A New Turn for U-Turn

I enjoy reviewing turntables. I’ve been fascinated by them since I was a child.

A turntable is like an old friend. Friends change over the years. Some you bond with. You might move on, but when you reconnect, it feels like no time has passed despite the changes.

If I’m sounding sentimental here, it’s because I am doing so intentionally. I recently reconnected with an old friend who has changed, but I like those changes.

I’m not going to go into my entire relationship with vinyl—I’ve done that before. But there was a period where I stepped away from it. When I returned to it, I had a couple of turntables, and one that stood out for me was the original Orbit Custom from U-Turn Audio, based in Woburn, Massachusetts.

What I liked about the Orbit was U-Turn’s attention to detail and ease of use. The turntable’s job is to accurately reproduce sound from a record’s groove. It knows its job, and it does it well.

Were there things I would have changed? Absolutely. I can say that about any turntable. But there were two things specifically, and I wasn’t alone.

One was the speed control.

The original Orbit’s speed control required the user to move the belt manually. I don’t own any 7” 45s, but I own some 45 rpm 12” records. I have to admit – manually changing the speed was sometimes frustrating. At least for me, because I’m clumsy.

It was frustrating because of the second thing I would have changed if the U-Turn gods had deemed me worthy enough to do so.

The second thing was the way the belt interacted with the platter.

The belt had a habit of slipping off. Almost every time I did it, because, as I said, I’m clumsy.

I know I wasn’t the only one.

Setting the pesky belt aside, I really enjoyed that first Orbit. I have to say that U-Turn has the best customer-oriented culture and mission of any company in any industry. I’ve experienced that firsthand on more than one occasion. I’ll get to that.

What further sets them apart is that they genuinely listen to the folks who use their turntables.

How do I know this? It’s obvious when we look at their next generation of turntables – The Orbit Special.

There are a few things that put the “special” in the name. One is the frosted acrylic platter. To alleviate belt slippage, the Orbit Special’s platter has a groove cut into it to allow for easy belt integration, and it won’t slip off if you have a model that requires you to move the belt to adjust for speed manually.

Notice I said “if” you have to.

While all models, from the Basic to the Special, have the new grooved platter, the Special has something else.

Speed control.

Customers spoke, and U-Turn listened.

U-Turn has made further updates to their next generation that are just as exciting,

They’ve redesigned the tonearm, again from the basic on up, and called it the Orbit Arm 3, or OA3 for short. It’s a lightweight, one-piece magnesium arm meant to reduce vibrations. It has a counterweight, so you can adjust for VTF when changing cartridges. Antiskate, however, is set at assembly and non-adjustable—until you get to the Orbit Theory model, which is adjustable.

The drive system was redesigned and is set off to the side to prevent motor vibrations from reaching the platter. The Special also comes with a cue arm. For me, a cue arm is essential. Like I said, I can be clumsy. It gently lowers the stylus to the groove—nice and slow—which helps negate my clumsiness.

You do have the option with the Special to include a built-in preamp, and it sounds just fine. It’s no secret that I prefer external preamps, so a majority of my test listening was done through a Pro-Ject Tube S2 phono stage. U-Turn also sells an external phono stage—the Pluto 2. I have a story about that in just a moment.

The Special sits snugly in the mid-level range of turntables and starts at $549 without the built-in phono stage. For $300 less, you can start with their entry-level Orbit basic and still get the improved tonearm, motor, and grooved platter.

They have all bases covered for all budget levels.

I want to return to something I said earlier about their exceptional customer service. When I bought the Pluto 2 to use with my original Orbit a few years ago, I noticed a slight buzz coming through my speakers. No matter what I did, I couldn’t get rid of it so I contacted U-Turn. They sent me a new, specialized grounded cable overnight at no charge, and it worked great. That was no anomaly – I’ve read account after account on Reddit and elsewhere about their attention to service.

If it sounds like I’m a fan of the company, I am. I’ve been a paying customer and have used their products for years.
They’ll always have a place in my home.