Then there’s the price of the Orbius – and its ostentatious appearance. Given both things it would be easy to dismiss it as audio jewellery, the final extravagance for the audiophile who (quite literally) has everything else. But that would be a mistake. Why shouldn’t audio products, especially audio products that you handle, be beautifully finished and tactile? If the chrome fluting really offends your hair-shirt sensibilities, you can always opt for the all-black version. More to the point, in the context of a 50K euro/pound/dollar turntable, is 3K really so extravagant? That depends entirely on the performance benefits that accrue and, in this instance, those benefits are both tunable and significant.
How much does a turntable have to cost before the Orbius becomes a value for money proposition? Even then, where does it sit in the hierarchy of turntable tweaks and upgrades? In the case of our 50K turntable, that’s a no brainer. But what surprised me is that, given its musical contribution, the Orbius would be worth considering in the context of a deck as relatively affordable as the Avenger. Ignore the levelling and the strobe facilities. They’re in the ‘nice to have’ bracket, rather than being indispensable. What justifies the Orbius is its musical contribution. Okay, so tot up the combined price of turntable, arm and cartridge and you are hardly talking chicken feed, but even if we are talking 25K in total, that still underlines just how significant a musical impact the Orbius made. As the owner of an Avenger, or an equivalently priced player, should you be rushing out to buy an Orbius? Not before you try the Chord PhonoARAY (https://gy8.eu/review/ground-pounder/) would be my response. But after that? Sure. Assuming that you’ve already invested in (and burnt in) a proper tonearm cable, right now, I can’t think of a similarly priced upgrade that’s going to deliver as much as the Orbius might. And that’s really the point. The real beauty of the Orbius is that you can try it before you buy it. It’s well worth the time and effort. It isn’t appropriate for and won’t suit every turntable. But get the right version on the right ‘table and it will sound just as beautiful as it looks.
Prices and availability
Arya Audio Labs Orbius Record Weight
UK Prices
Chrome/Blackwood – £2,640
Black/Blackwood – £2,940
Chrome/Tungsten – £3,240
Black/Tungsten – £3,540
(All UK prices in GBP, including 20% sales tax)
US Prices
Chrome/Blackwood – $2,995
Black/Blackwood – $3,295
Chrome/Tungsten – $3,695
Black/Blackwood – $4,195
(All US prices in USD and excluding local sales tax)
Manufacturer
Arya Audio Labs
London, UK
t. +44 7400 188 317
