MICHELL TECNODEC REVIEW

The Michell TecnoDec turntable is the British brand’s entry-level record player, offering high-end performance at a relatively affordable price point of around £2000, including tonearm and cartridge. Discover the full review of this eye-catching pink edition of the TecnoDec on HiFi PiG.

Before I start this review of the Michell TecnoDec I want to tell you a little story, because this review has a bit of background that I hope you find as interesting and faith-restoring as I did. However, to tell this story, I need to go back to the dim and distant past of 1986 (iirc) when I was a new student at Sunderland Polytechnic (a year later to become Sunderland University) where I’d enrolled on a three-year BSc in Environmental studies. I was in full hippy mode at the time and had flowing locks down to my backside, painted jeans, and an unholy aroma of patchouli oil and weed. However, I was also a fledgling audiophile and had procured a Musical Fidelity The Preamp, a Crimson Electric amp, and a pair of Wharfedale Diamond speakers. My turntable was a Technics SLDL1, which was better than I realised at the time, but I’d been reading about more exotic turntables and I’d set my heart on either a Linn LP 12 or a Michell (IIRC) Gyro. The LP12 was the darling of the then highly influential print media, but it was the futuristic stylings of the Michell that caught my attention. Way back in 1986, students were given grants, not loans, and I was in possession of a full grant, which meant I had a whole load of money for the first time that was burning a hole in my pocket and I’d earmarked for buying a new turntable. As luck would have it, there was a small shop in Sunderland that had a new Michell in stock and so armed with my newfound wealth (I’d eat baked beans for the rest of the term), I hot-footed it down to the shop to demo the turntable and more than likely buy it. I arrived and duly asked the shop guy if I could have a listen, and he said I couldn’t. To be fair, I’d have taken one look at my bedraggled state and told me to get out of the shop toot sweet (sic). Crestfallen and a bit miffed, I left the shop and later that week bought a used LP12 that I never could afford an arm and cartridge for. 

Fast forward to the excellent Bristol HiFi Show, and I find myself interviewing the charming Jonathan Nye from Michell Engineering. We were there to discuss the UK brand’s new two box phonostage (which we hope to review soon) shortly after its launch with their UK distributors PMC distribution  – yes, the same PMC that make the excellent home and studio speakers (we’d also love to review some of them at some point too). Anyway, before the interview started properly, Jonathan and I had a bit of a natter and I retold the story I’ve just told you. We did the interview, and I thought no more about it. 

Hop forward a couple of weeks, and a package arrives at HiFi PiG Towers from Michell, and we naturally assumed it was a review sample of the new phonostage. Excellent, we thought! However, on opening the package, the contents revealed themselves to be a Michell TecnoDec along with a really lovely letter saying how sorry Michell were for the experience I’d encountered decades before, and that the gifted PINK TecnoDec ( I believe it’s the only one in existence ) was their way of apologising to me. I must confess, I was brought to tears by this incredible gesture. 

So, that’s the background to how this review came about, and whilst Michell have never asked me to review the vinyl spinner, I wanted to tell the story above and run the turntable through its paces in one of our systems. Despite the above story, rest assured that the turntable will get the same review procedure as all the other stuff we get in for review and that the fact that it was a very generous gift will not influence the outcome of the review. 

DESIGN AND FEATURES OF THE MICHELL TECNODEC

The TecnoDec is Michell Engineering’s entry-level turntable, though the term “entry-level” might be doing it a bit of a disservice. It’s a clean-looking, compact, and very modern bit of kit with a no-frills aesthetic that, in typical Michell fashion, leans more toward function than flash. This is a stripped-back design with clear roots in the company’s better-known GyroDec, sharing some of the more serious engineering ideas without the visual flourishes of its more expensive sibling.

The turntable has an acrylic skeleton, and rather than using a suspended sub-chassis, it keeps things simple with an unsuspended design. The feet are inset with Sorbothane to reduce structural vibrations coming up from the rack or stand. It’s a subtle inclusion that doesn’t draw attention, but quietly does its job.

You get the familiar Michell platter here, made from a dense, high-mass material that’s chosen for its similar impedance to vinyl. It doesn’t ring when tapped, and its damping properties go a long way toward keeping unwanted vibrations away from the stylus. The design choice here is clearly aimed at neutrality – the idea herein to let the music through without imposing too much of the turntable’s own character.

The motor is a stand-alone unit, machined from a solid billet of aluminium and designed to keep mechanical noise out of the sound picture. There’s no direct contact with the plinth beyond the belt that drives the platter. Again, it’s a classic Michell move – simple, well executed, and done for sonic reasons more than aesthetic ones, though it cannot be denied that the TecnoDec is a very cool design.

