Turntable Review

EVO: A Carbon Debut Turntable From Pro-Ject

The latest in the ever-growing Debut series of turntables, Paul Rigby reviews this new design from the Austrian company

The Pro-Ject Debut series first appeared on the scene back in 1999. Via the distributor Henley Audio, there are, right now, three Debut turntables for sale – at least in the UK my home territory: the Debut Carbon DC at £299, the Debut Carbon RecordMaster Hi-Res at £649, a lifestyle design that focuses on its built-in analogue to digital convertor and this, the Debut EVO, the latest release from the Austrian turntable makers. It’s the most intriguing build I’ve seen in the line for some time. 

EVO Carbon Debut Turntable from Pro-Ject

The Carbon Debut EVO features a one-piece carbon fibre tonearm. This is the 8.6” carbon-fibre variety with sapphire bearings.

EVO Carbon Debut Turntable from Pro-Ject

There’s a steel platter which triggered a minor alarm when I first unpacked it because I feared the thing would ring like a bell when knocked with an available knuckle.

EVO Carbon Debut Turntable from Pro-Ject

TPE damping under the platter.

Not so, in fact. There’s some heavy-duty damping attached underneath the platter (which sits on a sub platter) in the form of a Thermo-Plastic Elastomer (TPE) damping ring. Knocking the platter with this in place drastically reduces any music-threatening vibration.

EVO Carbon Debut Turntable from Pro-Ject

TPE is also applied to the three, height-adjustable feet which are connected to suspension elements from the recently released X1, turntable.

EVO Carbon Debut Turntable from Pro-Ject

 

SPEED SELECTION

The electronic speed selection arrives in the form of a rocker switch which is hidden from view underneath the front-left portion of the plinth to keep the lines clean and aid aesthetics.

EVO Carbon Debut Turntable from Pro-Ject

The 33.33 and 45rpm selections are supplemented by 78rpm if you change the belt (supplied).

EVO Carbon Debut Turntable from Pro-Ject

A venerable Ortofon 2M Red cartridge (worth around £95) is included as standard. 

EVO Carbon Debut Turntable from Pro-Ject

There are nine finish options with this one, three in hand-painted high gloss covering red, white and black plus five varieties of hand-painted matte pastel colours spanning green, black, blue, yellow and white plus a walnut veneer. 

A hinged dust cover is supplied too.

Unpacking and construction was straight-forward. Just take it slow, follow the illustrated, colour instructions (first time I’ve seen Pro-Ject offer that approach to its instructions and it’s a welcome inclusion) and you’ll be fine. 

I was happy to see that Pro-Ject has bundled a separate set of Connect-IT E phono cables from its own range. I have reviewed these separately and like them a lot. It’s nice to see that the turntable can handle upgradable cabling too.

Spanning 415 x 113 x 320mm, the whole kit and caboodle weighs in at 6kg

SOUND QUALITY

I began with the 1975 album from The King Singers. Keep on Changing (EMI), mixing complex vocal harmonies, a soft rock tempo plus a host of instruments including guitars, drums, secondary percussion and a backing orchestra. 

EVO Carbon Debut Turntable from Pro-Ject

Rear-mounted power connector

I wanted to test a lower-priced, yet top quality turntable to address those who might be looking to upgrade. So I’m talking to owners of low-cost Fluance, Lenco and Audio-Technica designs. Around the £250 or lower mark, the best sounding turntable of the bunch is the Rega RP1 so I began with that.

If you’re looking to upgrade, is the EVO a viable option? Does the EVO improve overall sound and, if so, by how much? 

In short, the RP1 described all of the detail. It was all there. Nothing was left out. Imagine a country scene on a spring day. The RP1 showed you a photograph of the area. With the EVO, you were there. You could hear the rustle of the grass and the wind on your face. With the EVO, it added new sonic dimensions of realism.

So the RP1 tells you about the deep, resonant drum at the start of the track. The EVO tells you about its weight, the reverb that emanates from it and the bounce from the drum skin on the top. The RP1 tells you about a riffle of bells used as secondary percussion. The EVO introduced a shimmer to the bell effect, a lightness, a delicacy and again, that echo-based reverb that provided space.

