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U-Turn Audio
Website:https://www.uturnaudio.com
U-Turn Audio is an American turntable maker from Woburn, Massachusetts, founded on 10 October 2012 by school friends Benjamin Carter, Robert Hertig and Peter Maltzan. It started with a Kickstarter campaign for the Orbit turntable and by April 2021 had built 100,000 turntables. The company sells across the US and Canada and backs every product with a three-year warranty.
Range & what it's known for
Most of the catalog is built around the Orbit turntable. Orbit Basic is the entry model, Orbit Plus the middle step and Orbit Special the top version with wood plinth options, while Orbit Custom is built to order with the buyer choosing the options. Every Orbit is belt-driven by an AC synchronous motor. In 2016 the company introduced the Orbit Arm 2 with a gimbal bearing and improved anti-skating. The Pluto 2 phono preamp, offered as an internal or external unit, replaced the first Pluto in 2020, and in November 2021 U-Turn added the Ethos powered speakers with 4-inch woofers, 1-inch tweeters and Bluetooth.
Who owns it and where it's made
The founders met at Lexington High School and funded the start through a Northeastern University business incubator as well as crowdfunding, where the Orbit campaign raised almost four times its USD 60,000 goal within a month. The company remains independent and hand-assembles its products at its own factory in Woburn, using mainly American suppliers, such as powder-coated MDF plinths from Minnesota and machined metal parts from Connecticut, with motors sourced from Asia. Black remains the most popular plinth colour among buyers.
The lineup in this catalog
Turntables, from about USD 200 for Orbit Basic to around USD 500 for Orbit Special.
Who it's for
U-Turn suits first-time vinyl buyers in North America who want a simple belt-drive deck assembled in the United States. A buyer can start with Orbit Basic, choose the built-in Pluto 2 preamp if the amplifier lacks a phono input, and later move to Plus or Special, or add Ethos speakers for a complete system.
Range & what it's known for
Most of the catalog is built around the Orbit turntable. Orbit Basic is the entry model, Orbit Plus the middle step and Orbit Special the top version with wood plinth options, while Orbit Custom is built to order with the buyer choosing the options. Every Orbit is belt-driven by an AC synchronous motor. In 2016 the company introduced the Orbit Arm 2 with a gimbal bearing and improved anti-skating. The Pluto 2 phono preamp, offered as an internal or external unit, replaced the first Pluto in 2020, and in November 2021 U-Turn added the Ethos powered speakers with 4-inch woofers, 1-inch tweeters and Bluetooth.
Who owns it and where it's made
The founders met at Lexington High School and funded the start through a Northeastern University business incubator as well as crowdfunding, where the Orbit campaign raised almost four times its USD 60,000 goal within a month. The company remains independent and hand-assembles its products at its own factory in Woburn, using mainly American suppliers, such as powder-coated MDF plinths from Minnesota and machined metal parts from Connecticut, with motors sourced from Asia. Black remains the most popular plinth colour among buyers.
The lineup in this catalog
Turntables, from about USD 200 for Orbit Basic to around USD 500 for Orbit Special.
Who it's for
U-Turn suits first-time vinyl buyers in North America who want a simple belt-drive deck assembled in the United States. A buyer can start with Orbit Basic, choose the built-in Pluto 2 preamp if the amplifier lacks a phono input, and later move to Plus or Special, or add Ethos speakers for a complete system.
