Michell Gyro SE Turntable

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 from the turntable, meaning it doesn’t touch the turntable in any way. 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 aluminum feet of the turntable are shaped, so the area in contact with the supporting surface is very small; this is done to minimize the transfer of vibrations from the supporting furniture into the turntable.