Overall, the EVO was far more focused while the bank of strings offered weight, they were no longer just a tone they seemed to have body now. The precision allowed more detail to infuse the soundstage while the pace of the music picked up because that focus removed any tiny elements of drag. 

EVO Carbon Debut Turntable from Pro-Ject

The feet are adjustable for height

So, the EVO looks good as an upgrade from a low-cost turntable. Let’s up the ante shall we? Let’s see how the EVO handles bass and drive from a more expensive turntable, this time with a quality elliptical-stylus of the VM95E attached to Audio-Technica’s LP5x. I prefer the LP5x’s overall performance to the competing Fluance RT83, even though there’s a lot to like from the Fluance. So Fluence owners can take note from these comments here too.

EVO Carbon Debut Turntable from Pro-Ject

The sub-platter and pulley

BALANCED RESPONSE

The LP5x was all about muscle on this test. It provided bass weight, there was real punch here and a sense of impact while the mids and treble were admirable and supplied a good partnership with the lower frequencies but they couldn’t compete with the EVO.

The EVO offered a good sense of bass but the EVO also offered a better balanced bass response that worked with the mids instead of slightly dominating them. As for the mids themselves? The EVO had a better take of midrange detail offering the ear an extended dynamic reach. The LP5x rolled off at a point in the upper mids while the EVO just kept on going. 

The result was a tonal realism that you just don’t hear on lower cost turntables. A tonal realism that allowed you to better appreciate the art of the music instead of only an attractive musical noise. 

Next up was the EVO’s greatest challenge, the Rega RP3. This turntable should, by rights, be better than the Pro-Ject EVO in all areas. It’s around £100 more expensive. So how did the EVO cope?

The RP3 offered tremendous confidence in its overall presentation while the lower frequencies, as a whole, were a thing of beauty. The percussion wasn’t just tonally correct but organic in how it described each thwack of the drum. Vocals were focused while the upper mids had a real sense of precision. The effect was also to keep the music moving. The pace was steady and unfailing here. There was never any sense of drag. The song was sprightly and moved with a real bounce. 

Even so, the EVO not only held its own but managed to land a few blows against the RP3. Which was a complete surprise, I must add. That is, the soundstage from the EVO was more open and airy with a great sense of fragility and delicacy in the treble. Mids offered extended reverb tails while, despite the extra confidence and better quality lower frequencies from the RP3, I actually found that the EVO produced a better balance overall. 

I then moved onto something more dynamic and selected Rootmasters (Nina Walsh and Alex Paterson of The Orb). This is a 10” release, Push Once and the track Elephant Puddle.

The track was dominated by a cavernous sub bass which the Pro-Ject EVO tracked very well indeed. It also kept control of the effect to stop it swamping the mids. The upper frequency detail remained wholly intact, offering a host of information and keeping a sense of discipline across the soundstage.

The often aggressive frequencies were noted by the EVO. Guitar was in your face, percussion was dominant and vocals were distorted and cutting yet the EVO easily kept the entire track in control and added a balance that enabled the music to retain its inherent rhythm. In short, it rocked. And rocked efficiently but also with plenty of emotion.

CONCLUSION

The Pro-Ject Carbon EVO deserves to dominate the sub-£500 market. 

As for competing with more expensive and challenging designs like the Rega RP3? If you want to save yourself £100 then you will lose certain highlights yes but because of the EVO’s balanced presentation, many users won’t miss them. 

If you’re on a longer-range upgrade path, the EVO provides you with options. Is your ultimate upgrading aim a turntable around £1,000-£1,500? Are you saving slowly to reach that budget? Then the EVO might provide the better link in the upgrade chain. This will save you money early on but it will also provide a relatively long-term sonic solution until you can save the cash for that upgrade buy. With the EVO, there are no obvious sonic holes. There’s nothing amiss. In fact, you can see that Pro-Ject has spent its build budget wisely, focusing on all areas of the frequency spectrum, equally.

The Pro-Ject Carbon EVO is a winner. Buy with confidence.  


