Pro-Ject's new premium turntable promises "analogue excellence" — but it's from its more beginner-friendly range
It's another beautiful turntable from the Austrian audiophiles
· TechRadarNews By Carrie Marshall published 4 January 2026
(Image credit: Pro-Ject) Share Share by:
Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google
- The Pro-Ject's Debut Reference 10 costs €1,199 (about $1,410 / £1,047)
- Newly developed hybrid aluminium/carbon tonearm
- New bearing block design and clean power
Pro-Ject's Debut line of turntables launched in 1999 with the goal of bringing high-quality vinyl playback to a wider audience, and since then the Debut line has been a constant presence in our best turntables rankings: the Debut Carbon Evo is our current number one. And now there's a more advanced, more premium model: the Pro-Ject Debut Reference 10.
It's a typically gorgeous and minimalist design with some important new features, including Pro-Ject's first hybrid carbon/aluminum tonearm. That's matched with a Pick it PRO Balanced cartridge, a revised version of the original Pick it PRO that promises a "true balanced" signal transmission.
Pro-Ject Debut Reference 10: key features and pricing
The Debut Reference 10 features a resonance-free acrylic platter, a diamond-cut aluminum sub-platter and a power generator that Pro-Ject says delivers a "completely new clean sine wave" for the motor, which in turn delivers enhanced speed stability. There's a new bearing block design too, with a TPE damped aluminium counterweight and adaptive anti-skating mechanism at the rear.
The tonearm is fully adjustable for both azimuth and vertical tracking angle, and height adjustment for different cartridges or turntable mat heights is just a matter of loosening two grub screws. The three feet are height adjustable too; there are three rather than four feet because the former configuration is less likely to wobble on an imperfectly flat surface.
The turntable is manual, but there is a switch here to change between 33 and 45rpm without having to do it manually. And the package includes the familiar Connect it Phono RCA phono-optimized cable for its gold-plated RCA outs.
The chassis is MDF underneath eight layers of hand-applied lacquer, with MDF chosen for its ability to reduce vibration, and all the visible metal bits are diamond-cut.
Price-wise, the Debut Reference 10 is positioned between the affordable Debut EVO 2 and the premium high-end turntables that Pro-Ject also makes: it's €1,199 (about £1,047 / $1,410).
Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox
Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.
Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors