Spacedeck compared with Gyrodec SE

Bmckenney, I don't think you are making a proper inference when you equate that the musicality of a Spacedeck makes it more forgiving and, thus, less able to "pull out the detail" than a Gyro. In my experience, nothing could be further from the truth. I happen to think that the Gyro is a fine table. However, as Tom mentions, I have listened extensively to the Gyro with several arms and the Spacedeck with about eight different arms. I’ve heard the Shelter 501 and 901 on both. I’ve heard the 17D on both, in addition to a couple of other Dynas. I’ve also heard the Shelters, Dynas, and a Benz on the Spacearm, an Origin Live Illustrious, and a Graham 2.2 – and combinations of arms and cartridges on the Gyro too numerous too mention.

In the end, for my money, the stock Spacedeck (WITH THE ORIGINAL PLATTER, NOT THE NEW THICKER VERSION) is superior in terms of pacing, musicality, detail, and speed consistency to the Gyro. For the Spacedeck, I do not think you can do much better than the Spacearm for less than about $2K.

To the original poster - mate the Spacearm/Spacedeck with a Shelter 501 MkII and enjoy it greatly. Mate it with the 17D and enjoy, but I find the Dynas a bit bright for me. A Spacedeck at retail is a good value, used it is a killer value. That said, you, like others, might also be happy with a Gyro, but it will have a hard time besting the ‘Not – DC motor or not. IMHO, YMMV, and all that.

One thing that PERHAPS the dealer is not considering is the fact that Tom Fletcher designed the Spacearm with two stabilizer bars (which you can see from the bottom of the arm). This design seems to allow for a bit of exception to the normal compliance issues with a medium mass unipivot and, from the experience of many, the 501 mates well with the Spacearm, though I wouldn't stretch things to something like, say, a Denon 103. I cannot comment specifically about the 700 but the Spacearm with 501 sounded better to several of us than an OL Silver with 501, ON THE SPACEDECK, FWIW.

Actually, Nottingham came out with the thick platter as an option resulting from the American market which demanded a "thicker is better platter". Tom Fletcher, himself, will tell you that he prefers the original platter on the Spacedeck and that his customers in Europe and Japan have and continue to eschew the thicker platter.

It is true that the Gyro benefits greatly from set-up tweaking. That said, it is also one reasons (other than sound) that I don't prefer it (I'm lazy) and may not recommend it to someone who is new to tables or does not have a resource to help them with the table in their home.

When comparing the two tables, I was listening in the shop of a long-time acquaintance who has been in the business for many years. As such, I feel fairly confident that both tables were at least close to their ultimate, respective setups. The Gyro was of the DC variety. I fully agree that this feature improves the table markedly.

As far as updating, 'Nots basic premise is "the simpler the better", so there are not many design features to update. If Fletcher's collective inspirations accumulated sufficiently, he'd probably just do a new model as in the case of discontinuation of the Interspace in favor of the Horizon (a super-value table in its own right).

One thing with respect to the DC motor in the 'Not. It is extremely low-torque, you have to give it a nudge with your thumb to start it up (no on-off switch!). While it is DC, it is also very quiet, in my experience, and exceedingly stable with respect to speed consistency. 'Not and others sell separate power/speed control units - some costing thousands. Experience reports on these with the 'Nots are a mixed-bag, with some claiming improvements while others feeling it is a waste of money that can be spent better elsewhere. A friend of mine brought a VPI unit over and we could not tell much, if any, difference using it in conjunction with the Spacedeck. Maybe, as long as you have a steady and clean power source to begin with, these units are not necessary.

I will not go into the vagaries of the US 'Not distributor, though I should. Yes, I meant to say that the Interspece is no longer being sold by ASL, not that it is no longer being produced. As for the thicker platter references, these comments came directly from a conversation I had with Tom Fletcher. As others have said, Tom Fletcher makes the comment in alomst every conversation, to the effect, "don't unduly fret over the details, just sit back and enjoy the music!"

The comparison was based on the same EVERYTHING, expect for swapping one arm and cartridge combination between those two, and three other decks. Comparisons done in the same acoustically treated display room over the course of about 15 hours on two separate weekends, using a variety of jazz, classics, rock, and bluegrass on 33 1/3 records and on 45 rpm media when the deck so allowed.

Bottom line. You are correct. There are some very good choices in the price range you mention - clearly tables that one could be satisifed with for a lifetime.

Do not forget Orotfon Kontrapunkts with the Spacearm - great synergy. There are a number of other cartridges suitable besides Shelters, Dynas, and Van den Hul. Do a search on the AA board and you will see many suggestions.