PRO-JECT CARBON DEBUT EVO TURNTABLE

Price: £449

Tel: 01235 511166

Website: www.henleyaudio.co.uk

BUY HERE:

USA – https://amzn.to/3EN3sp7

UK – https://amzn.to/3aWE57r

EUROPE – https://amzn.to/3jGXNrE


GOOD: balanced presentation, airy midrange, dynamic reach, detailed bass, price

BAD: nothing

RATING: 9


[Don’t forget to check out my new Patreon Page at www.patreon.com/audiophileman, for exclusive postings, giveaways and more!]

REFERENCE

Rega RP1 turntable

Rega RP3 turntable

Audio-Technica LP5x turntable

Trichord Dino phono amplifier

Audiolab 6000A amplifier

Spendor S3/5R speakers

Tellurium Q cabling

Blue Horizon Professional Rack System

Harmonic Resolution Systems Noise Reduction Components

CAD GC1 Ground Controls

Air Audio AC-2K Balanced Transformer

Russ Andrews RF Router Mk.II

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39 Comments

  • Reply
    Scott
    26th February 2021 at 3:20 pm

    Paul,
    Does the EVO scale up significantly with a more expensive cartridge? Something like a Denon 103D or Ortofon 2M Black.

    Thank you

    • Reply
      Paul Rigby
      1st March 2021 at 11:02 am

      I would say that the EVO can handle a range of updates Scott. Cartridges and more.

  • Reply
    Steve
    4th March 2021 at 1:38 pm

    Hi Paul,
    I’m looking to get back into vinyl after many years of CDs. I have a budget of up to £500 and after reading many reviews the EVO looks like the best option. I would welcome your advice on whether my amplifier is up to it, my current set-up is an Arcam Delta 60 amplifier, circa 1990, with B&W 625 speakers. Will the Delta 60 do justice to the EVO, or should I consider replacing it and getting a cheaper turntable such as the Rega RP 1?
    Thanks.

    • Reply
      Paul Rigby
      6th March 2021 at 2:08 pm

      Hi Steve – yes, an EVO would work well for you, I’m sure. The Delta is a fine amp but there’s better quality offerings available. The Audiolab 6000A is a good example, Rega’s Brio, Cyrus ONE and Heed Elixir are all recommended.

  • Reply
    Marc
    18th March 2021 at 1:30 pm

    Hello Paul,

    Thanks for your review.
    I hesitate between the Carbon EVO and the Rega P1 for an upgrade… Which one sounds best in your opinion ? and which one is better for the long run (I do not plan to change soon after that) ?

    Cheers.

    • Reply
      Paul Rigby
      19th March 2021 at 4:43 pm

      Hi Marc – that would be: EVO and EVO.

      • Reply
        Marc Renou
        19th March 2021 at 5:57 pm

        Thanks Paul, it’s clear !

      • Reply
        Anthony F
        1st April 2021 at 2:39 pm

        Hi Paul,

        I’ve recently discovered your articles and, as a digital hi-fi enthusiast looking to get back into vinyl, have found your insights on turntables really informative. Thanks for your advice!

        I live in Australia and I’m looking to buy a decent turntable. Prices here are often heavily skewed by import costs and differing markups by brands, as well as how well the product is selling in our relatively small market. Occasionally, the lesser known brands here are heavily discounted.

        Both the Evo and P3 have a reasonable profile here. The Evo is about $A900 (Ortofon Red cartridge) and a P3 is about $A1250 (Elys 2). Discounting is fairly limited on these two models.

        But there is another contender I’m looking at, the Music Hall MMF5.3. This is currently heavily discounted, from about $1700 to $1250 (Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge with replaceable nude elliptical diamond stylus).

        In other words, it’s pretty much head to head with the P3 from a price perspective.

        Do you have any thoughts on the Music Hall, and based on this local market pricing, do you think it is the best option? Or is it a closer race than that. I would like the option to enhance the turntable down the track (your Funk Firm upgrade articles were a great read!), so also keen to buy something with an upgrade path.

