Spacedeck compared with Gyrodec SE

Kirk,
Glad to see you followed up by posting the question here. Sounds like you've narrowed it down to 2 great TTs.
When I suggested the Spacedeck/Spacearm to you, I didn't go into detail as to what led me to that turntable. These are my own opinions distilled from combo of personal experiences and what I've been able to absorb here & elsewhere from the likes of those commenting here before me.
- No suspension often = better performance in this price range. IMHO, when designing around a budget, designers must make compromises. I prefer to see more of the cost go towards the components that contribute more directly to overall sound. Yes, this means I need to have a solid setup(in my case w/Neuance shelf on a heavy Billy Bags rack), but that appoach makes sense to me.
- Puny motor/no switch, novel approach. Some have said that the "Nott motor isn't the greatest." But, since it doesn't need the to power to get the platter "from 0 to 33 1/3", it makes sense. Ergonomics of the manual start are a kick, too!
- Character of the "Nott sound": Big images wide & deep, emerging from a black background, plenty of PRAT, and a natural timbre. Perhaps not the ultimate in dynamic contrasts, nor the most transparent compared to some other tables, but always musical, never calling attention to itself.
- Good engineering, lousy marketing: the value 1-2 punch ;-)

As I haven't heard a Gyro SE, can't comment on it, although I did enjoy listening to older Michele's that I've heard. Keep us posted. Cheers, Spencer

Thank you to all who have responded. I have been making some inquiring phone calls to dealers that carry both lines and have almost been told unanimously the Nottingham Spacedek seems to be a bit more musical, as well as a bit more performance for the money.

Along with some phone calls, my cartridge and phono amp presumptions have changed as well. I would now be considering the following:

Nottingham Spacedek with Rega RB-700 arm with Shelter 501 cartridge coupled with the EAR834p phono amp.

The above arm combination was recommended over the Space arm as to have better compliance with the Shelter 501, and the next justifiable upgrade step to a Koetsu Black. Does this recommendation seem logical?

I am still considering the Gyro SE, so if anyone does have direct comparisons or advice, please do chime in.

Again, sincere thanks for everyones help and input.

If you are considering the Rega RB700, you might want to take a look at the Michell Tecnoarm as well. The Tecnoarm is a highly modified version of the RB250 (Counterweight, continuous Cardas rewire, additionally damped, bearings fine adjusted). The problem with the new RB700 is that it uses the RB1000 bas, that cannot be used with the standard VTA bases from Michell, Incognito etc. The Origin Live Silver is another alternative you might want to consider.

The Spacearm/Shelter 501 combo works great. That's what I bought based on recommendations of others here. No problem using the Shelter w/the Spacearm. The 501 has .4mv output, sort of on the low side; you might want to double check that the 834 has enough gain to mate well with the 501. The Wright phono stages are another tube phono stage in same price range that many folks have praised highly. Just an idea...Cheers,
Spencer

I have not heard a 17D2, but I understand it is quite the cartridge that digs out a lot of info. The Shelter would be a great choice, and probably more musical than the 17D2. I would say your decision probably depends on the type of system you have, and what your personal tastes are. You mentioned that the Spacedeck may be more musical than the Gyrodec. To me that means the Spacedeck is more foregiving, or to say it does not dig (that word again) as much information out. Wouldn't you want a turntable that digs the max info out. That way you can tailor the rest of the downstream to suite your tastes. A Shelter and an modifed Rega arm is a pretty killer combo (heard it), and very, very good at balancing all the detail and being musical at the same time. Put that on an honest deck like a Gyro, and it would rock. Add an 834P and it would be lush. Modifiy your 834P with good, neutral coupling caps, and your back to the perfect balance. Do the same thing with a Spacedeck, and what do you have? Its like trying to solve an equation or something. Anyway, just think it all through, and think about whether you want your source to have all the info to begin with or not, and what you can do with downstream stuff to get what you want.