Then there’s the main bearing, which is worth a mention on its own. Rather than the more common bottom-up design, the TecnoDec uses an inverted oil-circulating system. This puts the point of rotation at the top of the bearing, which Michell claims allows better and more consistent lubrication. Oil moves up through a machined spiral groove in the bearing sleeve and returns via a small channel in the spindle, theoretically keeping everything nicely bathed while avoiding wear and vibration. It’s a clever piece of engineering tucked away where most users will never see it, but it speaks to the amount of thought that’s gone into this entry-level vinyl spinner.

All in, the TecnoDec feels like a solid bit of mechanical design – no nonsense, minimal to look at, but full of quietly clever engineering designed to get the best out of your records without you having to think about it.

The TecnoDec came fitted with a Goldring E3 cartridge on the end of what looks like a Rega-derived tonearm, though it is called a T2 imp. It arrived all set up, but I checked the alignment and weighting, nonetheless. It also came with a nifty acrylic cover to keep the dust off the player. The price of this package ( including the cover ) is a budget (just) friendly £2000. 

It’s worth noting that I really like this idea of being able to walk into a brick and mortar dealer and walk out with a record player that is pretty much ready to go, and at a price that, whilst not exactly bargain basement, is all the same achievable for many. It’s also the kind of product that definitely has audio-lover credentials, and it will certainly draw comments from those visiting your home – it’s most certainly a talking piece. 

Set up is a doddle: carefully unpack from the superb packaging, follow the well-written instructions and Robert’s your Mother’s Brother. All in it took me a bout ten minutes from opening the box to having it spinning on the rack. Even the cartridge was set up at the correct weight, etc! So basically, you plonk it on a shelf, put the motor in the right place, get the turntable level, plug it into the mains and your MM phonostage, and you have music. About as plug-and-play as they come, and with the ability to get all obsessive about exact levels of levelness, cartridge weight, and alignment to your heart’s content. 

SOUND OF THE MICHELL TECNODEC

Immediately after setting up, I popped on Solid Air by John Martyn – more because it was the last thing I’d been playing on the Technics 1200 G we use as a reference – and I was immediately impressed by the little Michell. There was a tad more surface noise than with the Techy and the Hana Umami Red, but then we’re comparing chalk and cheese. 

My first thought on the TecnoDec was that it was an easy-going and unforced way to listen to my records. That’s not to suggest it was boring, far from it, it was more that nothing seemed to be forced in the presentation from top to bottom. Now, a good deal of that might well be to do with the choice of cartridge that Michell put on the turntable, but I’m sure you could whack something a bit more lean and incisive onto the end of the tonearm and it would reap you suitable/different results. However, for most people, the attached cartridge will be more than acceptable, and most will not feel the need to change it.

Bass went deep and fast, and I could hear into whatever tunes I was playing, particularly tracks using acoustic bass, though when playing techno and house tracks, I had no whines to make. I commented to Lin that the Michell sounded “very nice”, and she came back and asked what cartridge I’d put on it. I responded that it was just the modest Goldring and she’d assumed I’d put something a bit more esoteric on there. I guess that the word I’m searching for with the bass on this is refined. There’s a naturalness to the sound that draws you into the lower registers, but that’s not suggesting the TecnoDec is bass-heavy; it’s not. What I think you’re getting is a very natural-sounding bass, particularly, as I said, when listening to acoustic bass. However, banging the Abrupt Chaos EP by Johnson (highly recommended tech-house) onto the TecnoDec also gave excellent results, with there being really good texture to the bass on all the tracks. 

In the top end, there was no sibilance or harshness to the sound, which adds to the relaxed and chilled vibe I got when sitting in front of this record player. However, there was also a good degree of incisiveness and sparkle to cymbals, suggesting that this isn’t a sound that is rounded off at the top end. 

I listened to a fair bit of vocal music on the TecnoDec and didn’t have any complaints at all. There was a clarity and ‘realness” to properly sung vocals, and they were projected out into the room very nicely. Instruments sounded like instruments, and you could pick up a real feel for the timbre of each instrument in the mix. I also noted that when instruments faded, you got a good sense of their natural reverb, suggesting that the cartridge/arm/deck were able to pull a good amount of detail from an almost silent background. I got the impression that the Michell wasn’t really adding a great deal of its own flavour to the music I was listening to, which is a very good thing. 