        Any thoughts you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

        Kind regards,

        Anthony

        • Reply
          Paul Rigby
          2nd April 2021 at 11:49 am

          Many thanks for your kind words – for upgrading in mind, I’d look at the EVO to be honest. In fact, I’m planning an upgrade feature on this design in the future. So you’re start with a great turntable whose performance will only get better over time because of this inherent modularity.

  • Reply
    Anthony F
    8th April 2021 at 2:18 pm

    Thanks Paul. I’ll keep an eye out for the EVO upgrade article, looking forward to it!

  • Reply
    Jaro
    1st June 2021 at 8:29 pm

    Dear Paul,

    I am choosing a turntable for my family and I have studied a number of your reviews and articles on the subject. I very much appreciate your way of describing the sound characteristics, which is at the same time in-depth and understandable. Most of all, you write things in context, helping the layman to become more familiar with the subject. So thank you very much for your efforts and time!

    Based on several factors, I finally decided to purchase the “Carbon EVO”. I have a question, which you have probably already discussed somewhere or it is probably getting on your nerves, but I will ask you anyway..
    Could you please advise me on a suitable dedicated phono preamplifier for the “Carbon EVO” in the “Budget” alternative (what still makes sense yet) and “Optimum” up to 150€? Or possibly your own recommendation(s), thank you.

    • Reply
      Paul Rigby
      2nd June 2021 at 9:35 am

      Thats very kind of you, Jaro. I’d look at the Schiit Mani as a great value/sounding item. This is an older review so ignore the stated price: https://theaudiophileman.com/schitt-mani/
      Otherwise, the Pro-Ject MM Box at around £69 from Amazon is a great budget option.

  • Reply
    Aravinda Wanniarachchi
    21st July 2021 at 12:35 pm

    Hi Paul,
    Thank for your reviews and the effort you put into making them.
    I own a Debut Carbon EVO and enjoying it very much. I was planning to upgrade to X2 but your another review got me thinking whether it is a better idea to invest in upgrading the EVO than going for something else.
    Love to hear your thoughts on this!!
    Cheers,
    Aravinda

    • Reply
      Paul Rigby
      21st July 2021 at 1:58 pm

      Definitely one to consider, yes. I plan to look at EVO upgrades in the future. In fact, I need to give Pro-Ject a nudge on that one. I think they’ve forgotten to send the upgrade bits and pieces 🙂

  • Reply
    dominique
    22nd July 2021 at 8:20 pm

    Hi Paul , thank for the evo review ! hope you will review soon the project debut pro ant edwards tt4 turntables !!
    Good wishes ! Dominique

    • Reply
      Paul Rigby
      23rd July 2021 at 12:24 pm

      Thanks Dominique – and I’ve put in a request for the Pro, so finger’s crossed.

  • Reply
    Antoine
    27th July 2021 at 2:43 am

    Hi Paul, I am considering this turntable as an upgrade. Thank you very much for the review.

    Could you help me decipher the requirements for matching the cartridge and phono stage?
    To start with, I would like to use the Audiolab 6000A’s built-in phono stage for which the specs says:
    Input impedance: 47K//100pF

    The Ortofon 2M Red specs says:
    Recommended load resistance – 47 kOhm
    Recommended load capacitance – 150-300 pF

    Am I right thinking the capacitance mismatch here is an issue? I was hoping to delay a bit my purchase of a separate phono stage…
    Recommended load capacitance – 150-300 pF

    • Reply
      Paul Rigby
      27th July 2021 at 2:37 pm

      Hi Antoine – the internal phono amp is fine to get by with but, more than the capacitance, the actual internal location will have a greater performance effect due to the inherent, associated leeching electronic noise from other internal components. That’s a larger factor. Hence, an external model will offer enhanced performance, just on those terms.
      All of that said. I wouldn’t worry too much about it. If cash is short and you need to wait a while, the internal model will be fine. To repeat though, for an internal model, I wouldn’t worry about the finer details.

