Since its founding in 1996, the primary business of German audio company Reloop has been supplying equipment for club DJs. But not long ago, they brought out a line of turntables designed for the home-audio market under the name Reloop HiFi. I reviewed their entry-level unit, the Turn 2, in November 2023, and I thought it was a fine value.
This time, we’ve moved up a step to the Turn 3 Mk2 ($699.99, all prices in USD). This is a recent update of their Turn 3 model, and features improved bearings for the drive system and tonearm.
Description
The Turn 3 Mk2’s striking black-gloss plinth nicely complements the matte-black tonearm and controls. The turntable measures 5.5″H × 17.7″W × 13.9″D, including dust cover, and weighs 14.3 pounds. It is covered by a one-year parts-and-labor limited warranty. The Turn 3 was designed in Germany but is manufactured in China.
It’s a belt-drive unit powered by what Reloop describes as a low-noise motor. The Turn 3 Mk2 has three speeds, and a large knob on top of the plinth is used to choose among them; there’s no shifting of the drive belt needed. Its straight tonearm has an effective length of 8.8″ and features a standard SME-type removable headshell, so swapping cartridges is easy. The Turn 3 Mk2 comes with a factory-installed Ortofon 2M Red cartridge, which, based on my experience, should guarantee lively sound.
Also included is an onboard phono preamplifier stage for owners whose electronics lack that circuitry. It can be disengaged by toggling a switch. The turntable also features a USB-B port that lets users record vinyl digitally onto a PC or Mac.
A feature I really like is the Turn 3 Mk2’s auto-stop, which stops the platter at the end of a record side—although the arm does not lift. Even so, the lack of rotation will extend stylus life. This feature can also be defeated using a switch. The feet of the unit are designed to absorb shock and vibration, but do not seem to be adjustable, which could hamper getting the ’table perfectly level.
The rear of the Turn 3 Mk2 contains the typical pair of color-coded RCA jacks for audio output. Next to those is the switch to engage or disengage the onboard phono stage. That’s followed by the USB port and the switch that turns the auto-stop feature on or off. Last are the input for the power supply and the on-off power switch. There is no separate ground/earth terminal; grounding is handled through the interconnects.
Unpacking and setup
Opening the box, you’ll first see a piece of cardboard that holds the felt platter mat in place. Below that is an envelope that holds the multi-language owner’s manual, resting on another piece of cardboard that sits atop the dust cover. The turntable itself is held in place by sturdy polystyrene forms. Along the edges of the forms are cubbies for the headshell/cartridge, the dust-cover hinges, the arm counterweight, and the 45-rpm adaptor. A bubble-wrap bag contains the power supply, the accompanying AC plugs, and the interconnects. Remove the turntable and release the plinth from the forms. You’ll also find a USB-B-to-USB-A cable for connecting the turntable to a computer. Finally, held within a cardboard assembly is the cast-aluminum platter.
Once all the parts have been collected, setup is fairly easy. Place the platter over the spindle. Then, reach through one of the platter’s two large holes to get hold of the drive belt and loop that over the drive pulley. Top that off with the felt mat.
Now, with the arm in a locked position, install the headshell/cartridge onto the end of the arm and tighten the sleeve to secure the headshell before removing the stylus guard. Then push and screw the counterweight onto the back end of the arm and adjust it until the arm is balanced—parallel to the top of the plinth. While holding on to the back of the counterweight, rotate the dial on its front to read “0.” Check the arm balance again and make any adjustments needed, always returning the dial to 0. Next, turn the counterweight until the dial reads approximately 1.8gm, the recommended tracking force for the 2M Red. Once that’s accomplished, turn the anti-skate dial to the right of the arm pivot to a corresponding 1.8, or as close as you can get it.
Install the dust cover by attaching the hinges and then inserting the hinge bases into their fixtures on the rear of the plinth. On the turntable’s rear panel, make the appropriate connections—then, sit back and spin some vinyl.
After setup, I used the RPM Speed & Wow app on my phone to check speed accuracy and estimated wow. At 33⅓, the average rotation speed was 33.66 rpm, 1.0% fast, while wow was estimated at ±0.16%. Estimates for 45 rpm were an average rotation speed of 45.32 rpm (+0.71%) and wow of ±0.12%. Reloop HiFi doesn’t give a speed-accuracy range, but wow for both speeds was below the published wow and flutter specs.
Listening
For my listening tests, I connected the Reloop ’table to the phono input of my Apt Holman preamplifier, which feeds an NAD C 275BEE power amp and a pair of Acoustic Energy Radiance 3 floorstanding speakers.
