I have owned my Gyrodec now for about four months and I am so happy about this purchase I don't know what to do with myself. I don't have the upgraded powersupply and I am only using the rb300 tone arm with a blue point special cartridge, but the sound is fantastic. My system consists of the Audio research ph3 phono preamp and the Krell KAV 300 integrated amp with psb stratus golds and nordost cable. The combination of vinyl through this turntable and phon preamp/amp is incredible. I listen to a lot of different styles of music. Primarily jazz, but also r&b, rock, classic rock and some classical and that table absolutely picks up everything that is present on the recording and reproduces it in vivd detail. I have several friends who have listened and have been awestruck at the living presence of the music in my listening room. I highly reccommend this table.
Elton

It's difficult to be totally objective when reviewing the Gyrodec, such is the beauty of the thing. I've had mine for a couple of years now and, with the help of my local dealer, have made some relatively cost-effective upgrades as well as some revelatory discoveries along the way.
First things first. For those of you reading this review as a prelude to purchase, a warning - everything you have heard or are used to about most turntables hewn in the Linn mould do not apply here. Euphony and "analog" warmth are not on the menu. In its most basic form even that old chestnut of "rhythm and timing", a typical Linn strength, are denied the Gyrodec. I keep a Linn as cheese to the gyro's chalk, preferring it for playing some rock and jazz tracks as well as the less than pristine records in my collection.
As you have no doubt already surmised, the Gyro is extremely unforgiving of poor production, the more so in its basic form as its dry balance and lack of "R&T" tend to pull a performance apart. On the upside, classical and well produced discs of other musical genres sound quite spectacular with awesome width, depth and stereo perspectives - just try JMJ's 'Equinoxe' or 'Oxygene' on MoFi and get lost in the synths whirling around the room! All very impressive, but it does tend to relegate the majority of your record collection to gather dust so not the ideal situation.
The solution? Well, Michell would be the first to admit that improvements can be made by adding an outboard power supply such as their QC which brings a marked improvement to "R&T" as well as taking the edge off the Gyro's tendency towards dryness. At 400GBP this is not a cheap upgrade but the improvements are well worth it as it gives you access to most of the LPs previously left as unplayable.

Most buyers of the Gyro will opt for the Rega RB300 arm - an excellent choice as it's not only cheap but suits the Gyro extremely well. Ultimately the arms from SME are regarded as the pinnacle for the deck but at what price? An SME V will set you back 1000GBP or more and for that sum you get a fantastically engineered arm with user friendly adjustments and excellent sound - arguably the best at any price. However, if you really feel you can put up with the RB300's simplicity (just try altering VTA or cartridge Azimuth!)then get in touch with Origin Live (www.originlive.com) who will re-engineer the arm to a claimed level of performance that puts it firmly at the top of the tree-SME included!
I had the structural modification as well as a re-wire done to my RB300 and the result was incredible - dynamics, colour (never an RB300 strength), and holographic imagery were there in spades - for 150GBP this must be the bargain of the decade. Two caveats though, if your going to go for the re-wire make sure you're using an MC cartridge as there seems to be a mismatch with some of the MMs I tried - not an uncommon occurrence but then that's MMs for you!
Secondly, I made a startling discovery which I'm sure has prevented many Gyro/Rega combos from fulfilling their true potential. I 'd tightened up the retaining nut on the arm to armboard, carefully set up the cartridge and proceeded to play a few tracks to assess the "new" arm. Initially the results were rather disappointing, clarity was vastly improved but the soundstage was a little constricted and overall the sound was lacking in verve. A quick phone call to OL revealed some startling information - the arm should only be tightened to the armboard to finger tightness, any tighter and the sound dies, the soundstage shrinks and everything becomes rather dull. A lttle experimentation with arm tightness proved that OL were quite right! Furthermore, careful VTA setup using spacers between armboard and bushes further improved matters. Be in no doubt, careful setup of the Gyro doesn't stop at the spring assemblies, pay attention to the arm and prepare to be amazed!

What else? Well, the latest upgrade has been to change the platter to the thick vinyl type as found on the Orbe. Some may mourn the loss of the gold weights but the advantage is that the Gyro can now play all of my record collection and enables thin and weedy pressings to really shine. This upgrade supposedly brings the Gyro to within an ace of the Orbe - I haven't been able to compare so you'll have to take another reviewer's word for it!

Cartridge choice can have a profound impact on the 'sound' of the Gyro such is its neutrality and transparency. While my experience of different cartridges is limited I've found that most Ortophon MCs work well, the MC25FL and Rohmann being especially good matches at their respective price points. This serendipity is maintained should you desire to use one of Michell's rave reviewed phono stages, either the Iso or Iso HR, as they are specifically designed to match the Ortophons notoriously low impedence. Taste will out, so try what you can cartridge -wise but do try to hear an Iso as I've heard nothing better at the price (or even three times the price!) and typically for Michell it looks fantastic in its smoked perspex jewel box.

