Description

For those still on a budget looking for an engineering classic, the Rega RB251 tonearm will offer astonishing performance for its price. An advanced evolution of the famous RB250 that was supplied as standard on the Planar 2 and P2 turntables. Using hand-selected high-quality vertical and horizontal bearings, it is the first in the Rega range to use our die-cast and tube-mounted three-point fixed technique based on the mounting system design of our flagship tonearm, the RB1000.
This system reduces stress on the table and arm, providing greater stability even when the arm is tilted. All of this translates into more music for you, the listener.

What it is: Turntable arm

Manufacturer: Rega

Features: Mechanical arm

New price: 215 euros, year 2010

Specifications

Arm	RB251
country of origin	UK

About the brand

Michell is a British manufacturer of turntables and analog components. Its roots date back to the mid-1960s, when John Michell opened a mechanical and model-making business: among its projects from that period is the spaceship Discovery built for Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey." In 1973, when Transcriptors moved to Ireland, Michell licensed the production of the Hydraulic Reference turntable, and in 1977 developed the first turntable under its own name, the Michell Reference Electronic.
The model that made the brand famous is the GyroDec: the first production model rolled off the line in Borehamwood, north London, in January 1982. The suspended subframe, brass weights around the platter, and the inverted spindle that pumps oil as the platter rotates have become the signature of JA Michell Engineering. John Michell passed away in 2003, and his family continued to run the company.
The current range includes three belt-driven turntables, all with inverted, oil-filled spindles and a separate motor connected to the chassis only by a belt. The TecnoDec is the entry-level, unsuspended model with a 10mm acrylic plinth. The Revolv, also unsuspended, replaces the acrylic with a precision-machined 19mm aluminum chassis and uses a Delrin platter with brass edge weights. The new Gyro is the suspended successor to the GyroDec: a 19mm aircraft-grade aluminum chassis, a double-helix spindle that doubles oil flow, a suspension tuned from 4,5 to 3,5Hz, and electronic speed change.
Alongside the turntables, you'll find the T2, T3, and TecnoArm 2 tonearms, the GyroDec paired with the T3 tonearm, and the Cusis moving coil cartridges: the E with an elliptical stylus and aluminum cantilever, the high-output E/H, the S with a Shibata stylus, and the M with a Microline stylus, both with boron cantilevers. The offering is rounded out by the Apollo phono preamplifier with a Muse power supply for MM and MC cartridges, the HR power supply, and the Orbe Platter Kit, TecnoWeight, and Levis accessories.
When choosing a turntable, it's best to start by considering where you'll place it. On a stable piece of furniture, far from the speakers, the TecnoDec and the Revolv already perform excellently, and the Revolv adds mass and rigidity. If the floor transmits vibrations, or the turntable is in the same room as the speakers at high volume, the Gyro's suspension becomes a real advantage.
The phono input is what matters for the cartridge. The Cusis E/H, with a 2 mV output, connects to a standard MM input; the E, with 0,35 mV, and the S and M require an MC input, like the Apollo's. Those who already own a TecnoDec, a GyroDec, or a Gyro SE can upgrade without changing their turntable: the HR power supply, low-noise and with speed regulation, replaces the standard DC motor power supply; for the platter, there's also the Orbe kit.
In our showroom in Carpi, you can listen to Michell turntables in the listening room, comparing different tonearm and cartridge combinations. The same products can be ordered online at audiocostruzioni.com with shipping; for advice on matching your system, email us.

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