![]() ![]() Much of Theory’s performance was verified using an Audio Precision audio analyzer. From there, we test the design, make changes, and repeat the process until we are happy with the result. Once we have an initial design, we prototype our designs in house, using our machine shop and 3D printers. ![]() We use CAD software to design every part of the tonearm assembly and to begin the initial design analysis before building anything. So much goes into engineering a tonearm - geometry, bearing design, material selection, and more. What goes into that?īob Hertig: We’ve been designing our own tonearms since we launched the first ever Orbit 10 years ago. (More info on the Pluto 2 preamp can be found here.)ĪP: U-Turn is serious. It is an MM preamp with input impedance of 47k and capacitance of 100 pF. ![]() The cost to add the built-in preamp is $70. (Electrical design was performed by Carter’s longtime electrical engineer, Brian Coate.) The following responses I got are shared here in direct Q&A form.ĪP: Tell me about the phono preamp, which is an add-on option with the Orbit Theory.īen Carter: We offer a built-in version of our Pluto 2 phono preamp as an optional add-on for Theory. To clarify a few more of the facts about the Orbit Theory, I spoke with U-Turn founder Ben Carter, who in turn relayed my questions to principal designer and co-founder Bob Hertig, the man who designed the original Orbit series. Perhaps best of all, you have the knowledge that your cash is going directly to the 25 full-time employees at the company’s Woburn, Massachusetts plant - always a plus in our book. The ’table also comes with a three-year warranty and a 30-day return policy. U-Turn delivers the Orbit Theory or any of their turntables free of charge. (Also note: Adding U-Turn’s internal Pluto 2 phono preamp increases the price to $1,069. At $999, you’re paying less than the monthly nut on a rent-stabilized Manhattan apartment to enjoy prime vinyl playback. Note that a number of more expensive turntables don’t come with adjustable feet, acrylic platter, or a domestically sourced hardwood plinth - nor with the option of said plinth having a rift cut walnut or ebonized white oak finish to boot. ![]() Other Orbit Theory features include an ultra-quiet motor with electronic speed control (33/45rpm), grooved acrylic platter with precision aluminum spindle, adjustable-height aluminum feet with Sorbothane for vibration isolation, natural hardwood plinth in ebonized oak or walnut, and an all-new seamless silicone belt. (If you want the Bronze cartridge, the SRP rises to $1,249.) Engineered for uncompromising playback.” Following the PR copy, it’s noted that the Orbit Theory’s OA3 Pro tonearm with one-piece magnesium armtube comes with an included Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge. With all this in mind, let’s dive a bit deeper into the specs and features to see what this Orbit Theory ’table is all about.Ī visit to the U-Turn website reveals the following statement regarding the new Orbit Theory turntable: “Our next-generation turntable. Even the big boys on the entry-level analog block - think Rega, Pro-Ject, and Music Hall - saw product sales moving in the right direction.Īnd now, this Woburn, Massachusetts-based company has seen fit to introduce the U-Turn Orbit Theory, a new turntable we previewed back in late August that has an SRP of $999 - a sign the company not only knows how to design quality turntables, but also understands the proper ceiling to hit when the price point is a factor. This, in turn, fired a demand for stylus cleaners, levels, turntable mats, cartridges (MM and MC), lights, phono preamps, record cleaners, and the like. The popularity of U-Turn’s Orbit turntable signaled and/or paralleled the back-to-analog shift in the way people imbibed music. Did you know that U-Turn Audio’s original Orbit turntable, which sells for $199 including cartridge, has sold a walloping 125,000 units to date? The Orbit’s solid build quality - made entirely in the U.S., including the tonearm - plus easy setup and reliable performance made it a no-brainer purchase for post-MP3 young adults getting into vinyl for the very first time, not to mention veteran LP spinners pulling out their tattered OG copies of Kind of Blue and Meet The Beatles from their own (or perhaps their parents’) dusty attic collections. ![]()
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