U-Turn Audio Orbit Turntable Product Review

This week The Vinyl Geek reviews the U-Turn Audio Orbit custom turntable. Is it worth buying? Watch and find out!
Skip the unboxing and jump to the review 5:00

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Vinyl Rewind is your home for vinyl related content on YouTube. Each week, new uploads feature vinyl-based music reviews, artist interviews, contests, cocktails and collecting tips, for both the novice and expert collectors. Vinyl Rewind is dedicated to preserving an analogue lifestyle in the digital age.
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[MrMeepbeep]

I'm consistently amazed by the level of production quality in these videos, another fantastic video!

[jefferyjones]

Also, U-Turn has excellent customer service. If you have any issues they are very prompt at replying and are willing to work with you.

[andrewcrew]

Looks like dad got home from a long day and is setting up the family's first turntable

[vibingwithvinyl]

Again, you should have _much_ more subscribers. The videos are excellent quality.

[MovieMinglePodcast]

I have owned my Uturn Audio table for two years now, and I still love it. Everything still works very well. I have the acrylic platter, cue, Ortofon OM5E, and their Pluto preamp. I will say it takes a bit of time to get used to setting the belt from 33 to 45 and back to 33, but I am a pro now and can switch back and forth quickly.

[genx]

After watching about a dozen reviews you are the first, I feel, to give a truly honest review. It was interesting to hear your negative comments. Thank you! (X10). I LOVE your cool retro look. Cheers.

[christianharris]

This setup filming and aesthetic is fantastic I love it

[IsraelQuezada]

I think this is the best review of the U Turn Turntable I've seen here on Youtube, great quality video, man! I like this turntable, sleek and minimalist design. I'd like to get the blue one with the acrylic platter. As always great video man, I never miss any of them...

[jackallen]

I am probably not your average subscriber on this channel. Having said that I love turn tables and I have a (for me) large collection of records I have amassed since I was a teenager in the mid seventies and beyond. You know when that was pretty much your only option...unless you actually liked 8-tracks...no one I knew did, lol. Of course if you were basically rich you might have had a reel to reel tape deck...I wasn't, lol. Anyway. In my day direct drive turn tables were the high end of the scale, I now have and do dearly love my Technics SL_1900 TT.. It is fully automatic and direct drive  and I really like that feature, the SL_1200 is awesome...if you want a DJ table that is fully manual and indestructible. It's not really my thing. I am very glad you gave an honest and fair review of this belt drive table, thank you!! You have a new subscriber!  I love the Hugh Hefner 60's kind of vibe in your videos also by the way!! Have a great day!!

[gdit]

The deal breaker for me, and this holds true for any and all turntables on the market, is having to readjust the belt when I want to play a 45 . With my Yamaha I only have to press a button and I'm good to go . And I totally agree with you about the need for a cuing device . When I manually attempt to place the needle on a record my hand starts shaking and very bad things happen Apropos of nothing, I never knew learning could be so much fun . ( Insert slightly self - conscious lol . )

[johnhpalmer]

I stumble onto your videos every now and then and this one is no exception and have to say, good job!

I've been eying this turntable for a while now once I became aware of it a couple of years ago. As reviews of this table goes, this one is the best I've seen as you delve into its pros and cons very well and stress some caveats while at it.

I'm in agreement that if you already have a budget table, the Orbit won't be a significant upgrade for most, but for someone just starting out, it will be a step up from say, the AT LP120, but not a huge step up though so as time has moved on, I've come to the conclusion that for me, a vinyl guy since I was little in the 70's but never had a nice deck to play my vinyl on, I think moving up from my mid 80's molded plastic plinth Kenwood table that my late parents bought new for $63 on sale even, I'd have to go up to at least $400-500, or closer to $700 minimum to gain any significant improvement as the biggest improvements one can make, given the table is halfway decent enough is in the cartridge and phono preamp. Right now, my budget table which would have cost roughly $120 if bought new today now plays closer to a $400 table with the SHURE M97xE cart and a good phono preamp, the Muffsy PP3 kit I built early last year that is roughly the quality of one closer to $400-500 and set me back $130 for everything, excluding shipping costs.

So here, at minimum for a Rega deck would be the new Planar 2, better yet, the Planar 3 or 6 would be where I'd have to go to get any significant upgrades over what I have now.

[pat]

I wholeheartedly agree with the review. I wanted to get this turntable because I love the design of the solid wood plinth, but what turned me off was the tonearm set up. For all the bells and whistles this turntable is well over $600. If they redesigned it with a beefier tonearm, standard cue lever, and a more efficient counterweight, it would be well worth the money.

[DerekPower]

My own turntable, which is also the Orbit Custom, arrived today. The body is white and I also got the acrylic platter. The cartridge I got was the Ortofon OM 5E and I did get the phono preamp.

One of the selling points was I could upgrade the cartridges later if I wanted to do so. Another selling point (and a personal one) was they are based in Woburn, MA where I lived for a good stretch of time. And while I no longer live there myself, I wanted some reminder that my time there wasn’t all terrible (I left the place on somewhat bad terms).

So far, so good. I basically wanted to get back into listening to vinyl again after not having any kind of turntable for myself for at least ten years or more. After decades of searching and finding, I had found the way to take me back.

And now ... to rediscover some music =]

[RoastBeefSandwich]

I'm getting a funeral parlor vibe from this whole video.

[aaronz]

I have looked into this turntable. I agree it seems like it would pretty good but a letdown in some areas. I prefer fully automatic, so these days nobody makes a new one. I am quite happy with my 80's Sony. It's over 30 years old and working perfectly for me for 4 years.

[marcoalaan_]

Just bought this! Thank you for this great review. Love your work.

[CoreysChannel]

Congrats on the U Turn, it looks fantastic. I invested in a speed box for my (pro-ject) turntable to avoid adjusting the belt but it did come with a little tool to switch. There's a trick to it but yeah it's very irritating when it pops off. Cheers!

[scottlowell]

I would buy this before a project debut carbon. Not just because it's better- also because it's made in the USA just a few hours drive from me.

[ReasonablySane]

BTW, great review! It seemed extremely even handed and reasonable.

[peepers]

I hope Orbit saw you well done video and listened to your suggestions. They really should.make those changes!