Rega RP1 vs. U-Turn Orbit - review

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by ergalthema, Jan 31, 2015.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. ergalthema

    ergalthema Active Member Thread Starter

    Quick review to share my experience learning about turntables. I had cheap turntables as a kid and turned to CDs the first chance I could. Studied audio engineering in school and did well with critical listening tests. I gradually started collecting a few vinyl records, waiting for a day I didn't live in an apartment and could afford a decent setup. Last year I tried a used Pioneer PS-255 which sounded okay at first, but quickly acquired a bad hum (plus something was all messed up with the suspension and I had to put book under it to raise the platter). I wanted a RP1 for a long time. Finally got one a few months ago, but it had many issues - warped platter, bad motor noise, ground hum, sticky cue lever, significant wow, inaccurate speed, etc.

    The US distributer replaced the platter and sent oil that actually fixed the motor noise. However, after all that trouble and still so many issues, I returned it and got a U-Turn Orbit. The Orbit isn't perfect, but I have had much better results overall for less money than the RP1.

    The Orbit has much more accurate speed and less wow. The acrylic platter seems to have less static. The first one they sent had a cracked dust cover and the motor spindle wobbled which made the record sound terrible like it was running through a Leslie cabinet. U-Turn replace the TT and dust cover. I feel like the RP1's stylus might have had a slightly clearer sound. The Orbit seems to have more inner groove distortion. I'm curious if this is anyone else's experience and if there might be a particular reason for it (stylus type or tracking force, etc.?).

    Didn't want to spend much time on this, but I can elaborate if anyone is interested.
     
    Last edited: Jan 31, 2015
  2. Ghostworld

    Ghostworld Senior Member

    Location:
    US
    Egads. Never heard this before. That's the kiss of death! Damn, it's a shame these budget tables have so many issues!
     
    johnscousin likes this.
  3. skriefal

    skriefal Senior Member

    Location:
    SLC, Utah
    That would be an attribute of the cartridge or stylus, not of the turntable. Grado(?) cartridges are often described as being more prone to IGD than some others. But many still enjoy their sound/tone, IGD or not.

    It's also possible that your LPs have physical groove damage caused by previous playback with a worn or mis-aligned cartridge/stylus.
     
  4. ergalthema

    ergalthema Active Member Thread Starter

    I'm hearing some kind of distortion on brand new records (I've been getting a few lately). It's pretty subtle, but I'm pretty sure it's there and seems to get worse toward the middle of records. I gently dropped the needle into a white Magic Eraser a few times, but that didn't make any difference.
     
  5. senseabove

    senseabove Forum Resident

    Have you tried tweaking the alignment? Print out the "stupid protractors" at vinylengine.com, paste them onto a piece of heaver paper (e.g. a manila folder), and check the cart's alignment with them:
    http://www.vinylengine.com/cartridge-alignment-protractors.shtml

    I've got a 440MLA on my Orbit and have no IGD, so it isn't necessarily the table's fault. The AT 95E it came with I believe did have some, but I switched carts pretty quickly, so I never tested whether tweaking the alignment would help reduce it.
     
    Ortofun likes this.
  6. TeflonScoundrel

    TeflonScoundrel Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    I ordered an Orbit for my mother recently, and received it this afternoon. I upgraded it with the AT95e cartridge, but otherwise it's the basic version. After setting it up I measured the tracking force at 1.9g from the factory. I played one record on it the way it was setup and heard fairly significant inner grove distortion. I used my DB Systems protractor and found that the alignment was off. I suspect the cartridge may have been installed by moving it all the way forward in the headshell. Once I adjusted the alignment, I increased the tracking force to 2.1g.

    After those adjustments, I have to say I am pretty impressed with the Orbit. I have a VPI Scout, a Rega RP3 and a 1970s Kenwood KP-2022A to compare to, and while it's not on the same level with the two modern tables, it's quite enjoyable to listen to. I would rank it a little above the Kenwood which I also use with the AT95e.

