Michell Gyro SE / Cusis S

The Michell Gyro SE is a beautifully made, beautiful looking turntable

Turntable package £6800

Chances are, you have seen a Michell GyroDec turntable before. The iconic turntable from the 1980s, with its spinning brass weights in a suspended design and distinctive engineering remains, even today, a hallmark of British turntable design. You've probably seen it in films. At trade shows or in magazines. Steve Jobs had one.

The classic Michell GyroDec has been in production since the 1980s, but nearly every element has been redesigned to a more sophisticated level over the years. The model we have on test here is the Michell Gyro SE. 'SE' Stands for 'Spider Edition' and instead of the full-sized, rectangular plinth design seen in the standard GyroDec, this more compact and more affordable Gyro SE uses a three-point acrylic 'spider' plinth to support the sub-chassis.

You can buy the Gyro SE on its own for £3500, but we would recommend adding the tonearm and cartridge as part of the package, as not only do they come pre-fitted, but they are designed to work well together. Our review sample comes fitted with Michell's T8 tonearm and Cusis S MC cartridge - both effectively the mid-range options of Michell's offerings. The Cusis S moving-coil cartridge costs £1500 on its own; it comes housed in an aluminium body, features a boron cantilever and a 'Shibata' stylus, with a recommended 2g tracking force. The T8 tonearm is made specifically for Michell's turntables and can't be bought separately. Turntable aficionados might recognise that the tonearm is made by Rega, its design consisting of a one-piece arm tube. This model has an updated aluminium bearing housing, with a stainless steel sleeve and vertical bearing shaft. These all add up to a more stable and rigid arm that gives a good foundation for the cartridge to work from. High quality phono wires and phono plugs are used; a sturdy aluminium counterweight is included.