Ah, a topic of great interest.

Hey Merlin,

Congratulations on your new purchase. Compared to some of the others on this thread, I am relatively new to the TT game but have learned a lot in a very short space of time. I am also familiar with the Orbe/SME V set-up as a couple of friends own such a combo. Firstly your new TT set-up including the cartridge is much better than mine which is the Gyro SE TT > Incognito RB300 tonearm (to be upgraded to an SME IV tonearm - second-hand of course ) > Grado Reference Signature/Sonata cartridge into Graham Slee Era Gold V phono stage. In my set-up and from my listening position, I hear no surface noise but in order to hear it, I have to put an ear up against the speakers. Now, I suspect that you don't listen to your TT with your ears that close to the speakers, so surface noise should not be an issue unless you have a set-up related problem or the cartridge has past it's sell-by date.

In terms of the colouration you mentioned, yes, there can be some colouration in the Orbe and Gyro SE's mid-bass output which some owners have come to accept as part of the decks' characteristics. However, this should not be so and I'm sure that colouration was not in John Michell's design brief for these decks. As your deck has just been professionally set-up, you should give the springs some time to settle. After, they have settled, the mid-bass colouration would still be there but to a much lesser extent. This is due to the fact that the black armboard spacers from Michell are not very effective in preventing tonearm resonances affecting the chassis especially when big arms such as the SME IV & V are used. Some Gyro SE/Orbe + SME IV/V owners just accept it as part of the combo's nature but if you upgrade the spacers with something like the Pederson armboard upgrade kit, what you are left with is zero colouration and much better sonics such as, clearer and life-like details together with much tighter, more precise but extended bass and greater musicality. This armboard upgrade kit has become a standard accessory for both Gyro SE and Orbe owners in this part of the world. It would be great if Michell adopted this kit as their standard armboard spacers given it's effectiveness and IMNSHO, some of the criticisms that have been levelled on these decks by some first-time auditioners would be retracted if they heard the decks with the Pederson spacers instead. See more details here:  http://pedersensgyro.hjem.wanadoo.dk/armboard_english.htm   Notice how the Pederson version completely isolates the whole perimeter of the armboard section from the chassis. It works dude and even Gyro SE & Orbe owners using Rega tonearms would gain benefits from such an upgrade and I should know.  

Btw, I agree with Bottleneck's recommendation of the Alison Krauss "New Favourite" LP. Also check-out the follow-up "Forget About It". Both were recorded from DSD masters and sound superb - well to my ears anyway. There's nothing like a bit of blue-grass country music to get those hips swaying  and on that note ............................

Enjoy the music,

Lawrie