A NEW TURN for U-TURN 

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I had a first-gen Orbit Custom; acrylic platter, Grado Blue cartridge. I loved it. Great entry-level turntable. I recently updated to their Orbit Theory in walnut with the 2M Bronze cart. They addressed many issues and complaints customers had with the first-gen, switchable speed control, and now there's a groove machined in the platter which helps the belt stay on. Also the silicone belt which supposedly resists stretching. What I love about U-Turn is their focus on simplicity. No automatic features here, but it also makes it more engaging.

Haha “the Close & Play”! Back in the early 80s there was a high-end stereo place called audio spectrum in Central Florida! They had hooked up a Close & Play to a pair of Klipschorns and it sounded amazing! Obviously they were trying to show how incredibly efficient Klipsch speakers were and I must say it was a very compelling display!

Nice hear you mention that the manual speed change is a pain. Good that Uturn and Pro-Ject are making electronic speed changes on new models. Even vintage models generally have this feature. But I think that they should have removable headshells.

I almost bought a U-Turn turntable to replace an old Sansui turntable. But, I wanted a turntable with a removable headshell and electronic speed control. The new tonearm looks great, but lacking a removable headshell is a deal breaker.

The colored plinths are MDF. Only the natural wood plinths are solid. But I dig the video, you helped me decide to buy one for myself. Thanks! (I went with the green)

Therirservice is fantastic. My power switch quit. I sent it to them and they had it fixed in 1 day and sent back. Total without the TT was 3 days including the shipping.

Love that they have such amazing service! Definitely a plus for when I decide to upgrade. Must be that good old Northeast attitude! Many great companies in this area of the U.S.!

About a year ago I bought the U-Turn Theory with the Bronze cart. I love it. I am very impressed with their customer service. Would recommend to anyone.

Uturn tables are pretty nice. Ive had a first gen for about 7 years now. It sounds pretty great with a Grado black cart too, not all bright. Many people dont know this, but they're also easy to work on. Was having a speed variation problem, which turned out to be a bad spindle bearing. Pretty sure Uturn sent it for free. A few screw turns later, and it was back in business. Pretty painless customer service experience. Love that! Now if they could buld a turntable with adjustable VTA and anti-skate..

Thanks for the informative video. As someone who just recently got into vinyl, your channel has been one of my go-tos. I appreciate the knowledge share!

I love my Gen 1 Orbit Plus. I wish the dust cover latches were metal and the spindle metal as well. Aside from those, I adore this turntable.

Hey Rick, Thanks again for another great video. I have been a fan of the U-Turn Orbit for a long time, and I own two. I have a Custom, like yours, and I have a Orbit Theory. I bought my Theory with an Ortophon 2M Bronze cartridge, and it has speed control so no manual handling of the belt to change speed. It also has user adjustable anti-skate, so you can have control over that, if you want it. If you haven't checked out the Theory, you should.

IMO it is a well made TT with huge potential if you want to modify and upgrade it. My DYI TT was made using U-turn parts! Their customer service always has been top notch!! My hat off for them.

And you listen to your subscribers too! My compliments. I don't and will not own a U-Turn since I'm in Europe and already own anout 10 TT's. But I always prefer and recommend them because of the smart engineering. That arm is really something special. You can put any cartridge on that you want. And its not 'stupid' to start with the great sounding AT3600. Get a good basic TT first and when its worn, upgrade the stylus. A solid real wood plinth for that money? Damping feet. Acrilic platter. Don't waste it on the Ortofon 2M cartridges.

Hi Rick, I am on my second Uturn table, Theory with 2M Bronze. May try the LVB 250 black when its time to replace my stylus. I agree about the customer service, they are extremely responsive and I appreciate their approach - - especially with those of us who are not techies. I may wait to upgrade my table when Uturn comes out with an upgrade for the Theory. Take care. Joe

Wow, the Close n Play was my first record playing device too! I also own a second gen. customized U-Turn Orbit. I have been hearing that buzz you described in my speakers too. It only happens when the record is spinning but the tonearm is snapped into the tonearm rest, not while playing the record. I thought it was odd that the deck came without a "ground" wire on the output cable.

Great turntable and great video... U-Turn can also be purchased here in Norway. Good for me to know when the day comes that I'm ready to move on from my Audio Technica 😁 All the best from Kristiansand 🎸🎸🎸

I have a Rega Rp8 with the Audio technical 549 Rigby modification. It is astonishing.

Excellent review. I considered U-Turn, but decided against them because I didn't want to have to.move.the belt to change speeds. Nice to know they now have a model with speed control for the future.

Before I bought my Rega Planar 2 I seriously thought about a U-Turn turntable. But their tonearm at the time looked a bit weak. I also like a tonearm with adjustable anti-skate, but my Rega is fixed also. Can't seem to win on this issue other than spend $445 to replace it with the newer version with adjustable anti-skate. That's about 3/4 of the price when I bought it!