  • Reply
    Giul Travelin
    21st August 2021 at 8:46 pm

    Hi Paul, I’ve been following your amazing reviews for a while and thanks for doing them. I’m about to get out of an AT LP120 and go up a step in search of better sounds. I’m in Brazil, so options and resources are limited. I currently have three options. Project T1 Sb, Project Ringo Starr Essential III and Carbon EVO. What could you indicate, advise on these options?

    • Reply
      Paul Rigby
      23rd August 2021 at 10:49 am

      The EVO would be my choice, of the three listed.

      • Reply
        Giuliano Martins
        23rd August 2021 at 4:08 pm

        Ok, Paul, I assumed that was the direction, learning a lot from their reviews and pertinent observations. Thanks!!!

        • Reply
          Giuliano Martins
          3rd October 2021 at 3:01 am

          Hi Paul, I hope you’re well. I found an opportunity to purchase the Pro-ject X1 for a little better value than the Debut Carbon. What do you suggest? And, taking advantage of the contact, which phono amps would match this turntable?

          • Paul Rigby
            5th October 2021 at 12:21 pm

            If you can get a great deal on a formerly expensive machine like the X1 then why not? 🙂 What would be the budget for the phono amp?

  • Reply
    Giuliano Martins
    8th October 2021 at 1:41 am

    Hi Paulo. Thank you for your interest and help. Here in Brazil I have some obstacles to be able to follow the hobby. One of them is the lack of options and the price charged. The other is the voltage problem. Another issue was being able to confirm whether the voltage adapters are bivolt. So, at the moment, these models are available: Cambridge Alva Duo – £295, 
Pro-ject Phono Box SE – £175, 
Pro-ject Phono Box E – £110 (I converted the values ​​to your currency). I also found a Fluance Pa10 (£223), but I couldn’t confirm if it’s bivolt or not. Bellary, being manufactured in the USA, I believe they are only 110v and the price is the same as the Fluance. The Rega brand can only be found on 110v. The voltage in my current house is 220v.

    • Reply
      Paul Rigby
      10th October 2021 at 10:54 am

      That Cambridge option would be a nice choice – they’re all pretty good performers, I must add but the Cambridge would be my choice.

  • Reply
    Giuliano Martins
    10th October 2021 at 6:24 pm

    Glad to know that. I had the wish that this really was his indication, as I also wanted to use it directly with my headphones to listen to my records at night. Thanks again, Paul. You are the best.

  • Reply
    Gary
    12th October 2021 at 5:05 pm

    Hey Paul! Your website has been super helpful, so thank you so much! I am pulling my hair out though, and need your help! I have a low humming coming from my active speakers (Audioengine A5+) which only happens at high volumes (it does not happen when I’m using bluetooth direct from my phone).
    Set-up: project carbon turntable > Rega pre-amp > active speakers
    I bought my turntable from Sevenoaks sounds. They told me to try a new pre-amp. I did & no improvement.
    They told me that this is likely with active speakers, and that I should buy passive speakers & a separate amplifier?
    I’ve just spent loads of money setting this all up, and struggling to find the source of this humming so I’m going a bit mad!
    If you could help that would be great! Thanks

    • Reply
      Paul Rigby
      13th October 2021 at 5:59 pm

      See your Twitter feed for this one, Gary.

  • Reply
    Diego
    27th December 2021 at 1:11 am

    Hi Paul, been deeply engrossed in your website today as I’m looking to get my first turntable (though not looking exactly for entry-level ones). Thanks for sharing so much knowledge!

    I’m considering the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon EVO, Rega Planar 1, and Fluance RT85 (at least in the last hour). Any thoughts on which way you’d go if you were buying today?

    Amazon US shows the EVO with a Sumiko Rainier Phono Cartridge, while you reviewed it with the Ortofon 2M Red. Is that a plus or a minus?

    Thanks!

    • Reply
      Paul Rigby
      27th December 2021 at 11:23 am

      Hi Diego – many thanks for checking out the site. As for your proposed turntable purchase? That depends on your budget. Are you calling from the USA? I guess the Planar 1 is priced at a similar (ish) figure to the EVO over there. The Planar 1 is only worth around £275 – US buyers pay more because you/they pay for Rega’s shipping costs. The 85 is a fine turntable but slightly compromised because of its auto-stop features et al which compromises sound a tad. The EVO is my choice for its basic sound presentation but also because it can be easily upgraded. See my piece on the very subject here: https://theaudiophileman.com/pro-ject-evo-upgrades-8-to-choose-from/
      Finally, in the UK, the default cart is the 2M Red. Hence, the reason why I reviewed that cart on the EVO.

