Still own the table w/ SME V and Shelter 901. Yeah, Michell tables don't get much press here in the U.S. That is for sure. Jon Michelle, sadly had also left us a few years back. When I first bought mine, I had some issue where the speed would change all of a sudden. I called the dealer, and the next morning, I got a call from England. It was the Man himself. He deduced that it was most likely static from walking across the carpet. He suggested that I touch the rack to dissipate statics before touching the table each time. And if the issue persists, just e-mail him and he would send me another power supply/motor to try. So for customer service, they get a five-star from me.
I worked in London for few months 4 years ago. The Michelle tables still get lots of press in UK magazines. The Orbe SE is still on their recommended lists. I agree with Stanwal's assessment as I have friends with Brinkman, TW Acustic, and Clearaudio. I have not heard the Avid Acutus to see how the two would compare. That would be a more comparable comparison. But as good as Orbe as, I'm sure many of the more updated suspension tables can sound better and have more speed stability. Though, Orbe only costs less than 1/2 of what these other tables are selling for. Maybe you can buy two more power supply/motors to add to an Orbe SE to create that speed stability.
FrankC
