Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...
I recently upgraded to the Gyro SE and have been really enjoying its build quality, its musical presentation, and yes, even its looks. I didn't consider the Gyro SE when I first researched turntables because of its looks and I wasn't sure I wanted to deal with a suspension system. But due to unanticipated circumstances I ended up with the Gyro and I'm glad it turned out that way. The spider chassis and suspension system take some time to set up but once done it seems to be stable and is easily fine tuned if needed.
Its appearance may be an aquired taste and not for people with an eye towards a more classic form, but I think it looks cool. (I left the suspension tower covers off because I think it looks better without them; the brass weights on the platter show up better.)
I would also recommend getting the Orbe threaded spindle and clamp upgrade. It's overpriced here in the U.S.A. but still worth the cost because the stock Gyro clamp isn't that effective in getting the correct clamp tension.
The price new is more than you've budgeted for (adding a proportionally priced tone arm will likely put you over the $3000 limit) but you could always add an affordable tone arm like the Jelco 750D or a Rega and upgrade the clamp later if the budget is locked in. Michell carries a line of mounting plates to accommodate a number of tone arms if you decide to upgrade the tone arm in the future.
Tom
I recently upgraded to the Gyro SE and have been really enjoying its build quality, its musical presentation, and yes, even its looks. I didn't consider the Gyro SE when I first researched turntables because of its looks and I wasn't sure I wanted to deal with a suspension system. But due to unanticipated circumstances I ended up with the Gyro and I'm glad it turned out that way. The spider chassis and suspension system take some time to set up but once done it seems to be stable and is easily fine tuned if needed.
Its appearance may be an aquired taste and not for people with an eye towards a more classic form, but I think it looks cool. (I left the suspension tower covers off because I think it looks better without them; the brass weights on the platter show up better.)
I would also recommend getting the Orbe threaded spindle and clamp upgrade. It's overpriced here in the U.S.A. but still worth the cost because the stock Gyro clamp isn't that effective in getting the correct clamp tension.
The price new is more than you've budgeted for (adding a proportionally priced tone arm will likely put you over the $3000 limit) but you could always add an affordable tone arm like the Jelco 750D or a Rega and upgrade the clamp later if the budget is locked in. Michell carries a line of mounting plates to accommodate a number of tone arms if you decide to upgrade the tone arm in the future.
Tom