Michell Orbe vs SME 10

@TonyUK l am in East London/ Essex border you are more than welcome to come over for a listen.

@Dubmart could you describe differences between the Orbe and Gyro?

 

Ooops! Forgot am going to listen to an SME Model 10 ( just for fun) at a newly acquired audio friend in the coming weeks so can report back.

 

Well I'll try, if you are familiar with the Gyro then the Orbe just gives you more, more clarity, detail and information, plus it gives you a tighter, better bass, it gives you things you don't realise you are missing, because the Gyro is itself a good deck, but the Orbe is much better, it provides a very, very accurate platform for whatever arm and cart you partner it with, the Orbe is also totally bang on with pitch and I'm sure that's one of the reasons it sounds better, I'd didn't have a pitch issue with my Gyro and you can adjust speed with the HR, but the Orbe is spot on and I'm sure that does make a difference. I did do some head to head comparisons between the two with the same arm/cart, but it was several years ago so I can't really be specific and give you a better description of the differences, but I do remember that they were very obvious and greater than I expected which I think is why I eventually let my Gyro go, I knew it weaknesses.

 

I agree with Dubmart. I’ve an Orbe SE as well as a Gyro SE side by side. The Gyro is truly a very good deck and it wasn’t until I got my Orbe around a year ago that I was enlightened that the Orbe is a more complete turntable soundwise. But the Gyro has a look that the Orbe never can match, those brass weights under the platter are indeed really hypnotizing.

 

Dubmart

The OP has Linn electronics and speakers from many years ago. I’m familiar with them. They are very musical and easy to live with but perhaps not as transparent and dynamic as more modern equipment. But they sound musically good as in no need to change good. A Gyro is all he needs in that system. A big step up from what he has but not too killer on price. And frankly an Orbe, while an excellent turntable, is pug ugly next to a Gyro. So’s my SME10. In this case and IMO it’s about system balance and some pride of ownership.

I’m thinkingy that “pug ugly” is not fair in hind sight. Better to say it looks nicely engineered whereas the Gyro has a unique and lovely Museum of Modern Art look.

 

@Dubmart

@GyroSE

 

A very good point about the match with my system. Maybe with my amp and speakers; there would not be a noticeable difference with even higher end turntables.

 

Be really interested to know what you think of the SME

 

Will definitely report back.

 

Yes, the Orbe is no doubt a better deck than the already-very-good Gyro/GyroDec.

Question, though: Here in the US, the Orbe costs over DOUBLE what the Gyro does ($6000 USD sans arm, vs $2795 for the Gyro). Even in the UK, there's a big price delta between the two, something like $5000 USD-equivalent vs $2500.

So, what if with that considerable leftover cash (the price difference between the two 'tables), you put a much better arm and cartridge on the Gyro than you could afford to on the Orbe? How would the sonics compare then?

Obviously the Orbe has a considerably higher ultimate ceiling, but maybe only if you can afford to buy it *and* really deck it out? What do you think?
.

 

Oh and also a Garrard 401 in a big vintage Tannoy system.

 

This is a good question, is a Gyro with a SME better than an Orbe with a Technoarm? The SME, whether 309, IV or V is THE arm for a Michell though the huge SME price rise aka cash grab has kind of made this a much harder choice, a Gyro with a SME is a wonderful deck and for many people there will be no reason to upgrade, likewise an Orbe with a Technoarm is fantastic, my opinion, or rather my choice would be to get an Orbe with a cheaper arm and start saving. Both decks really allow you to hear differences in arms, even relatively small ones such as between various Rega models, a SME on the Gyro will definitely narrow the gap, but I'd take the Orbe and start looking for a Funk Firm, Audiomods or used to go with it whilst still enjoying whatever Rega based arm it came with, but I've lived with both and am very aware of how much more potential the Orbe has, if I didn't know that then perhaps I'd happily live with a Gyro/SME, it's still a great package and there really are no wrong choices if you buy a Michell.

