Can the TURN5 compete with other turntables I have reviewed in this budget range?
Join me as I give this deck from Reloop a whirl…
Many DJ’s will be all too familiar with the controls.
Disclaimer:
Henley Audio have kindly sent this turntable out to me for review.
I have not been paid or sponsored to write this.
The thoughts and views in this publication are my own honest and unbiased opinion.
The Reloop TURN5 retails at £650.00 at the time of this review.
You can pick one up by following this link:
https://www.henleyaudio.co.uk/products/TURN-5?DepartmentIds=1&BrandIds=12
Review equipment:
Reloop TURN5.
Ortofon 2M Red.
Audio Technica record weight.
Cyrus ONE.
Bowers & Wilkins DM601 / S3.
Sennheiser HD820.
Grado SR125e.
Custom Cans interconnects & headphone cables.
AF Audio mains & speaker cables.
Audiowalle TP1000 mains conditioners.
Music:
Jean Michel Jarre – Les Chants Magnetiques. ( Magnetic Fields )
Jean Michel Jarre – Revolutions.
Jean Michel Jarre – Equinox. ( 180 gram )
Jean Michel Jarre – The Concerts In China.
Depeche Mode – Violator. ( 180 gram )
Pink Floyd – The Wall. ( 180 gram )
Tears For Fears – Songs From The Big Chair.
Gustav Mahler – Symphony No.5.
What’s in the box?:
1x Reloop TURN5 turntable.
1x Ortofon 2M Red moving magnet cartridge.
1x Mains cable.
1x Stereo RCA interconnect.
1x Tonearm counterweight.
1x Reloop head shell.
Documentation.
Spec:
Turntable Section:
- Type: Direct Drive Manual Turntable System
- Drive: Quartz driven upper-torque direct drive
- Motor: 16 pole, 3 phase, brushless DC motor
- Turntable Speeds: 3 speeds, fully manual (33 1/3, 45, 78 rpm)
- Starting Torque: 4500 g/cm
- Start-up time / rpm change: less than 0.2 sec.
- Wow and flutter: 0.01% WRMS
- S/N Ratio: More than 55 dB (DIN-B)
- Brake system: electronic brake
- Record weight: recommended 800g
Turntable Platter:
- Material: aluminium die-cast
- Diameter: 332 mm
- Weight: About 1.8 kg (including rubber mat)
Tonearm Section:
- Type: Universal Static Balanced S-Shaped
- Effective Length: 230 mm
- Overhang: 15 mm
- Tracking Error Angle: Less than 3 degree
- Offset Angle: 22°
- Stylus Pressure: 0 – 4 g
- Adjustable Tonearm Base (VTA): 0-6 mm
- Applicable Cartridge Weight: 3.5~8.5 g (including headshell is 13~18 g)
- Anti-Skating Range: 0 – 3 g
- Effective tonearm mass: 20 g (incl. headshell)
Terminals:
- 1x PHONO Out (gold-plated), 1x GND Earth Terminal
General:
- Power supply: AC 115/230 V, 60/50 Hz (EU/US), AC 100 V, 50/60 Hz (JP)
- Power Consumption: 9 W
- Dimensions: 458
x 368.3 (D) x 162.4 (H) mm - Weight: approx. 12.8 kg
Included Accessories:
- Turntable Platter, Dust Cover, 2x Dustcover hinges, Balance Counter Weight, PHONO RCA Cable with earth lead, power cord, Rubber Mat, Instruction Manual, Ortofon 2M Red cartridge & headshell
Setup and use:
The TURN5 is a relatively straight forward turntable to set up if you follow the correct instructions.
Once the tone arm is dialled in with the best VTA, tracking force, tracking angle and azimuth for your cartridge you’re pretty much set to go.
Hook the TURN5 up to your phono stage and now you can begin listening to your new turntable!
This turntable, once set up is very user friendly, with a no-fuss experience.
Build and finish:
Reloop have created a fine turntable with the TURN5.
The gloss finish is well done.
Adding to it’s glossy looks are the satin black tonearm and gold platter.
I think the gold is a nice touch which really pops against the black canvas that surrounds it.
The buttons and power switch all have a good solic click to them and I detect no wobble.
Around the back we have a neatly arrayed set of well made terminals.
Hooking this turntable up to your phono stage or amplifier is very straight forward.
I like that the lid is easily removed and it’s design, although not original, works.
At 12.8 kilograms It’s not a light weight turntable with a heavy weight metal construction and other unnamed materials, so be sure whatever surface you place it on can take the weight.
This in addition to the shock absorbing feet aid in isolating and reducing any unwanted vibrations and cutting down ambient noise.
All in all it’s a classy looking turntable.
Sound:
With the TURN5 paired with the Ortofon 2M Red cart and my Cyrus ONE amplifier, what I am presented with is a lively performance with a bucket load of upper midrange which is forward & airy up into the higher frequencies with agility and a touch of sparkle.
The bass and lower end is good with decent accuracy and some lower end grunt.
I found it played all genres I used with punch and grace in equal quantities.
Where classical and Jean Michel Jarre had a relaxed, organic performance, Depeche Mode came alive with a rich, engaging bassline and fast, detailed instrumental and vocal sections up in the midrange and beyond.
Pink Floyd and Tears For Fears had some superb dynamics and I no sense of fatigue or loss of detail in busier or noisier sections of some tracks.
Soundstage was focused with good depth and instruments were not difficult to pick out or position.
Final thoughts:
At £650, the Reloop TURN5 is an affordable and more than decent stab at the hifi market.
I’ve used their DJ turntables in the past and was impressed with both their build quality and their performance.
This translates into their hifi turntables, or at least the TURN5.
It’s a robust deck with an exceptionally good adjustable tone arm.
Suited to all, if not many different genres of music and plays fast and lively.
Ok, it’s a bit of a fiddle to set up initially if it’s your first time setting up a tone arm like this, but once you’re past that point it’s a beauty of a turntable to use and look at.
The piano black finish looked great next to my Cyrus ONE which also has a polished piano black design.
Would I recommend the TURN5?
Yes I would. For £650 you could do far worse and if you’re coming over from DJ style turntables you’ll be in familiar territory.
Thanks to my readers who are the heart and soul of this blog.
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Thank you to Simon and the team at Henley Audio for being patient with me and being so supportive as always.
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Many thanks and stay safe folks!
Paul.
The Audiophile Cafe 