Mrs Coldwarrior recently got me a present (because I am such an awesome husband and father 😉 ), we upgraded my old mid-80’s turntable to something new. People who know me know that I can be very, very particular about my audio, so I did get some ‘input’ on this.

After a few months, as the Grado Red cartridge got broken in, and the system settled down after a partial rebuild, I must say that the sound is terrific. The addition of the B&O speakers capped it.

From The Manufacturer, U-Turn Audio:

This is the acrylic platter on the red plinth: Acrylic is heavier than MDF, so it retains more inertia and measurably reduces wow & flutter. The acrylic platter also delivers tighter bass, improved detail, and a lower noise floor. These platters are machined out of extruded acrylic and feature a lathe-turned edge.

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A cork layer goes over the acrylic: Every Orbit comes with a felt mat, but many regard cork as a superior material thanks to its improved damping and ability to reduce static. Our cork mat is 1/8″ thick and will fit any turntable with a platter approximately 300 mm in diameter.

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A Brooklyn Made Grado Red cartridge:

The Prestige Series by Grado is designed for high output and excellent stability under severe use. A considerable tip mass reduction results in a frequency response to 50 kHz and beyond and tracking forces from 1-2 grams. Acclaimed by experts as virtually the finest pickups in the world at their price. Prestige models available in both 1/2″ mount and P-mount. All styli in the Prestige series are user replaceable.

Red1 & Blue1
The newly redesigned Blue1 and Red1 have had their coil design reconfigured, and the effective moving mass of their generating system has been reduced by 17%. The Blue1 and Red1 models use a four piece OTL cantilever technology, standard oxygen free wire in the coils and Grado’s specially designed elliptical diamond mounted on a brass bushing. The Red1 model is selected from the Blue1 production run and meets higher test specifications. Approximately 10% of the production run will meet these standards and become Red1 models.

 

• Red1 & Blue1:
  Frequency Response: 10-55
  Principal: MI
  Channel Separation at 1KHz: 30
  Input Load: 47K
  Output at 1KHz 5CM/sec.: 5mV
  Recommended Tracking Force: 1.5
  Stylus Type: E
  Inductance: 45mH
  Resistance: 475
  Compliance CUs: 20
  Stylus Replacement: U
  Mounting: S/P
  Weight: 5.5

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The etching on the circuit board says ‘keep it simple stupid’
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Please LOOK at their manufaturing process here

Made in Mass. Never mass-produced.

Every Orbit is made-to-order and assembled by hand in our Woburn, Massachusetts workshop. Prior to shipping, each turntable goes through comprehensive listening, wow & flutter, and rumble tests, as well as a 15-point performance evaluation.

We source nearly all of our parts from US suppliers. Our acrylic platters are fabricated in Ohio. Our plinths come from Minnesota, and our machined metal components from Connecticut. By keeping our suppliers close and our assembly in-house, we are able to maintain a consistently high level of quality.

This is driven through a Mitsubishi DA-P10 preamp into a Harman-Kardon EQ8 then into either a Mitsubishi Da-A10 or Harmon-Kardon 3700 (depending on need and sound) into 4 Bang and Olufsen RL60’s, there is an occasional Onkyo sub applied as needed. A pair of these rounds the setup out quite nicely.

So, there it is, an American made turntable and cartridge. I would put this setup up against any $1000 table and come out ahead. Good listening and yes, there are American Made products out there!