Soundstaging was excellent and stable, with good width and scale to it. Now, the different layers in tunes’ mixes were easy to dissect, but what I felt was that it all just sounded ‘right”. I know that’s a bit woolly and whatnot, but this is a very organic and honest-sounding spinner. 

What I don’t want to get to in this review is to say I played this tune and that album, but I did play a fair selection of tunes on the Michell and found that I forgot to listen critically and just enjoyed my tunes – this has to be a sign of a really good product. When we listen to music for enjoyment, most of us won’t sit there and dissect the sound as we reviewers do when we are wearing that particular hat, but what we will recognise immediately is whether something sounds right (or otherwise), and the TecnoDec does sound right. There’s plenty of detail, punch, dynamics, and drive to keep you entertained, and that foot tapping along to the tunes – isn’t that what you want from a bit of HiFi kit? 

QUIBBLES

I’ve been using a Technics for years now, and I do play a lot of records that are 45RPM as well as 33RPM. The Techy changes speed at the touch of a button, but with the TecnoDec you have to move the belt down a notch on the motor. To be fair, this is no real hardship, and it took me a couple of seconds to change speeds back and forth. 

CONCLUSION

Had I been listening to this turntable blind, I would have thought I was listening to a more expensive cart/arm/deck combo, such was the punchiness and detail that I was getting from it. The sound is big, full, and expansive, but also intimate when the tunes call for it. I guess what I’m saying is that the TecnoDec is pretty true to what’s on the records, and this is no mean feat for a full package costing 2 grand. It’s not the last word in fidelity and digging deep into the grooves when compared to our reference, but I reckon that could be fixed by adding a better cartridge, and I think the Michell will take much more expensive cartridges than the one that it comes supplied with. 

I listened to techno and acoustic music on it, and it never skipped a beat. In fact, I sat there towards the end of the time I’d allotted for the review and seriously considered having it set up permanently next to the 1200G – I may still do this if I can work out how to have two turntables plugged into my one input phonostage – or I might just use one of the phonostages I have lying around…

If you want a turntable that looks funky and is a bit of a departure from the usual suspects’ more traditional stylings, then you could do a lot worse than this 2 Grand package from Michell – it ticks a lot of positive boxes and very few negative boxes. 

Engineering-wise, it’s a pretty basic-looking turntable on the face of it, but there is real engineering under the hood, and it looks funky as you like with its perspex (pink in this case) skeleton.

So, I can heartily recommend this turntable, and I’m certain, given my experience of listening to it, that it will hold its own against the competition in this price range. To be brutally honest, I was surprised at the level of fidelity for the relatively modest asking price. I guess the competition would be a Rega P6, Avid Ingenium, or the Technics 1200 Gr2. I have a particular affinity and love for the Techies, but I must confess that this belt-drive did have my eyes wandering. 

Overall, the Michell TecnoDec is an excellent proposition for those looking for their first “proper but affordable” vinyl spinner. Some will be satisfied with it as is, others might want to upgrade the cartridge. Others still will be perfectly happy just leaving it on the rack for years and investing in and enjoying tunes, without ever feeling the need to upgrade. 

I’m giving this package our 5 Hearts award because it just does so much right at a relatively affordable price. 

AT A GLANCE

Build and Features:

Packaging is excellent

Set up is a doddle with great instructions

The tech is simple but the engineering sound

Looks funky and cool

Pretty much a pug and play solution. 

Sound Quality:

Punchy and clean sound

Very quiet in use, with minimal sound coming from the deck itself on quiet passages

Pretty neutral sounding, allowing the tunes to take centre-stage. 

Value For Money:

Two grand is not a drop in the ocean, but nor is it a great deal in the world of real HiFi components

There is good competition at this price-point, and manufacturers know that they have to produce the goods if they are to be successful 

We Loved:

The clever but stripped-back design

Cool looks

Ease of set up

We didn’t Love So Much:

Having to change the speed manually

Lightweight PSU for the motor

Price: £2000

Elevator Pitch Review: The Michell TecnoDec costs two grand with arm and cartridge and comes pretty much ready to go and needing minimal set-up. It looks fab, is easy to set up, and sounds very good for the money. Sonically, it is punchy and dynamic and manages to extract a lot of detail from the grooves. For some, it will be their first turntable, whilst for others it might be a stepping stone from an entry-level deck before committing to higher-end offerings. For others, it will be the only turntable they ever need, and they will see no need to change it…ever. It comes with a fairly basic cartridge, but it’s a good one – if you feel the need to upgrade, the included Rega-based arm will take it. 

SUPPLIED BY MICHELL

Stuart Smith