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New Debut III Turntable with Electronic Speed Control and Built-in Phono Preamp
Pro-Ject's legendary Debut III is back! And now in the form of Debut III Phono SB. The Debut III is the design that made Pro-Ject famous in the late 90s with thousands upon thousands sold worldwide. It was a time when discerning listeners were dissatisfied with settling for the then-prevailing compact disc, and when audiophiles were looking for an affordable way to get their vinyl spinning again.
The Debut III design features a solid MDF plinth, TPE motor suspension, 8.6″ one-piece aluminum arm tube and a high-mass steel platter over an anti-resonant sub-platter. Critical elements were designed and machined with precision and care. The goal here is the simplest possible design that focuses solely on the sound-enhancing aspects of record playback.
Super-Convenient Built-in Phono Preamp
The Debut III Phono SB includes a built-in phono preamp. This has been a long-awaited feature in the Debut lineup! Importantly, the phono stage can also be bypassed if you wish, allowing you to choose when to engage it based on your application. If you already use a phono preamp that you enjoy, simply switch off the built-in stage via a switch at the side of the RCA junction box beneath the plinth. Also disengage the phono preamp if your amplifier/receiver has a PHONO input that you’re using.
The most common application for the built-in phono preamp is for use with systems that lack a phono preamp. This allows you to connect your player directly to any line-level input so that you can listen in a huge array of contexts.
Sound-First Design
Pro-Ject is proud to implement a sound-first design with performance and convenience at the forefront. The design also allows maximum compatibility with the current landscape of gear on market. Debut III Phono SB includes a dust cover and is available in gloss black or real walnut veneer. The same speed controller/stabilizer used with Debut Carbon EVO is also used here. The switch is located at the bottom corner of the plinth for clean aesthetics and toggles between 33 rpm and 45 rpm. (78 rpm record play is also an option. See below.)
Ortofon OM5E Phono Cartridge Included
The Debut III Phono SB includes everything you need to get up and running right away without complicated fuss or the need to purchase extras. It comes with a great sounding Ortofon OM5e moving magnet phono cartridge pre-mounted, aligned, and ready to go. The OM 5E features an elliptical stylus that provides balanced and distortion-free playback. Elliptical diamonds are able to follow the groove oscillations more accurately than spherical diamonds due to their contoured shape. This results in better tracking and less distortion.
Considerations for 78 rpm Records
Debut III Phono SB ships with two different drive belts. The flat belt is for 33 rpm and 45rpm vinyl records and is installed on the top/smaller diameter of the motor pulley. The round belt is for 78 rpm records only. It is designed for use with the larger/bottom pulley diameter with the differently shaped slot.
Please note that it’s also not advisable to play 78rpm records with the OM5e stylus. Being an elliptical diamond meant to track the ‘microgrooves’ of 33 rpm and 45 rpm records, it will sound poorly and cause undue harm to your record and potentially the cartridge, too. Ortofon offers an optional 78 rpm stylus for this purpose (sold separately). The stylus will track the grooves properly and reduce the risk of harm to your record collection.
Keep in mind that OM5e is a stereo MM phono cartridge setup, meaning that its normal job is to unveil two channels (left and right) of musical information. When using the 78 rpm-compatible stylus, what you’ll hear is the one channel of musical information (mono) of the 78 in both stereo channels. For audiophile purposes, as it pertains to 78s, a true mono cartridge with a 78 rpm-appropriate stylus delivers the best sonics.
