Turntable
above typical
Among the 40 turntables in the catalogue, this one is above typical.
A band places a component against its peers and carries no price. It is deliberately the only price indicator on this page: a second one, measured against a different set, would narrow the two together far enough to give the figure away.
Michell flagship.
Assessed against 6 rivals across the sixty systems: it takes the slot in none of its 44 head-to-heads.
The dimension the engine names as the weakest link, counted across every head-to-head it lost.
17 lost · Anchored, Artisan, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Characterful, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Silent Path
Against the Anchored brief, the Vertere DG-X Sabre Lite Pack keeps the slot decisively.
With the Vertere Groove Runner X, the pairing gives up most on mechanical hush.
On its own merits the Michell Orbe (full) is the weaker record deck for that brief.
dead-silent (flagship: better)PROXY: Michell TecnoDec (Analog Planet)
17 lost · Anchored, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Silent Path, Vocals-First
Against the Vocals-First brief, the Technics SL-1200G keeps the slot by a whisker.
On its own merits the Michell Orbe (full) is the weaker record deck for that brief.
It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the record deck position.
dead-silent (flagship: better)PROXY: Michell TecnoDec (Analog Planet)
7 lost · Anchored, Artisan, Cavity-Native, PRaT, Reference, Silent Path
Against the Silent Path brief, the Michell Gyro 2025 keeps the slot by a whisker.
On its own merits the Michell Orbe (full) is the weaker record deck for that brief.
1 lost · Vocals-First
Against the Vocals-First brief, the AVID Volvere SP (no arm) keeps the slot by a whisker.
On its own merits the Michell Orbe (full) is the weaker record deck for that brief.
It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the record deck position.
1 lost · Silent Path
Against the Silent Path brief, the Origin Live Sovereign Mk5 (no arm) keeps the slot by a whisker.
With the Origin Live Encounter Mk5, the pairing gives up most on mechanical hush.
On its own merits the Michell Orbe (full) is the stronger record deck — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Origin Live Encounter Mk5 gives up mechanical hush under the Silent Path weighting.
dead-silent (flagship: better)PROXY: Michell TecnoDec (Analog Planet)
1 lost · Vocals-First
Against the Vocals-First brief, the Technics SL-1500CS (with cart) keeps the slot by a whisker.
On its own merits the Michell Orbe (full) is the weaker record deck for that brief.
It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the record deck position.
more expansive soundstage, stronger and more solid bass Michell Orbe + VintageSonics LP12 comparison· Spatial resolution
Orbe more straightforward, LP12 had the funk VintageSonics LP12 review (cross-comparison)
dead-silent (flagship: better) PROXY: Michell TecnoDec (Analog Planet)· Mechanical noise floor
fast, precise PROXY: Michell TecnoDec· Timing precision
suspended isolation PROXY: Michell house· Acoustic isolation
| drive type | belt |
|---|---|
| speeds rpm | 33.33/45 |
| platter material | heavy vinyl-damped alloy |
| suspension type | sprung 3-pillar reference |
| weight kg | 22.0 |
| psu type | external HR |
| notes |