Conclusions? A great record player that manages to bring some of the sonic virtues of CD to the traditional virtues of vinyl. It's upgradeable nature and excellent parts and service backup from Michell make it a very sensible choice. That the Gyro looks so fantastic and costs so little while offering such sonic potential make it an absolute bargain. The Linn? I sold it last week.

My second week with my GyroDec and I believe it is settled in. If you've never seen one you owe it to yourself to check one out. Industrial design at it's best! I would have bought it for it's looks..:-). I'm using a Rega 300 with a Benz Glider. I can't tell you who sounds like what because I have not heard them on their own on other systems. I can tell you that it is a pleasure listening to albums on this combo. I find the music played exciting and alive. The act of cleaning and handling the vinyl is fun and satisfiying. I am spending more time in the music room now and enjoying it more. That is to me the best testiment of a piece of gear. Take a spin and check one out!

Great soundstaging, great imaging, ease of setup, jaw-dropping looks

Audioquest sorbothane mat made a huge difference in lowering the noise floor. Like any TT with a dust cover, removing same improves the sound considerably. Difficult to use with "The Lift."

A remarkable product, given the price. Easily surpassed my old Oracle Delphi (Mk III) in bass and imaging. The use of the QC power supply upgrade is not an option, but should be mandatory. Presently using with SME 309 and Sumiko SHO, on a Seismic Sink 1 HD.

Industrial design, beautiful, vg sound in its basic form a real joy to use and own. Also, an upgrade path to audio nurvania.

RB 300 arm has sub-standard wiring which limits performance. Sound is a little lightweight. SE version exposes your record collection to dust.

A really wonderful product. The sound does not have quite the weight that my SOTA/ET-2 has but that comparison is a bit unfair due to the arm differences. Wish that the ET would work on the Gyro. Biggest improvement was getting rid of the RB 300 cable. What a joke! I replaced it with a 10" twisted pair of copper litz wire directly into my phono preamp (McCormack Micro) and what a difference. The stock cable sounds so grundgy that I could hardly tell if it was tracking properly! The arm mounding adaptor is really neat. I recoment it to anyone using the Rega arm. No more spacers! I would love to try the QC supply, Orbe platter and SME arm but realisticly, I don't have the time to listen enough to be worth the expense. Has anyone tried the upgrades available for the Rega (counterweight, Wiring)?

Similar Products Used:

Sota Saphire, VPI HW 19

I upgraded my Linn Axis TT for the Gyro a couple of years ago, I found a more solid and coherent presentation with the Gyro, great looks and an excellent combination with the fitted Rega 300B. A year ago
I installed the top of the line power supply and differences were NOT trivial.

In the plus side you will find a very neitral TT in terms of colorations, minimal speed changes and a larger
and more defined soundstage with the QC power supply.(dont forget the looks!).

In the minus side there is a questionable construction material (top cover and basis), it gets scratched quite
easy and a difficult arm setup using spacers to correct the arm height.

Comparing this TT with other similar decks, I find few options. To my ears I prefered this one to the Linn LP12 Basic.

I also picked up my Gyrodec second hand (including Linn Ittok II and a Madrigal Carnige II). It was one of the smartest buys I have made in audio equipment. I do not think this TT is a neutral piece of gear (this is not a criticism as I don't believe a truely neutral piece of gear yet exists with current technology). The sound to me can be charactorized on the very slightly lean side of neutral. I say this, as the basic sound of the TT has stayed the same through numerous arms friends and I have tried, Grace 707, Rega 300, SME IV, and of course the Linn.There were differences to be sure but, the overall charachter remained.

I'm no engineer, yet I have noticed that on TT's with hard platters (no felt or vinyl mats) that the bass and lower midrange become very tight - so much so that it may appear as a loss of weight (or possibly dynamics) in the music. Often a good subwoofer will have the same effect by cleaning up the satellites in these registers. All the bass is there, were just not use to hearing it so well defined.

The phonostage of course makes a difference, tubes or tubelike transistors (like my Roland Coherence II) will tend to fill this leaness out. Lean phonostages like Levinson and Krell wil of course be questionable matches (not bad matches, that depends on the rest of your system).

Enough of the nit-picks. This TT is still an outstanding buy at its current price. It is every bit as competitive (and I think betters) more popular brands such as VPI and Sota ( Isold my Sota after hearing thisTT - arm -cartridge setup) I have never compared it to an Oracle as they are even rarer than Gyrodecs - that would be interesting.

The TT gives a rock solid lower end, a very smooth and flowing midrange and has good extension on the highs - without being too aggressive or hyper-detailed to the point were the sound is unatural. This TT will provide a good foundation to evaluate the efforts of the recording engineer - it will not make a lousy recording sound good or even better. Put the right arm and cartridge on the Gyrodec and you will have a first class front end source. I can tell you that this TT will bring out the best in many arms and cartridges (though it does not work well with arms like the Eminent Technology II). Other than this caution the TT will match well with most pivoting arms and cartidge combinations (at least all of the ones my friends and I have tried).

Overall I will give this Gyrodec a 5 star rating, not because it is the absolute best sounding TT on the market, but because it offers superb performance that is compatible with multiple arm - cartridge combinations, and at pricing that is at the lower end of "audiophile high end".

