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Michell Gyro SE-what arm?

Well, my turntable obsession continues. I bought an almost new Gyro SE mkII recently with no arm on it. Now I've really done it, because there are so many choices-and probably a lot of really good ones. For me, making a decision about something like his is more agonizing than fun, really. Not wanting to screw it up, you know. It seems like the Gyro must work well with a Rega arm; I've seen a fair amount of "Goners with modded 250's, 300's and the like, or the Technoarm, which as I understand it is a modded Rega. The guy from whom I bought the table had an Audiomods arm; again, a Rega. And I've seen a fair number of SME's as well. So, what about the Origin Live arms, like the Zephyr, or the Encounter? And what about those Jelco 750's? I've read good things about that arm. And if I have th option, should I go for a 10 inch?I don't have a huge amount to spend, but it seems to me somewhere around $1500 should buy a pretty decent arm, And I have an opportunity to buy a Rega RB1000 for about that -what about that? Would that be a viable option, maybe better than the modded arms or the low-mid priced Origin offerings? I will add this-I am one of the Naim sheep, so PRAT and musicality is probably more important to me than absolute accuracy. Please give me your input, Michell owners and those familiar with this dilema. Thanks!
goforth
goforth OP
8 posts
 
Thanks for your response. I checked out your system-maybe in a couple of years I'll go with the TW Acustic Raven myself. I'd love to-in fact, that's probably where I'd like to end up. You liked the RB1000 on the Gyro/Orbe, though? Here's my question-if you did it over again, would you go with the RB-1000 way over an Origin Live arm or an SME? I know the Gyro SE will probably be good with any of them, and I'm worrying too much, but I am very interested in your thoughts.
rrodmanr
9 posts
 
I loved my Gyro Se II. I used an SME iV that I bought from 2Juki on ebay from Japan and it was a wonderful combination. A 20 ft wide soundstage and a floating image. Lively, detailed yet with bass. I see alot of Rega RB300/303 with Michell. Not sure how it sounds on a Gyro but had one on a vpi and it was great. More solid more grounded than the gyro/sme combo.
Hope this helps...
goforth OP
8 posts
 
Thank all of you guys for your time to expound a bit on your opinions.. It sounds like it's pretty much a buyer's market and there are several arms that will work well. I normally am able to avoid being swayed by hype, but I'll confess, the Origin Live ads with "soundbyte" style quotes threw me...I was all set to buy an SME M2-9, an arm that I've heard from several people is a very good arm and an exceptional value. Then, on the Origin Live site, I saw the quotes from reviews stating that various arms were "the finest arm built to date", and "the SME V sounds monochrome by comparison." I find this stuff hard to believe. I have no doubt that Origin makes some fine arms, but really? An SME V sounds monochrome by comparison? Geez. And the one that really queered the deal, really made me doubt the choice I had made, was the statement made by the guy who started ADC saying something to the effect of "all the wasted years listening to SME." I gotta think this is nonsense. So-though I may buy an SME arm after all that, I'll always be wondering if an Origin Live Zephyr or an Encounter might've been a better choice. I guess I should know better, as to this date one of the nicest setups I've heard was a Jelco 750D on an old Sota Sapphire with a like-new Shure V15Vxmr on it. Almost NOBODY talks about the Jelco arms, and the apparent quality of their arms seems to be quite high. Sota's tables are venerable pieces of kit and several reviewers reference turntables, but they certainly aren't new and "in vogue." And the Shure cartridge-out of production for years now. From what I've seen, SME doesn't use defamatory quotes about other makers. Nor does Rega, or Jelco for that matter. I guess that should tell me the real story right there!

So I guess I should just pay my money and take my chances. I'm sure it's not going to suck. Thanks again, fellow "Goners!
yogiboy's avatar
yogiboy
5,701 posts
 
Go for the SME M2-9. You can't go wrong with SME! I have a 309 that I bought more than 20 years ago when it was $1200 new,now it is over $2400. I think the M2-9 is a bargain at $1000!
gundam91
506 posts
 
Jon Michell used the SMEV in the development of the Gyro/Orbe. I've always used the SME V with my Orbe SE. Many users have also raved about the Orbe/Graham 2.2 combo as well as the Gyro/Moerch combo. I've acquired an used Graham 2.2 about 6 months ago, but have not had a chance to switch over to give it a listen.

As other have indicated, weight is a concrrn. Some can be compensated with a lighter armboard. Contact the distributor and the arm manufacturer to make sure they can supply an armboard for the particular arm. Some arms like the Graham Phantom and Dynavector are just way too heavy. But I've seen a guy in Singapore with the Orbe SE/ Dynavector combo. Not sure how he did it.

FrankC
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