Pro-Ject’s Debut line has spent decades as the default answer to “what turntable should I buy first?” The Debut Reference 10 asks a different question — how far that platform stretches before it stops being entry level. The shape is familiar: a fully manual, belt-driven deck on a hand-painted MDF cabinet. Almost everything that touches the record, though, has been reworked, and the price has moved with it.
The arm is the headline. Pro-Ject fits a 10″ one-piece carbon-aluminium tonearm with an effective length of 254 mm, an effective mass of 16.6 g and 16 mm of overhang. A longer arm swings through a shallower arc across the record, which is the whole point of the exercise. Both azimuth and vertical tracking angle are adjustable, so the fitted cartridge can actually be dialled in rather than just bolted on.
Underneath, the 300 mm acrylic platter spins on a diamond-cut aluminium sub-platter — the part that is plastic on cheaper Debut models — riding a high-precision stainless steel axle in a bronze bushing. Drive is by belt with electronic speed control, and Pro-Ject uses a power generator that feeds the motor a clean sine wave. Electronic speed change covers 33, 45/(78) RPM. The measured numbers: wow and flutter of ±0.16% at 33 RPM and ±0.14% at 45 RPM, speed drift of ±0.4% and ±0.5% respectively, and a signal-to-noise figure of 68 dB.
The deck arrives with a Pick it PRO B moving-magnet cartridge wired for a True Balanced connection, and the plinth carries both a True Balanced mini XLR and a conventional RCA phono output. Feed that mini XLR into one of Pro-Ject’s balanced phono stages and the signal path stays balanced end to end. The cartridge puts out 4 mV at 1 kHz with 22 dB of channel separation, a frequency response of 20–20,000 Hz ±2 dB and an elliptical 8/18 μm stylus. Tracking force runs 1.8–2.2 g, with 2.0 g recommended into a 47 kOhm load and 150–300 pF of capacitance.
What else is in the box:
- Dust cover, 7″ single adapter and a 78 RPM round belt
- Connect it Phono E RCA cable
- 15V DC / 0.8A power supply; consumption is 4W, or 0W on standby
It measures 462 x 145 x 345 mm (WxHxD) and weighs 6 kg net.
Pro-Ject announced the Debut Reference 10 on October 29, 2025, and posted a “Debut Reference 10 is here!” note on December 10, 2025. It sells for US$1,499 / £999. What Hi-Fi?, reviewing it on March 12, 2026, called it a handsomely made turntable that serves up a clear, stable and authoritative sound — which is roughly what you would hope for from a Debut wearing this kind of price tag.