In the early days of stereo, many Mercury Living Presence releases were considered to be among the very best classical LPs. So, for my first selection, I pulled out a 1959 recording of Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor, op. 16, with pianist Richard Farrell and the Hallé Orchestra conducted by George Weldon (Mercury SR90126). I listened to the entire work, but was particularly taken by the second movement, marked Adagio. It showcases the full dynamic range of the piano and orchestra, and offers a particularly touching flute solo. Throughout the recording, the piano seemed unnaturally wide, taking up the entire space between speakers. During the flute solo, the flutist is placed forward of the orchestra, something that would only happen in a recording. The soundstage of the recording is broad and very deep, which came through excellently in playback. There was some surface noise, mostly on the right channel, but overall, playback was as good as a 60-year-old LP might be expected to sound.
Being in the mood for some big-band jazz, I pulled out an album by Count Basie and his Orchestra, Hollywood . . . Basie’s Way (Command RS 912 SD), and dropped the needle on “A Fine Romance,” from the Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers movie Swing Time. Like Mercury, Command was noted for the quality of its recordings, and the sound on this record is outstanding. The famous Basie sax section is on the left, with Basie’s piano just to the right, the guitar and brass on the far right, and the bass and drums dead center. This song sounded terrific on the Turn 3 Mk2, with mellow saxes and a fabulous fluegelhorn solo by Al Aarons taking over the right channel. I couldn’t fault the turntable and cartridge in any way. I won’t say the band was in my room, but they almost might have been.
Possibly my favorite Linda Ronstadt song that never made the charts is her version of Neil Young’s “Love Is a Rose,” which is included on her Greatest Hits album (Asylum 6E-106). The song starts cold, with her singing accompanied only by a banjo for the first verse. When Ronstadt hits the second verse, the kick drum and bass guitar enter. She’s dead center, as are the bass and kick drum; the banjo is slightly off to the right. Later on, a fiddle comes in during the bridge oriented on the left, and finally, there’s a bluesy harmonica just to the right of the fiddle. This is a spectacular recording. The backup singers (Kenny Edwards, Andrew Gold, and Herb Pedersen) surrounded Ronstadt like a halo. The kick drum was reproduced with real authority. The banjo, fiddle, and harmonica had a crispness that highlighted their contributions to the whole. The Turn 3 Mk2 shone on this one. Well done!
Sounding as if it came directly from Memphis’s Stax/Volt studio, the title track of Steve Winwood’s Roll With It (Virgin 1-90946) is one of the bluesiest songs ever. Winwood plays a half-dozen instruments: Fairlight synthesizer, drums, bass, guitar, piano, and Hammond organ. The Memphis Horns (of Stax/Volt fame) add tight trumpets and sax. Throw in another keyboard and two backing singers, and you’ve got a full studio’s worth of sound. Winwood, drums, and bass are dead center, as are the broadly mixed organ and more natural-width piano. The horns are well behind, demonstrating plenty of depth to the reproduction, and the soundstage is very broad. The Ortofon 2M Red and Reloop HiFi Turn 3 Mk2 were made for this kind of song, and really kicked butt. I played it several times to gather impressions for this review, and a few more just for the enjoyment.
For music fans of a certain age, the Doobie Brothers’ song “What a Fool Believes” may ring a bell; after all, it hit #1 in 1979. But you may not know there was a disco mix of the song (Warner Bros. 12″ single WBSD 8778) recorded at a somewhat faster tempo and clocking in at 5:30 in duration, rather than the regular version’s 3:34. It features Michael McDonald on lead vocal, dead center; two drummers plus a conga player; and the rest of the Doobies. It also adds someone tapping on wood blocks, one on the left side and one on the right; these, amazingly, sounded as if they were coming from beyond the outer sides of the speakers—frankly, I had never noticed that before. Otherwise, the soundstage was extremely wide but not very deep. Despite the faster tempo, the entire recording sounds as if it was just a bunch of guys hangin’ out, playing a tune. The sound through the Reloop turntable was rhythmically good, and offered a wide frequency range. Quite enjoyable.
Comparison 1—turntable and cartridge
To get some perspective on the Turn 3 Mk2 / Ortofon 2M Red combo, I compared it to my reference analog setup: a Music Hall Stealth turntable and Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge ($1649). I wanted something really meaty, so I selected the title track from One Fine Morning by the Canadian group Lighthouse (Evolution 3007). Lighthouse comprised 11 members, who played everything from your basic rock platform (guitar, drums, bass) to brass and winds, and even viola and cello.
