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Rega RP8 vs Michell Gyro SE. Advice Needed!

Mr.Nic

pfm Member
Long time board lurker looking to upgrade my TT from my existing RP3. I’ve narrowed my choice down to the 2 mentioned in the title. I know that a fair few of you have owned or experienced these, so any advice gratefully received.

My budget is around the £2K mark and I’d be probably be looking to add a Dynavector 10x5 cart to whichever I buy. My current amp is a Rega Elex-R (no dedicated phono stage - hence not going full MC on the cart) and my speakers for this system are B&W 684 S2.
 
Gyro SE all day long- however l am very biased as l do own one, sounds, great looks cool, and a good upgrade path.
 
I've no experience of either, and so am willing to be shot down in flames, but I think both will benefit greatly from a better cart than the 10x5. Maybe consider an Ortofon 2M Black or one of the better Nagaoka MMs if MM it must be.

(As an aside, my local Cash Converters recently had a gyro SE, Technoarm and 2M Black for £1k. Whilst I didn't check the condition of it, I snoozed and lost; it was snapped up).
 
I had an Orbe with an SME IV and now have an RP8, and my opinion is that the RP8 is a much better and more musical turntable than the Michell deck.
 
I know you say you've already narrowed it down, so sorry for an off topic response, but have you considered the Avid Diva II? Better than either of your options, IMO.
 
And a level up are the Clearaudio turntables. Plus, with the single exception of the Roksan, their arms are better.
 
Ta for the comments so far. My choices are based on what I've been able to listen to. I'd considered a Clearaudio (along with a Nottingham) but haven't seen / heard one close to me. I'd not considered Avid, again I'd ideally like to audition all of these side-by-side - a task that's probably beyond most audio dealers! Same goes for the dynavector cart - I liked the warmness compared to the 2M black, it's a personal thing but it worked for me with the music I tend to listen to.

The choice when looking to upgrade can sometimes be overwhelming!
 
Question I have is have you been happy with the RP3?

Yes - up to a point. It's a great deck but I just felt that there should be 'more'... I wanted to hear more depth / bass / wideness (insert as appropriate) and I know my system is capable of handling it.

The RP3 revitalised my vinyl listening and for that I love it, however having heard the RP8 & the Michell, I know there's 'more' to be had (albeit at a much higher price than the 3).
 
I've no experience of either, and so am willing to be shot down in flames, but I think both will benefit greatly from a better cart than the 10x5. Maybe consider an Ortofon 2M Black or one of the better Nagaoka MMs if MM it must be.

(As an aside, my local Cash Converters recently had a gyro SE, Technoarm and 2M Black for £1k. Whilst I didn't check the condition of it, I snoozed and lost; it was snapped up).

Have you actually heard a 10x5? Also it's not a mm. It's a high output moving coil.
Personally I think that it is a wonderful cartridge, both totally and in terms of bass punch and detail, and I would think prefereble/better/comparable at least to the cartridges you mention.
 
Yes - up to a point. It's a great deck but I just felt that there should be 'more'... I wanted to hear more depth / bass / wideness (insert as appropriate) and I know my system is capable of handling it.

The RP3 revitalised my vinyl listening and for that I love it, however having heard the RP8 & the Michell, I know there's 'more' to be had (albeit at a much higher price than the 3).

Pardon me if you have a Tangospinner subplatter already. It will give you more of what you want for the cost of a good night out, or for less.
 
Yes - up to a point. It's a great deck but I just felt that there should be 'more'... I wanted to hear more depth / bass / wideness (insert as appropriate) and I know my system is capable of handling it.

The RP3 revitalised my vinyl listening and for that I love it, however having heard the RP8 & the Michell, I know there's 'more' to be had (albeit at a much higher price than the 3).

It should be noted that this is always the case (forgive me for repeating the mantra) "source first". this is the right upgrade to make.

Since this is more than just a one-step matter--who knows how long before you want to upgrade again, and again, etc. You really should pick a path now, even if you do abandon it later. What I mean by this is really making an informed buying decision. The Avid tables should be heard, and I'd also recommend seeing if there isn't a VPI dealer near you as they have many competent offerings in this area.

You could also consider the dreaded LP12--there's only about 300 of us out here who life with it, love/hate can't get away from it, and you're not far off that territory with your price point.

(For whatever it's worth my vote is for the RP8 between the two you've mentioned).
 
As you'll gather, there are going to be as many opinions as turntables. It's actually extremely difficult to get a broad range of direct comparisons so I don't envy your task. There are so many variables with these things it's hard to advise - even doing the dem legwork can still be inconclusive as you're finding. Your ears, your money, so find a good dealer and trust your instincts would be my advice.
 
As mentioned above, there's so many options - and in an ideal world I'd audition them all with the same cart plus my own amp and speakers to get a realistic comparison for system matching. Unfortunately that's not always possible. My mind's not 100% made up although the RP8 is edging it, despite the rather good looks of the Michell.
 
In the same dilema myself both these turntables are top of my list . I think the gyro looks the best imo , not saying the rp8 does not look good either especially in skeletal form .
the problem is trying to listen to both with the same cartridge and a similar system to mine . Audition the rp8 recently and was impressed , I have only heard the gyro at shows , always sounded good but not the best indicator .
It looks like a long trip in the car to listen to both side by side will be required
 


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