      • Reply
        Diego
        28th December 2021 at 8:08 pm

        Hi Paul, thanks for your reply and Happy Holidays to you! I am writing from Santa Cruz, California, indeed.

        Yeah, price doesn’t affect my choice all that much: the Rega Planar 1 is showing at $525, the Fluance RT85 at $499 and the EVO at $599. Looks like the Rega is overpriced due to it being a harder-to-find UK brand, as you mention. And your strong recommendation of the EVO has me ready to click that “buy” button.

        (I also read your post about the upgrades, thanks for that. Makes even more of sense to go with the EVO.)

        My question about the cart was, should I be concerned about the Sumiko? Is it worse than the Ortofon to the point that that alone would change your recommendation?

        Lastly, do you have an affiliate link to buy the EVO in the US that I could use?

        Many thanks.

        • Reply
          Paul Rigby
          31st December 2021 at 11:40 am

          Hi Diego – sure, and thank you : https://amzn.to/3qvSS0E
          The Sumiko is a fine design but I reckon you can do better. Both the Sumiko and 2M Red are default carts when you buy the EVO in their related territories but the Goldring E3 is a better performer than both for the price. Saying that, it depends on your budget. If you have the cash then it might be better to save for a high-end upgrade such as an Ortofon 2M Blue or, better still, a Goldring 1042.

  • Reply
    Joseph P. Sundblom
    10th May 2022 at 6:39 am

    Hi Paul, thank you for all your reviews and break downs of turn tables, phono amps, and such. I have a question about two set ups I’m stuck between. My goal is to build a system that will play music with more fidelity and clarity via vinyl than a digital song streamed to my speaker system. Through much thought, the setups I’m between are as follows: 1) [~$650 total] The AT-LP5x by Audio Technica with only the addition of the Pro-ject Phono Box MM and 2) [~$800 total] The Project Debut Carbon Evo which is stock in the U.S. with a Sumiko Ranier cartridge, with the addition of the iFi Audio Zen phono amp. I found the Zen phono amp may pair well with the Sumiko Ranier cartridge but it does add some decent cost.

    I was gifted a briefcase turn table a few years ago and have been slowly getting into vinyl since then. I’ve been fortunate enough to inherit a decent sound system with speakers, base, and an amplifier. I’m not sure if I’m over doing it with option 2 above. Do you believe option 1 would achieve the goal of playing music with more fidelity and clarity via vinyl than a digital song streamed to my speaker system? At the moment streamed music is superior sounding to any vinyl I play from the same sound system. Any guidance you can provide will be appreciated.

    • Reply
      Paul Rigby
      10th May 2022 at 12:42 pm

      Hi Joseph, let’s get one thing out of the way first. Despite what you might hear elsewhere, there is no such thing as ‘overdoing it’ in HiFi. No such thing. There’s no diminishing returns or anything like that. Only bottlenecks in your system that prevents everything else working to full capacity, which then offers that illusion. For example? I tested a £10k cartridge on my £15k turntable a year or two ago and realised that my turntable was suddenly a bottleneck. My £15k wasn’t good enough for the £10k cartridge. It was a humbling experience.
      So get the very best you can afford.
      On the other hand, and this is equally important, the moment you declare yourself happy with the quality of music you’re hearing? You’re done. You don’t *have* to spend a lot if you’re happy with what you have.
      On that basis? While both options are excellent, the EVO is the best option of the two.
      Oh and if streamed music sounds better than your vinyl set up? Then there’s a bottleneck in your vinyl set up that’s stopping the good stuff coming through.
      Never forget, HiFi is a team game, you’re only as good as your weakest link. Put square wheels on a Ferrari and its ain’t going very fast.

