U-Turn Audio Orbit Special Turntable

Description

Company & Product OverviewIn 1988, when the three founders of U-Turn Audio were born, CDs were beginning to take the audio world by storm. While everyone around them carried portable CD players, they were a bit more old-school — preferring the experience of coming home after school to lay on the floor and listen to vinyl.By the time they got to college in the early 2000s, it was nearly impossible to find a quality turntable — Especially one that they could afford as poor college students. As vinyl sales began to come back to life, it was no longer as difficult to find a turntable, but they were mostly cheap all-in-ones. The kind that not only sounded horrible but could also damage their precious records. Leveraging their engineering, design, and creative talents, these three friends decided that they could make something better.They timed it perfectly, launching a Kickstarter as vinyl sales began to skyrocket. By 2015, U-Turn Audio had already sold over 10,000 turntables out of their homegrown factory in Woburn Massachusetts. In fact, nearly 90% of the parts in their Orbit turntable come from local suppliers.We posted our review of the U-Turn Orbit back in August of 2017, shortly after we began carrying their products. After nearly a year of great sales and impeccable customer feedback, we decided to sit down with Ben Carter and Bob Hertig to learn more about what makes this such a great table for the money.After talking with them at length, we really came to realize just how special the Orbit Special is. Its a true labor of love, particularly with the care that goes into their unique wooden plinth.While U-Turn has variations of the Orbit that start at $179, we decided to circle back and write an entire review on the features and details of the fully-loaded U-Turn Orbit Special.Design & Build QualityThe U-Turn Orbit Special is a manual, belt-drive turntable. At Audio Advice, we love belt drive designs for their simplicity and great sound. The motor is isolated fro