I bought this second handed, how can i find the dealer for this equiptment?

Solid, expansive sounstaging and imaging. Tight, deep bass, lucid midrange and crisp yet airy treble.

Not the final word in depth of sounstaging, but closer than anything else at price level!

I have been a user of Michell turntables for 15 years or so starting with a Focus 1 before having it upgraded to 'S' status then finally shelling-out for a Gyrodec in 1995. So I feel I have some experience of not only the sonic and consistent results easily achieved with the Gyro, but likewise with the company who design and produce it. In these days of vinyl replay playing second fiddle to digital replay, this is an important issue when considering which turntable to buy - the performance of the company when it comes to upgradablity, repairs (unlikely in this case) and servicing.

When I first auditioned the Gyro, it's fair to say that I was slightly biased having had many happy years service from my old Michell Focus and being seduced years earlier by the Gyro's looks and air of engineering-meets-art or form perfectly matching function. But I did listen to a Linn LP12, Pink Triangle and Nottingham Analogue Spacedeck, all mounted with the same Rega RB300 arm and Ortofon cartridge except the Spacedeck which had it's own arm. So, my mind was finally made-up on sonic grounds too!
I find that at it's price point - and above - nothing lets a tonearm and cartridge do their job unhindered in the manner the Gyro does. Soundstaging is the real winner here, with wide, solidly placed imaging and a firm foundation for unwavering potrayal of the ambience of a recording. Whilst some might say it does not give the last word in 3D depth of image and rhythm and timing, this is definitely rectified a great deal by adding a Gyro QC power supply which should be mandatory when buying the turntable.

As far as tone and musicality goes, the Gyro gives tuneful bass, not the 'rubber-band' or boomy variety which many owners of other equipment mistake for 'good, powerful' bass. Midrange is lucid and detailed with treble posessing an airy, yet crisp quality that really lets the ambience of music pervade. It is perhaps this area where the Gyro beats it's old rival the Linn LP12 in my view, the Linn being somewhat coloured though not unpleasant to listen to - it is just slightly muddy in comparison and overwarm.
If I had chosen a different turntable it would have been the Nottingham Analogue Spacedeck which should never be overlooked and which has perhaps even more solidity and slightly more 3D depth than the Gyro, although slightly less in 'air' and ambience and well, uglier looks!

I use an SME IV arm which is a perfect partner and I would suggest to anyone who uses the ubiquitous RB300 to consider upgrading asap - the RB300 is fantastic and unasailable at it's level - but come on! An SME will bring you all the extra depth in tone, detail, imaging and ambient sounstaging. Cartridge is a Denon DL304 which is fine for now, but perhaps should be upgraded to a Lyra. Phono stage is an LFD MC2 which, dare I say it, was auditioned against an Iso - it won obviously, though I would consider Michell's new Delphini phono stage sometime as the LFD is a little too bright on some recordings.

The Gyro does it's job so well that you will find it often shows-up those less than average recordings for what they are. It won't detract from the musicality involved, but as it gets to the heart and detail of a recording, those 'thin' or undynamic albums (anyone got Cream's 'Wheels of Fire'?) will have you realizing that great music is not always recorded well and you'll want to be turning-up the volume having become accustomed to the suberb dynamics and sounstaging of the average and good recordings. But this is what any fine turntable will show-up.

As for tips on how to get the most out of your Gyro :
I would say to bear in mind that this beauty will take any tonearm way over it's price level - don't be afraid to spend much more on the arm - the Gyro let's any arm or cartridge give very near it's maximum.
Also, make sure that the correct degree of 'bounce' is there by adjusting the springs on the subchassis - it's a no-brainer to do, but usually means the spring at the back will be set significantly higher than the other two to get an even vertical bounce without the chassis rubbing on the motor housing.
Whilst the deck is not very fussy about where it's sighted in terms of support, I have found that it works best on a decent-enough audio stand of any reputable make, but with a heavyish shelf under it - I have a slab of marble. Whatever shelf you use, don't be tempted to go the route of spikes and cones under the turntable shelf - this will give a slightly 'glassy' hardness to the sound and as the Gyro has coned feet, this would be overdoing it. Use something like sorbothane feet under the shelf.

Most of all, you will find Michell an excellent company to deal with (especially if you are in the UK due to shorter lead times) and John Michell himself is always happy to help with any upgrades or servicing and always adds those extras such as a full clean and polish etc and treats any of his returning and already sold products as if they were a fresh testament to the skill and reputation of his organization!

I've owned and enjoyed Michell turntables for over 23 years. My Gyrodec has given me unfaltering service for the last fifteen or so. The upgrades that Michell has offered over that period have only made an excellent product better, and by Audio standards have been a bargain. Especially when based on the longevity of this fine product. Service issues have never been a problem since new belts have been the extent of it. Sound quality is superior, and this along with reliability sould be the criteria we rate products by. NOT WHETHER OR NOT THEY WHERE DESIGNED FOR "DJ" USE. Please, a little maturity. Five well deserved stars all around.