Ben’s experience with the Gyrodec and Gyro SE turntables
The Gyrodec and Gyro SE turntables have been a favourite for many years. I’ve been selling and setting these beautiful turntables up for customers since the 1990s. They are extremely well built and look beautiful. I have installed a wide number of 9 inch arms on the Gyrodec turntables ranging in price from 500 dollar Rega arms to 3000 and 10,000 dollar Acoustic Signature arms and even some more expensive arms from AMG, Tri Planar, SME and Kuzma. When set-up correctly the Gyrodec and Gyro SE out class most in their price range. The strengths include a very low noise floor and exceptional resolution and detail. The bass is detailed but not overstated. The separation of instruments and quiet spaces between them is sublime. Come in to our Adelaide showroom to have a listen.
Details
The Gyro SE is a small footprint variation of the Gyrodec that delivers an almost identical performance to its larger sibling.
The full-sized acrylic plinth on the Gyrodec has been replaced by a rigid and inert acrylic spyder to support the chassis.
The Gyro SE is Michell’s best-selling turntable providing a neutral, reference presentation without taking up too much space.
If you are looking for a compact class-leading turntable, look no further.
Specifications
Three point spring suspension system.
Three suspension towers are fixed to the acrylic base to hold the suspension springs in place and provide height adjustment for the sub chassis.
Impedance-matched platter with solid brass weights.
The platter material was chosen for its vibration dampening characteristics and because sonically it is a very similar material to vinyl, so it has a very neutral sound characteristic. The brass weights are added to give the platter extra mass and subsequently more momentum when spinning. This greatly improves speed stability and helps keep wow and flutter to a minimum.
Free standing motor unit.
The motor unit used to drive the turntable is completely separate to the turntable, meaning it doesn’t touch the turntable in anyway. The only connection between the motor and the turntable is the drive belt that drives the platter. This stops any noise or vibrations created when the motor is running, getting through to the sensitive parts of the turntable.
Weighted pendulum style sub chassis.
Hanging on the three suspension springs, this provides a rigid dense platform to mount the main bearing, platter and tonearm assembly, ensuring there is no movement between them, while also acting as a ‘resonance / vibration sink’ drawing away unwanted vibrations from the sensitive elements of the turntable.
Inverted oil circulating main bearing.
Contrary to traditional designs, our main bearing has the point of rotation at the top of the assembly, not at the bottom. This orientation allows us to fully lubricate the inside of the entire bearing while the platter is turning. We achieve this by way of a modified Archimedean screw that we machine into the inside bore of the bearing. The oil is drawn from a reservoir at the base of the main bearing up to the thrust ball at the top, fully lubricating as it goes, it then returns to the reservoir via a waste hole drilled into the bearing spindle. Lubricating the precision parts of the main bearing in this way means that any potential for noise or vibration created by the rotation of the platter is avoided.
Low contact area feet.
The solid aluminium feet of the turntable are shaped so the area in contact with the supporting surface is very small, this is done to minimise the transfer of vibrations from the supporting furniture into the turntable.
Weight 10kg
Width 49cm
Depth 37.5cm
Height 13.5cm