      • Reply
        Joseph P. Sundblom
        10th May 2022 at 8:39 pm

        Thank you Paul, I believe you’ve helped me make up my mind. I’ll be going with Option 2 as described above; however, I may tweak which phono amp I choose for the EVO as needed. Best Regards!

  • Reply
    Tim
    28th December 2022 at 10:58 pm

    Hi Paul. First of all, thank you for making this world of Hi-Fi understandable and fun to dive into! I have been wanting a record player for a while but finally researching everything. I’m the type of person who likes to lay everything out and then go for it once I know my steps so I was hoping to run a couple scenarios by you with some fill in the blank questions. Based upon your spectacular reviews and Q&A of both the rega planar 1 and EVO, I have decided to go with the EVO as I can upgrade it as time goes on. My questions lie in my end goal setup. The speakers I would love to have are the Klipsch RP-8000FII floor speakers. Can these hook up to the EVO? Are they worth it for the EVO? I would like to add subwoofers (Monoprice Monolith 12” THX Ultra) but then again, I am not sure if this will enhance or subtract from a TT experience. As those 2 end goals options are quite pricey I will get cheaper options in the meantime but my biggest question comes with pre-amps and amps. Are there options I can get that are compatible with whatever cheaper options I get and still use them for my end goal setup? I am not sure if this is even answerable if you don’t know what that cheaper option is but I would like to only purchase amp and pre-amps once if possible! As an added question, do you know if I can use all this equipment for both a TT setup and for a TV setup (which is why I am looking at floor speakers and subwoofers)? I apologize for the lengthy question but I figure all at once rather than multiple separate! Thank you so much.

    • Reply
      Paul Rigby
      29th December 2022 at 10:07 am

      Thanks for that, Tim. The EVO is a fine choice.
      Can you tell me why you chose the Klipsch and why you decided to also buy in a subwoofer? Was the decision purely AV centred? Is AV your priority? Is it more important than a stereo chain? Actually, I see the subwoofer word is pluralised there so – two?
      What is your amp budget and, in fact, apart from the EVO, take that out of the equation for a sec, what is the budget for the rest of the HiFi chain?
      As for AV? If it was me? I would separate the two. That is, I would build an AV system and a separate stereo system.
      I know many people combine their HiFi system and AV system as one compact chain and sure, if space is a dominant issue, go for that but, if you are able and space is available, I would strongly advise keeping the two apart. Why? To maximise sound quality and to direct the best tools for the job towards two different tasks.

      • Reply
        Tim
        29th December 2022 at 7:38 pm

        Hi Paul, thank you for your quick response! To answer your questions: I wanted the Klipsch speakers because I’ve always envisioned having 2 big speakers aside my TT. I like the look and I would want it to be loud enough to hear throughout the house and I’ve heard nothing but positives from those speakers, but again I don’t know if floor speakers just don’t match well with a TT. Subwoofers, yes eventually 2 would be ideal as from the research I did, 2 was better than 1 (but I could be wrong!) and I wanted them as I thought they would enhance my TT listening experience and be nice with AV setup as well. I initially wanted a combo TT and AV setup simply for cost as I would prefer only to buy 1 set of everything. Neither AV or HiFi is my direct priority, I would like to just maximize my bang for my buck and if that can be done by combining, then why not try. I guess my question would be, would having a dual setup like that drastically degrade my experience on both the AV and TT side? If I still get premium sound quality and (for lack of a better term) I still receive lets say 90% of possible sound from both, I think I can sacrifice that for convenience and cost. I hope that makes sense! As for pre-amp and amp, I would like to have a budget of $500 for each. For total chain (minus EVO, Klipsch speakers and subwoofers) I would be comfortable with around $2,000 budget for everything. Thank you again! Sorry for the many questions all together, I had more than I thought!

        • Reply
          Paul Rigby
          31st December 2022 at 2:18 pm

          I don’t want to rain on your parade, Tim so you go for it with your AV plans. You seem to have considered all the angles in terms of your priorities and your sonic requirements, research, etc. The EVO would be a nice addition. A separate stereo system would be better but I totally understand your reasoning in terms of value, space, etc.

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