked up by the cartridge was immediately apparent through the speakers when I placed the needle on my first record. The hum disappeared as soon as the motor was switched off, though obviously so did the music. There is no small amount of complaining regarding this infamous 'Pro-Ject motor hum' if you search online about the Pro-Ject Debut series. I came very close to giving up on this and simply returning it - luckily I found a solution that quieted the hum to below the noise floor of my system and renders it irrelevant:This TT, and many other Pro-Ject models, features a motor mounted and suspended from the plinth via a rubber O-ring attached at 4 points/screws, plus a metal frame around the motor that has two "transport" screws typically removed during initial setup to isolate the motor from the rest of the turntable. Paradoxically, I found that re-installing the transport screws and securing the motor back down on the rubber feet it shipped with virtually eliminated my audible motor vibration hum when adjusted to the proper tension (not fully tightened).Other methods to tackle the hum are discussed extensively online, and all I can say is that any attempts I made to fully isolate the motor or cushion the o-ring suspension as suggested by many actually made my hum *worse*. So, YMMV, and it's hard to recommend this to a beginner or anyone who does not wish to tinker with their equipment for optimal results.That said, this TT is *now* truly a solid upgrade to my older one. The Ortofon OM-5e is particularly surprising, as I had assumed I would bin it immediately in favor of something "better" (and even have an Ortofon Super OM-10 on-hand to replace it). The Debut III and OM-5e pairing seems synergistic though, and this table sounds better than my previous one with a significantly more expensive Grado mounted. Overall, the impression is one of "being there" in the room with the instruments. The soundstage is wide and generous, a feature I particularly enjoy, and drums have the immediate percussive attack they should. Midrange is full and treble lively without being overly harsh or sibilant. I'm sure more advanced stylus designs could pull even more detail and presence out, but everything the OM-5e presents comes out pleasant , engaging, and musical. This is a great TT to throw a live recording LP on, turn the volume up, and imagine you're in the audience.The OM-5e is also a better tracker than my old setup, and while I didn't put it through any test record torture tracks, the reduction in tracking issues and especially inner groove distortion was immediately apparent. I'll keep that Super OM-10 for one day in the future to be sure, but for right now I'm very happy with the OM-5e.So, overall? Yes - this was a good purchase, and I'd recommend it for anyone who's an intermediate vinyl enthusiast on a budget. Ideally one who doesn't mind a little tweaking to problem solve. I'm not sure I could recommend it to a beginner though - it's just too much to ask that they manually fiddle with the motor suspension in the hopes of eliminating a sonic flaw that shouldn't really be there to begin with.Similarly, for the advanced enthusiast, audible humming from motor vibration remains an issue in at least some of the Pro-Ject tables at 2 and even 3 times the price of this Debut III (that share many design aspects) - and that just is really not acceptable.I give this 4 stars because I can't imagine getting a better sonic vinyl experience for the price I paid, once I figured out the issues. It looses 1 star because those issues shouldn't be present in the first place.

This turntable has delivered and is exactly what I was hoping for. For those looking to enter the world of “old school” hi fidelity this item delivers well above its price point.

I bought this after hearing it at my local vinyl shop. I love the minimalist build and audio quality at this price level. Mine arrived from Amazon in pretty rough shape. The box was beat up and the stylus suspension was collapsed (i.e. the plastic body that houses the needle was riding ON my records). My local shop confirmed the issue, and I ended up replacing it with a different cartridge. Amazon's shipping/customer service has been horrific, and this is no exception. I wish they would've been more attentive and helpful. Besides this, the product itself is fantastic. It sounds amazing and I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a budget beginner turntable!

I don’t write many reviews, but damn this record player rules