Great video Rick! I was really close to buying a U Turn turnable before I settled on my Fluance. I've been happy with the Fluance RT85, but I'm sure if had gone with the U Turn would have been happy with it as well. I think it was the speed control that was a factor in choosing the Fluance at the time. It just seemed odd to me to have to move the belt. I have a couple of 45 RPM LP's as well and I like having a speed control. Now that U Turn has that feature, I would consider them if I ever upgraded. But, I doubt I'll upgrade the turntable at this point only the cartridge. Cheers!

Have a turntable 😮 In the back bedroom

2 questions for my favorite audiophile: Although I am subscribed, I don't get notifications for new videos from you, unlike other channels. Is that a setting on your end? I have been listening to the same album since yesterday and this morning it started looping - not sure how they call it - when it is stuck in a groove. Is there a way to fix it? How would it have happened when I did nothing? Is it a signed of warned out stylus?

I have my turntable and preamp grounded to a water pipe in my basement. No buzzing allowed in my music.

😊

Just merely a question is all. Can you give me a compelling reason to buy a turntable from Uturn with the Ortofon blue cartridge and an acrylic platter for $750 verses a Fluance RT85 with the same cartridge, platter, and knob to change speeds for $500? I only ask because I have not operated a uturn but I have a Fluance and need a 2nd deck for another room. Just curious about your thoughts since I think you have used both. Much appreciated and great video as always my friend.

Have you tried Rega turntables..?

You know vinyl is back when they very often have a turntable system with lps as a prize on TV 's The Price Is Right. I think it's usually a U-turn turntable or Technics. One time the prize they had to bid on was a pair of those small KEF LS50 speakers. Really weird to see high end audio on a game show. A woman who looked like Oprah was the closrst one to guessing the retail price. She guessed $900 of the $1600 price, and got to come onstage for a chance to win a bigger prize. It would be funny if they had something really ultra high end as a prize, like Rockport or MBL speakers. Perhaps the closest bidders guess would be $90,000 off; on the low side.When I first saw the title and your expression my first thought was; maybe this video is about should you really care about good sound? Can good sound equal true happiness? Some say even winning the lottery can't buy happiness. They should speak for themselves. For me it would. But having sound quality to the rafters, I can say that, it doesn't do your mental health any harm. It gives you something extraordinary to look forward to. And without those kind of things, and without hope, your're pretty much done. I used to go gambling at the dog races. The bus was about 97% old people. The chance of winning big was their excitement and hope in life. Otherwise their life would be uneventful. A lot of audiophiles are older, and I imagine upgrading and the thought of upgrading to better sound, serves their psyche in much the same way as a weekly gambling trip to the casino serves some people. When your sound gets as good as the source (the true limit), then you have to seek out other things to bring hope and excitement. It's like they say, the thrill is the climb, not as much the actual getting there, once you are there. But it can make you happy while you are listening to music.

Would you mind elaborating on that humming/buzz sound through your speakers? I just got the same turntable and their ethos speakers and been hearing this buzz sound whenever the speakers are on (coming from the powered speaker). Whether it’s connected to the turntable or not or even Bluetooth. I’m concerned I got a lemon but already reached out to their team. Did the grounded cables solve the noise entirely?

@3:05 -- My turntable's belt needs to be manually moved up and down the motor's pulley, to change between 33⅓ RPM and 45 RPM. But it has never fallen off, or given any hint of falling off. And my platter is smooth acrylic (has no groove). My belt is different than the U-Turn Orbit's belt, at least by color (hard to tell if it differs in other characteristics). My belt is close to the color of your U-Turn Orbit's acrylic platter. One possibility for my belt not slipping off is that my motor is not housed in the plinth. It is stand-alone. So perhaps mine has a bit more tension, based on where I plopped it down? I have been using the same belt for approximately 15 years, and I never moved the motor from where I placed it, so long ago. The belt change is easy and fast. In my case, I need my reading glasses, because my pulley has 1-off RPM rungs in the pulley, in case my utility company's electrical sine wave is inaccurate. So I have two speeds (33⅓ and 45), but three choices for each. So I need my eyeglasses to make sure I do not mistakenly use one of the rungs designed for speed correction. I would rather have a switch or button for speed changes. But it is what it is, and not a deal breaker. By the way, I do have 45s that are in somewhat crummy shape. I have them since I was 10 years old, and never cleaned them. So like your father's 45s, I do not play mine. Maybe I need to take another look and try a few? My VPI 16.5 record cleaning machine does not support 7" records. It has no way to clamp it down. There is a $50 clamp for my machine. But I am not spending that, because I doubt that I will play any of my 7" records twice. I also have a handful of 12", 45 RPM pressings, that I purchased throughout the decades, that are in great shape, and sound very good. So do have a legitimate use for spinning my platter at 45 RPM. The 12" 45s are usually for long-play singles.

Could you do a video on how to use the wally tool. I tried watching wally tool video on their site , and it just confused the hell out of me.

I am going to be narly Rick, your pronounced Woburn wrong (I think). With your irresistible New England accent, that's a delight. And the funniest part is: made by a local, caught by a Hungarian :) (Probably everyone outside of 128 pronounces it wrong) Otherwise lovely review as always!

Very cool 😎 👍

It's pronounced "Woo" burn. C'mon, I thought you were a northeast guy.