I'd say the opposite, the U-Turn Orbit is the talk of the audio town, 21st century version of the AR turntable. I'm sure there are a few turntable mfgs that are talking to themselves since the U-Turn hit the market.
A noob needs to make a decision
- Thread starter KickDes
- Start date
Thank you for the additional advice, and the bonus info on the preamp. Definitely going to need one of those as well.
Are there any specific features that are must-haves when evaluating turntable candidates? I know that's a fairly broad question, but that's because of my general naivete on nuances to look for.
Cheers.
Are there any specific features that are must-haves when evaluating turntable candidates? I know that's a fairly broad question, but that's because of my general naivete on nuances to look for.
Cheers.
Roivas
Well-Known Member
As far as a preamp, I HIGHLY recommend the ART DJ II Preamp. If I recall, it's about $50 and is a really solid performer. If you want to upgrade down the line, you can. But the ART will carry you a long way.
As for what to look for in a turntable...that depends on you. Common features that CAN come on a turntable are things like Automatic (it will start playing automatically when you hit a button, so you don't HAVE to lower the needle down if you don't want to) or Semi-Automatic (it won't start by itself, but it will pull the needle off the record and stop spinning at the end). Neither of those are on ANY of the tables you've listed, but they're things to think about.
The biggest missing feature from the Orbit is a cue lever. Right now, it does not have one. This is a little lever near the base of the tonearm that allows you to lift and lower the tonearm. It's great for folks with shaky hands or who are nervous about placing the needle with their finger, but there are many people who don't use them and don't care that the Orbit doesn't have one. The Orbit is designed for you to lower the needle by hand, but they will be having a cue lever accessory later on as an optional add-on.
Other posters have mentioned that some of the other tables you've noted have had motor issues. Those are very much real, but they are also not universal. There are a lot of folks here who have those tables and love them.
The only thing you NEED on a turntable is a platter, a needle, and the arm. All other features are optional. You should think about what features YOU want and then find a table that has those. You're looking to go from a low-cost automatic turntable to something nicer. All the tables you've listed are manual tables (which are more common these days). If you want other features, you might also want to consider vintage tables. There is a higher possibility of needing servicing, but there's also a much greater diversity of tables to choose from.
That being said, all of these tables will be a noticeable step-up from the one you have. I used to have a very similar model. It's not bad, but you will hear the difference with any of the ones you have listed. I like the Orbit a lot, but I've never extensively used the Pro-Ject or the Rega. I think that you can't go wrong with the Orbit, myself, but YMMV (Your mileage may vary).
Good luck on the hunt!
beatcomber
AK Member
Let's be clear: Aside from lacking a cueing device and being cheap, there are few similarities between the Orbit and vintage AR turntables, design-wise.