Pro-Ject has unveiled a follow-up to its eye-catching Colourful Audio System. The Colourful Audio System 2 is just as radiant as its predecessor, but has some upgraded components, including the Debut Evo 2 record player, which we rated as five stars.
It's a complete system in a box – including a turntable, amplifier, stereo speakers, cartridge and cables – which is ideal for beginners who don't want the complexity of finding compatible separates.
And it's upgradeable over time, so as your confidence – and your budget – grows, you can swap in higher-end components if you like.
There are actually two versions of the new system: the Colourful Audio System 2 and a lower-end Colourful Audio System E.
The former comprises a Debut Evo 2 turntable, a MaiA S3 amplifier and two Speaker Box 5 S2 bookshelf speakers. The Debut Evo 2 is a five-star deck with a carbon fibre tonearm and damped aluminium platter. At 206cm wide, the S3 amplifier is small but packs 40 watts of power per channel, with eight inputs including Bluetooth and a phono stage. Extras include rubber feet that will help isolate the speakers from the turntable and a pair of terminated Connect it LS E speaker cables.
The turntable and speakers' seven finishes comprise six in satin (Black, Fir Green, Golden Yellow, Steel Blue, White, and Wine Red), and a Walnut real wood veneer. But the amp only comes in black.
The Colourful Audio System E downgrades these components to the new Debut E turntable (which was created exclusively for this package), Stereo Box E amplifier and Speaker Box 5 E Carbon bookshelf speakers. The Debut E has a solid MDF plinth, aluminium tonearm and Ortofon OM5e cartridge, while the amp has 40W per channel, six inputs and Bluetooth. And the Speaker Box 5 E Carbon speakers have silk dome tweeters and carbon fibre woofers. The E system comes in the same range of finishes as its pricier stablemate.
The Colourful Audio System 2 costs £1799 (around $2270 / AU$3558) and the System E is £1099 (around $1386 / AU$2173). Both go on sale next month.
MORE:
News from the Bristol Hi-Fi Show 2025
These are the best speakers we’ve tested
We rate the best stereo amplifiers