 

I agree once again. IMHO both of these decks have a lot of potential built in but I think it's a little special when it comes to the Gyro. I started my Michell journey a little over 11 years ago with the Gyro SE and the "humble" Rega RB300, next upgrade was the very nice TechnoArm and my final upgrade the SME IV. All these tonearms brought the best out of the Gyro SE at each level but I must say that I for the first time really understood this decks full potential when I had mounted the SME IV on it. This is truly a killer combination. But I must admit that when the Gyro is combined with the RB300 it's a stellar performer and I really enjoyed the sound that these two presented together, this is an affordable package that one easily could enjoy for life. The Gyro is an excellent platform that's upgradeable in to the high end territory, almost every 9" tonearm on the market is compatible with this deck so the sky is the limit. Its ability to really top perform on every level is the greatness of this deck IMHO.

To these ears the Orbe is without question better than the Gyro soundwise but that doesn't automatically make the Gyro look bad in comparison. The Gyro is an excellent performer in its price bracket and it's really amazing that it now almost 40 years after it was born still is one of the top turntables in its class. Yes, my main deck is now the Orbe but I still love my Gyro very much.

 

Please don't take this negatively, but I think your answer is cheating a bit. You seem to be aiming for Both the best turntable and arm, but over the long term. You obviously know your stuff. So can I ask a more direct question. If you had the choice between the 2 AND COULD NEVER UPGRADE. What would you go for.

 

If it was a Gyro/SME V/HR versus a Orbe/RB 220 then I'd pick the Gyro, but if I had £1000 budget for the Orbe arm then I'd pick the Orbe, there are some fantastic arms for £1,000, if it was Orbe/Technoarm I'd really have to think about my decision though I'd probably choose the Orbe, it's not as pretty, but it is just such a better platform than the Gyro however similar they may appear and as I mentioned the Orbe power supply and speed control are a real advantage so other than with the most basic arm I'd choose the Orbe.

 

I've never lived with either deck so regard this post as entirely objective or completely uninformed: everything makes a difference and I've experienced that in my room with different tables and arms. You can hear the difference among turntables. And among tone arms. Using the same cartridge. (I went through this a dozen years ago).
The goal would be best arm and the best deck you can afford--whatever 'best' means. Used is the way I'd go if there is a reputable dealer from whom you can buy a trade-in or demo unit with support. I don't know the London hi-fi market so haven't any clue who you'd turn to, but like almost all hi-fi gear, this stuff depreciates and you can take advantage of that. Especially if you are looking at it from the perspective of never upgrading.

 

When I got my Gyro SE it came with a RB 250, a perfectly decent arm and the basis for the Michell Technoarm, but I really thought it held the Gyro back, I almost immediately replaced it with a brand new RB 600 which at the time was nearly £400 and a lot more than the RB 250, this was a major improvement and swapping the RB 600 for a Technoarm was also an obvious improvement, likewise trying higher end arms on it showed that the Gyro really does benefit from better arms and I get why people stick SMEs on their Gyros, but having been in a position to swap arms between the two I think that at current prices a SME IV/V deserves the Orbe and an Orbe deserves a SME.

 

Bill, I'm not so sure that SMEs depreciate these days, I'm currently wanting a couple more M2Rs for my 401 and TD 124 and I'm seeing used prices that are greater than the full retail was before they introduced their 30-40% price hikes a couple of years ago, I'm seriously considering other options, though it's all hypothetical until I have the cash, buying a used Michell from a good dealer would definitely be a sensible option though especially with Michell's excellent support.

 

Fair point- don't know that model, but the 3012r continues to increase in price as well. I'm not sure when those were discontinued- i think it's been quite a while.

 

If you want musicality that will have you grinning from ear to ear on your Gyro/Orbe then the Audionote range of arms are spectacular!

All in my room/system of course.

 

Get a Gyro SE with Techno arm and HR PSU and be done with it...

 

I've sold my Technoarm to a friend and other than adding the Orbe spindle and clamp that's exactly what he'll have when I go and install it, I think he'll be totally satisfied as well and he has no interest in getting a SME.

 

OT—I’ve been very happy with the Jelco arm on my td124. So much so that I put off the 12” plinth and arm upgrade to improve other things.

Looking forward to your 124/401 comparisons

 

Lack of funds means both will likely take another three or four years, but I think I'm going small plinth and 9" arm for the 124 and a Jelco is looking a likely partner unless I get lucky with a used SME.

 

Almost. If you really want a beautiful table AND arm, I'd swap the TecnoArm for one of those shiny Audiomods Series V arms.