Ed Selley
AVF Reviewer
I posted this elsewhere but I put so little up other than reviews these days, I thought it might be worth putting here.
On March 21st 1996, the first owner of this Michel GyroDec strolled out of a UK dealer with his purchase. I have his name on the original invoice but as he’s not me I’m going to respect his privacy and not repeat that. He ordered it with a Rega RB300 arm and Ortofon cart. As he was an American serviceman, he reached the end of his tour here in 2001 and elected not to ship it back to the USA. It was therefore sold to a good friend of mine.
From there, the moneypit began to see some changes. It gained the threaded spindle, clamp and locking platter nut. The RB300 was removed and first an Origin Live Silver MkI and then an SME V tonearm was fitted. At various stages, it had an Ortofon Kontrapunkt Blue, Shelter 901 and Zyx R100 cart on it. Then it gained the NCPSU system that runs it in DC, replacing the rather temperamental Papst AC motor it was supplied with.
Most importantly, it was sent away to be modified with the Gert Pedersen kit. This locked down the suspension (the system it has now has negligible travel and is effectively locked in place with O rings), filled the base with cement and put the curious wires on the outer edge. It isn’t pretty but it provides some tangible benefits to performance (this Gyro no longer oscillates in the manner of a normal one).
Then, in August 2008, my friend finally managed to purchase his vinyl equivalent of a white whale and I was offered the Gyro. I couldn’t afford the SME V so I bought it less arm and cart for a princely £550. At the outset, it was fitted with Roksan Tabriz arm and Dynavector DV20X cart. Replacing a Linn LP12, the simple expedient of the setup never drifting meant it was a bit of a revelation coming from that.
In 2013, I learned I was going to become a father. I was already working as a reviewer at that point and using an AVID Ingenium Twin for test work so, to shrink the system as it came out of a dedicated room and into the lounge, the Gyro was put on top of a wardrobe and left for four years. This lasted until 2017 when I had more room available and recommissioned it. It had a new bearing, bearing oil, lid hinges and motor power lead at this point and was fitted with an SME M2-9 arm and Goldring Legacy cartridge.
Since then, it has been in constant use as both something I listen to for pleasure and a reviewing source. It has followed me into rented accommodation following my divorce and back into my current house. It is far from box fresh. It has marks and wear and the Perspex lid is rather battered. It has been fitted with upwards of thirty different carts and run into around forty five phono stages over the course of testing. The last twelve months has seen it assume the form you see in the pic with the SME arm being replaced by a Vertere SG-1 and- earlier this week, it being fitted with a new Vertere Mystic cartridge. I can say with some confidence that this is the best it has ever sounded.
It’s a bit worn and there’s an element of ‘My Grandfather’s axe’ to it but the core of it has done 25 years and I love it to bits. Here’s to another 25.
On March 21st 1996, the first owner of this Michel GyroDec strolled out of a UK dealer with his purchase. I have his name on the original invoice but as he’s not me I’m going to respect his privacy and not repeat that. He ordered it with a Rega RB300 arm and Ortofon cart. As he was an American serviceman, he reached the end of his tour here in 2001 and elected not to ship it back to the USA. It was therefore sold to a good friend of mine.
From there, the moneypit began to see some changes. It gained the threaded spindle, clamp and locking platter nut. The RB300 was removed and first an Origin Live Silver MkI and then an SME V tonearm was fitted. At various stages, it had an Ortofon Kontrapunkt Blue, Shelter 901 and Zyx R100 cart on it. Then it gained the NCPSU system that runs it in DC, replacing the rather temperamental Papst AC motor it was supplied with.
Most importantly, it was sent away to be modified with the Gert Pedersen kit. This locked down the suspension (the system it has now has negligible travel and is effectively locked in place with O rings), filled the base with cement and put the curious wires on the outer edge. It isn’t pretty but it provides some tangible benefits to performance (this Gyro no longer oscillates in the manner of a normal one).
Then, in August 2008, my friend finally managed to purchase his vinyl equivalent of a white whale and I was offered the Gyro. I couldn’t afford the SME V so I bought it less arm and cart for a princely £550. At the outset, it was fitted with Roksan Tabriz arm and Dynavector DV20X cart. Replacing a Linn LP12, the simple expedient of the setup never drifting meant it was a bit of a revelation coming from that.
In 2013, I learned I was going to become a father. I was already working as a reviewer at that point and using an AVID Ingenium Twin for test work so, to shrink the system as it came out of a dedicated room and into the lounge, the Gyro was put on top of a wardrobe and left for four years. This lasted until 2017 when I had more room available and recommissioned it. It had a new bearing, bearing oil, lid hinges and motor power lead at this point and was fitted with an SME M2-9 arm and Goldring Legacy cartridge.
Since then, it has been in constant use as both something I listen to for pleasure and a reviewing source. It has followed me into rented accommodation following my divorce and back into my current house. It is far from box fresh. It has marks and wear and the Perspex lid is rather battered. It has been fitted with upwards of thirty different carts and run into around forty five phono stages over the course of testing. The last twelve months has seen it assume the form you see in the pic with the SME arm being replaced by a Vertere SG-1 and- earlier this week, it being fitted with a new Vertere Mystic cartridge. I can say with some confidence that this is the best it has ever sounded.
It’s a bit worn and there’s an element of ‘My Grandfather’s axe’ to it but the core of it has done 25 years and I love it to bits. Here’s to another 25.
