VPI HW19 MkIII vs. Michell Gyrodec?

Wow, interesting post! I've not yet ordered a turntable because I still can't decide!

I'm confused, though--you're saying a suspended turntable in a high-vibration environment will be worse than a non-suspended turntable that's just letting every vibration get right up to the stylus?

Hmmm....Very interesting. Non-suspended turntable does not need wall shelf or solid platform compared to suspended turntable???? Reason for putting suspension on the turntable to isolate the external vibration. That is the reason why non-suspended turntable sounds better with wall shelf or solid platform. Suspended turntable of course will benefit as well but not as much as non-suspended turntable.

OL RB250 is a good arm for the money, but not the best. I have owned OL modified RB250 and RB300. Definitely decent arms with the OL modification. Another clarification for OL using RB250 instead of RB300: According to OL and OL reps, spring in RB300/600/900 VTF adjustment has resonance problem in low frequency resulting less focussed/controlled bass and that is the main reason for RB250 having slight edge on the performance when fully tweaked.

Hi,

I haven't done a direct comparison between these two tables, but have owned a VPI 19-Jr. and the latest Michell Gyro SE, and have heard HW-19 MkIIIs and IVs, Scout and Aries. I now have a Nottingham table. Personally, I think the Michell is a step above the HW-19 series and Scout in dynamics and resolution (of course, the Aries is a different story). I too have suspended floors, with a fair amount of give. I did not have a big problem w/ the suspension of the Gyro, though a few times when my 80 & 95 lb. Labs got too excited by a cat or another dog, I got a little too much bounce in the suspension. The Michell had far less problems w/ bounce than other suspended tables I've owned, Systemdek and Linn, though I suspect the heavier VPI would be a better choice if a bouncing suspension is your only concern. I seem to have more feedback problems w/ the Nott, and need to add a more secure stand or a wall-stand. As far as sound quality, this is very personal and depends upon your preferences, setup, arm, cartridge, and the rest of the system. After selling my Gyro, I had to "downsize" to a Horizon, for reasons unrelated to quality of sound. The Horizon, while great for the $$, is not in the same class as the Gyro, as far as squeezing as much info from the LP, using the same cartridges for comparison. Another Gyro, or a Spacedeck would be the two tables I would consider if I were to buy in that price range again. BTW, I also had a Clearaudio Virtuoso w/ the Gyro, and thought this was a great cart. w/ a Rega arm (but not SME).

Terry

Dirtyragamuffin, Nameci:

Guys, I'm NOT saying that a non-suspended TT does not need a wall shelf/solid platform. It certainly benefits - no doubt.

OK, what I was trying to say was a correctly designed non-suspended TT is much easier to work with in terms of getting the best perf. from it compared to a suspended TT. If one is not familiar with how to tune/tweak the suspension correcly, then one ends up obtaining mediocre perf. So, if your home environment is "loose" to begin with + you are a novice @ tweaking suspended TTs, I feel, that you will end up coupling the noise/vibrations from the environment into the TT. Also, the suspension of the TT needs to be checked every 6 months or so to ensure that it's settings have not changed. Not saying that you have to touch is every 6 months but am saying that you got to look @ it to see if you need to touch it. So, it's not entirely set-and-forget. Maybe this is not a criteria for Dirtyragamuffin?

Non-suspended TTs are more novice-friendly & using some pretty straight-forward isolation techniques (granite slab, Bright Star sandboxes, Neuance shelf, etc many of which are inexpensive DIY solutions) one can obtain very good sound from them. Yes, if the floor is loose & you walk across the room - thump, thump, thump - the stylus WILL skip!

Now, if Dirtyragamuffin has a local vinyl guru, who is well-versed in the art of vinyl, and can help him then disregard all this!
Hope that this clarifies my earlier post. Sorry for the misunderstanding it created.

Bombaywalla, thanks for the clarification, I see what you're saying.

Yes I'd be a newbie at working with suspended 'tables. Not saying I'm not willing to learn (I am, afterall) just saying I haven't done it. I do have a dealer who is well-versed and willing to set-up other turntables besides those he sells (my AR, for instance) so if I went Gyro I'm not so worried. He is the VPI (and Nottingham) dealer so I definitely would not have a problem there.

I'm not expecting a set-and-forget table and am willing to do minor servicing of the table where I am able.

To be honest, I've listened to several sprung table and several with no suspension, and so far have preferred the sound of those with suspension...