[matthewpartrick]

Things I can think of are

1) Ortofon 2M Red to 2M-whatever I can afford
2) Upgrade Felt on platter with ___ from ____ company
3) Upgrade feet (is this even possible on this model?)

This is my first audiophile quality turntable so I really don't know much about these things, much more heavily into digital but my older brothers and sisters have an enormous collection that I may be inheriting. 

Thanks in advance!
Matthew

[neobop]

Hi,
Don't know how many around here have the Debut Carbon, but the first thing is to have a solid support for the table.  A wall shelf or stand/table which doesn't rock, is kind of mandatory.  For $20 or so you can get a butcher block at Ikea.  The feet probably unscrew or you can get Vibrapods, or footers at Herbies.  You might want to ask them about mats.  They make one for your table.
http://herbiesaudiolab.net/ttmat.htm

Check this:
http://www.theobjectiveturntable.com/ProjectDebutCarbon.html

neo

[matthewpartrick]

Perfect thanks!  This was exactly the sort of advice I was hoping for. 

One more question:  Is it outrageous to upgrade to a cartridge that cost as much as the turntable did?  Sometimes I can be the King of Conspicuous Consumption but cartridge prices seem to dictate that the market will tolerate this sort of imbalance, and since it's kind of an important part of the system I was thinking of going with one of the upper scale Ortofon 2M cartridges.

[decal]

+1 on the Herbie's mat.

[dB Cooper]

Perfect thanks!  This was exactly the sort of advice I was hoping for. 

One more question:  Is it outrageous to upgrade to a cartridge that cost as much as the turntable did?  Sometimes I can be the King of Conspicuous Consumption but cartridge prices seem to dictate that the market will tolerate this sort of imbalance, and since it's kind of an important part of the system I was thinking of going with one of the upper scale Ortofon 2M cartridges.

I suggest looking into the Van Alstine-modded "Longhorn" Grado. With regard to your first question, a vinyl system can be no better than the phono cartiidge, so while there is probably a reasonable limit, not necessarily outrageous in and of itself.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

I would upgrade the Cartridge as well.  I have a friend that has the same TT and upgraded the Stylus on the 2M Red to a 2M Blue and it made a nice improvement. It was not a dramatic change but it was smoother, and less harsh with a bit more detail.  That TT will respond nicely to a better Cartridge and phono preamp.

The 2M Red, is what it is, a $99 cartridge.  I think it is definitely overrated and find it bright, harsh and irritating with quite a bit of noise. It does have good dynamics though.

Here is a nice discussion comparing the Red to the Blue-

http://www.vinylengine.com/turntable_forum/viewtopic.php?t=3512

I would probably stay away from Grado's with that TT as there can be issue's with hum with the Debut and Grado's. I do prefer the sound of Grado's though.

[neobop]

It's important to learn about alignment and setting up a cart.  It can make a hugh difference.   Couple of things you'll need are a decent stylus force gauge and a protractor.  You can get a digital scale at Amazon or the like for less than $20.  Just make sure it has a non magnetic platform.  You can get free alignment protractors at Vinyl Engine.  The Stupid protractors are the ones you want.  This is a free download to members:
http://www.vinylengine.com/cartridge-alignment-protractors.shtml
You have to make sure the scale is correct.

Record cleaning is also a must.  I suggest a carbon fiber brush for dusting.  For more thorough record cleaning read the sticky threads up top.  You'll also need to clean the stylus. 

Seems like a lot of stuff at first, but once you get going it's very rewarding.  Oh, about the cartridge.  Ortofons are expensive.  The 2M Blue stylus is $165.
I would recommend this one instead:
http://www.lpgear.com/product/AT7V.html

neo

[mfsoa]

Remove the anti-skate weight. My ProJect Perspective Carbon sounds worlds better this way.

Tip: If you don't like the sound with the weight off, put it back on.

-Mike

[Letitroll98]

How about the acrylic platter?  And a record clamp, I like the Mitchell.  I've been happy using a leather platter mat, sweet, lively sound.

[matthewpartrick]

Thanks guys I'll keep you posted. 

[bentconvert]

Conrad Hoffman's Custom Arc Template Generator helped a lot in improving my cartridge alignment. It is free and available from his website. http://conradhoffman.com/chsw.htm

[jarcher]

I would say a stylus and platter upgrade (to project acrylic) would both be worthwhile. I think the 2M Bronze is the sweet spot although quite a bit more money. It's got both more detail & definition & will be smoother and more refined, particularly in the high frequencies. I find the blue a bit bright and aggressive.

I also think a Mapleshade platform makes a noticeable difference (better bass and more clarity / definition). Worth every penny of the $160 or so it costs. The platform is also something that can be used with future turntables (assuming they are of similar size). Project also makes low cost wall mount platforms.

[putz]

I had a Debut a while back and did the following upgrades.

Acrylit platter
OM20 stylus on the OM5 cart that was OEM back then
Clamp from KAB
Project Speedbox. No one has mentioned this yet and it is worthwhile

[matthewpartrick]

As a follow up, do you guys think it's more worthwhile just to upgrade to one of the Pro Ject RPM models?

http://www.project-audio.com/main.php?list=rpmline&cat=turntables&lang=en

[jarcher]

If your budget is $1400 or higher, your money would be better spent going to a Clearaudio Concept.

[matthewpartrick]

Ok, re the maple platform someone mentioned above.  The project is 415mm x 320mm closed.  That's about 16.5" x 12.5". What size platform would I go for?

[jarcher]

18 x 15 x 2

Thats what we use.

Be aware that if you choose anything but the standard finish you'll be waiting up to 2 months or more - especially with the holidays coming up (Amish like to go to church).