On the Turn 3 Mk2, the 2M Red produced a bright, edgy sound. The brass were just this side of harsh and the lead guitar was very hot. Bob McBride’s vocals were almost too crisp. To me, it was just the 2M Red living up to its reputation. As a result, the song rocked.
The Stealth’s 2M Blue cartridge provided a more pleasant rendition of this track—just as rocking, but not quite so edgy. The brass sounded slightly more refined, and McBride’s voice was more mellow. For my tastes, the 2M Blue turned in the better performance, but then, at more than twice the price of the Red, it should.
Comparison 2—phono stage
I also wanted to compare the Turn 3 Mk2’s built-in phono stage to the highly regarded phono stage in my Apt Holman preamp. For this comparison, I decided to stick with a brass-heavy group, using “Get It On” from the group Chase’s eponymous first album (Epic E 30472). Leader Bill Chase had played with Maynard Ferguson, Stan Kenton, and Woody Herman in their 1960s big bands. His group had four trumpets, keyboard, bass, guitar, percussion, and a lead vocalist. “Get It On” is a rousing tune, with lots of very hot, precise trumpet playing.
The Reloop’s onboard phono preamp offered up reasonable reproduction, but overall, it sounded closed-in. The vocalist didn’t stand out; the trumpets were not quite as hot as I remembered. I was somewhat disappointed. The Apt Holman’s phono stage, on the other hand, opened up the playback and offered a fuller, richer sound. The trumpets were crisper and tighter and the drum strikes tauter. While I much preferred the sound of the Apt Holman’s phono stage, I found the one built into the Turn 3 Mk2 adequate.
Vinyl to computer
I also wanted to check out the usefulness of the turntable’s USB output, so I cued up two other cuts with lots of brass: “Lucretia MacEvil” and “Lucretia’s Reprise” from Blood, Sweat & Tears 3 (Columbia KC 30090). Recording onto my Dell Precision 3630 tower PC using Audacity software went smoothly. The resulting recording, played through an iFi Audio Zen DAC using JRiver Media Center, sounded excellent. It was evident the dub was of an LP, with just a touch of distortion from its having been played hundreds of times. But it sounded quite good overall, with very tight trumpets and saxes, and David Clayton-Thomas’s raspy voice had just the right grit. Good enough that I’ll keep it in the Music folder on the computer—and maybe save some wear on that LP.
Conclusion
There are any number of turntables available at the Reloop HiFi Turn 3 Mk2’s $700 price point. For instance, the Denon DP-450USB is very similar, down to the USB output. Two others I particularly like are the Music Hall Classic and Pro-Ject T2 Super Phono (each $649). Neither has the USB out, but both do include an onboard phono stage.
I really liked the easy operation of the Turn 3 and its excellent arm-lift mechanism. The automatic shut-off worked as described (it usually took about 15 seconds to activate). Its sound was very similar to that of other turntables that feature the Ortofon 2M Red: basically, it’s party time. The Red has a rather rambunctious sound that works well with most rock and even some jazz. The Turn 3 Mk2 is sturdily constructed and its arm is extremely fine for a turntable at this price. It is certainly worth a look.
. . . Thom Moon
thom@soundstagenetwork.com
Associated Equipment
- Speakers: Acoustic Energy Radiance 3
- Power amplifier: NAD C 275BEE
- Preamplifier: Apt Corporation Holman
- Turntable: Music Hall Stealth with Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge
- Interconnects: Manufacturer supplied for turntables; Morrow Audio MA1 analog from preamp to power amplifier
- Speaker cables: Audtek 14-gauge OFC cable terminated in banana plugs
Reloop HiFi Turn 3 Mk2 turntable with Ortofon 2M Red cartridge
Price: $699.99
Warranty: One year, parts and labor
Reloop HiFi
Global Distribution GmbH & Co. KG
Schuckertstrasse 28
48153 Muenster, Germany
Fax: +49 251.60 99 377
Website: www.reloop-hifi.com
US distributor:
American Music & Sound – An Exertis | JAM business
4325 Executive Dr., Suite 300
Southaven, MS 38672
Phone: (662) 342-4010
Website: www.americanmusicandsound.com
Canadian distributor:
Erikson Consumer – An Exertis | JAM business
21000 Trans-Canada Hwy
Baie-D’Urfe, Quebec H9X 4B7
Phone: 1-800-567-3275
Website: www.eriksonconsumer.com