    It seems to have good dynamics and pace with a dose of warmth. As far as weaknesses, it lacks some resolution and is probably slightly soft in the high frequencies compared to my other tables, but for the money, I think it's very good. One other minor annoyance is that it seems a bit easy to nudge the belt out of position when removing records from the platter. I expect things will likely improve a bit once the cartridge gets some hours behind it, but even new out of the box, I'd say it's a good way to get into playing records.
     
    Last edited: Feb 13, 2015
    Ghostworld likes this.
  7. ergalthema

    ergalthema Active Member Thread Starter

    Can anyone help me with the cart alignment? I read somewhere that I should use a Stevenson protractor, so I printed one and checked the scale.. It says that the distance between the spindle and the pivot is very important. Is that talking about the center of the platter and the center of the tonearm base where it pivots?
     
  8. KT88

    KT88 Senior Member

    Yes, center to center.
    -Bill
     
  9. ergalthema

    ergalthema Active Member Thread Starter

    The Orbit does not match the 222mm on the Stevenson protractor I found. Does anyone know where I can get a protractor to check the Orbit alignment?
     
  10. KOWHeigel

    KOWHeigel Forum Resident

    Location:
    Manlius, NY
    Conrad Hoffman has a great protractor generator on his site: http://conradhoffman.com/chsw.htm

    You have to measure the pivot to spindle distance on your Orbit (I tried googling the measurement for you but could not find an answer. You could also try contacting U-Turn for this info).

    Then I would suggest using the DIN setting and either Lofgren A or Stevenson A.

    When you print the protractor make sure you check that it printed out correctly (i.e. the right ratio) and read the informative readme provided.
     
  11. ergalthema

    ergalthema Active Member Thread Starter

    I don't know what Inner/Outer Groove Radius is. I tried Google.
     
  12. KOWHeigel

    KOWHeigel Forum Resident

    Location:
    Manlius, NY
    That should set it itself ... just pick DIN and Lofgren A and enter pivot to spindle and print.
     
  13. ergalthema

    ergalthema Active Member Thread Starter

    I was told to use Stevenson on the Orbit.
     
  14. KOWHeigel

    KOWHeigel Forum Resident

    Location:
    Manlius, NY
    Ok ... try out Stevenson then :)
     
  15. ergalthema

    ergalthema Active Member Thread Starter

    It was really close to the Stevenson out of the box, so I'll go with this. The sound has always been slightly fuzzy. I have a AT95E that I was thinking about switching, just to see what difference it would make. (The AT95E would work, right?)
     
  16. TeflonScoundrel

    TeflonScoundrel Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    Yes, the AT95e is one of the cartridges offered by U-Turn on their website. That's what I ordered and after a little fine tuning, it's working well.
     
  17. ergalthema

    ergalthema Active Member Thread Starter

    I'm curious what kind of adjustments you made.
     
  18. ergalthema

    ergalthema Active Member Thread Starter

    Also, the spindle/pivot distance I used was 190mm.
     
  19. TeflonScoundrel

    TeflonScoundrel Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    I used the DB Systems protractor to adjust the setup of the cartridge and I also increased the tracking force to 2.1 grams up from the 1.9 grams it was set at from the factory.
     
  20. Analogman

    Analogman Well-Known Member

    From using the U-Turn aligmnet scheme or what?

    I don't follow how this happened?

    Do these tables come with any sort of protractor or alignment tool?

    Analogman
     
  21. ergalthema

    ergalthema Active Member Thread Starter

    I just switched the black Grado for the AT95E. I'm pretty sure I prefer the AT. I think there might be some electrical noise around the cartridge terminals. There was a slight buzz that got worse when I touched the wires. It's not terrible though and so far the trade off is worth it. I feel that the highs are much more clear with the AT and that the lows are more accurate. The Grado seems muddy and fuzzy by comparison. Perhaps the Grado had a warmness compared to the AT, but I'm pretty certain that the AT is more accurate. It reminds me more of what I liked about the Rega cartridge on the RP1.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine