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A
Killer Performance? Michell Orca Line Stage Issue 5 - Febuary 2000 |
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The Michell Orca is a totally new design which effectively replaces the old Argo and Argo HR. These have done sterling service for around nine years now, and although they were (and are) still fine beasts, they are beginning to feel a little long in the tooth. Like all of Michell's newly revised electronics line-up, the Orca is intended to deliver 'high-end' performance at a reasonable price. The Orca in keeping with Michell design philosophy is distinctly 'different'. From the front, the Orca forms a squashed pyramid with the 'points' rounded off. The fascia is in chunky gloss black acrylic with a massive volume control in the centre of smaller source and input selectors. The controls, which have hubcap like silver inserts, feel much more solid and slick in operation than the somewhat home-crafted feel of the Argo. |
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The casing is in bright silver yacht grade stainless steel, and the whole unit looks and feels several light years away from the old units in terms of design and build quality. Gone is that (however unfair) 'will it break down today' feel I always had when using the Argo, to be replaced with a refreshing peace of mind. |
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Round the back, the Orca has a full complement of solidly mounted, chunky gold plated phono sockets with two outputs allowing for bi-amping (natch!). And hidden away inside is a seriously butch motorised volume pot - a response to all those Argo users who appreciated the sound of the old dual concentric Sfernice, but hated its horribly imprecise channel matching. |
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| Also totally new is the power supply In place of the old substantial toroid in a shoe box Hera, is a sculpted case, at about half its size, again looking stylish in acrylic and stainless steel. The design focuses on filtering and hf noise reduction and should prove a big improvement over the Hera although if you must, the Orca can be purchased with a simple off-the-shelf plug-top transformer for approximately £400 less. This would enable you to upgrade to the beefier dedicated supply at a later date. This 'entry' option wasn't reviewed, the supplied unit being used with the full dedicated power supply from scratch. | ||||||||
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Although I used the Orca with my ISO/ HERA, Michell have also developed a complete new family of Delphini phono stages. These are upgradeable from a basic stereo version comparably priced to the ISO, via an external supply option, through to the full-monty of a 4 box dual mono / dual supply beast. More of this in a later edition. Having conducted a 'first impressions' review at the time I covered the new Alecto power amp (Issue 3), I've now been able to evaluate the Orca for an extended period using it as my regular line stage over the past couple of months. Hooked up via Audioplan cables to my Stereo Alecto's, Gyro Dec! ISO, Ruark Paladins and a variety of CD players, it's fitted seamlessly into the system. A measure of its quality is that I'm pushed to ascribe any particular character to the Orca; it's simply got on with the job reliably transparently and enjoyably. Compared with the Argo and Argo HR it has less grain whilst enhancing most of those pretty fine performers attributes, particularly in the areas of openness speed and transparency. My 'between reviews' line stage is a humble Meridian 501 which, whilst it's fine value for money and performs (still) at somewhat above its price band, is clearly no match for the much more expensive Michell. Compared with the Meridian you would expect the Orca to offer a significant improvement in performance. The Orca however removes not just veils, but great heavy velvet curtains from the soundstage. More open, but much more detailed and faster, it helps give much more insight into each musical performance without compromising the rather magical mid-band of the Alecto's a jot. |
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On the CD of Copland's Appalachian Spring (Everest EVC 900:3), the orchestra (LSO/ Susskind) is much more there' than with the Meridian, the layering of the string section, the lightly dancing woodwinds and solid underpinning brass are more real with no sense of smear or grain. Just clear, natural music beautifully conveyed. Punchier stuff like Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds splendid 'Red Right Hand' from Best of (CDMUTEL4), places Cave centre stage, a couple of feet in front of the speakers with a suitably cavernous (no pun intended) space behind him. Drum thwacks punch out seemingly several feet behind the rear wall, and the whole thing just reeks of its 'spaghetti western from hell' atmosphere. In short, the emotion and not just the musical notes was coming through untrammelled. My old favourite Blue Nile track 'Over The Hillside' from Hats (Linn LKHCD2) came across equally well, with the plaintive vocals particularly well caught, along with the steely percussion, and somewhat processed but still effective acoustic. |
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On radio broadcasts from my (admittedly) cheapo Denon tuner, the Orca also helped me get the best results. Voices were reproduced naturally without undue chestiness or sibilance, and music whether Radio 3 or Andy Kershaw on Radio 1, came across with enough conviction for me to realise just what a bargain the TU 260 really is. |
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The Orca, whilst it brought the best from both CD and tuner, even cassette tape, really shone with LP playback. Given Michell's heritage, I guess this should be no surprise, but even through my relatively modest and slightly long in the tooth Michell ISO/ HERA, the Orca just loved LP's. Staging gained in height, width and depth and the performers became markedly more three-dimensional. Both information retrieval and speed were further enhanced over what was already an excellent performance. These qualities showed themselves over album after album and whatever I played from Dvorak quintets, hard-bop jazz, raucous R&B c/o Etta James, The Watersons, Mahler symphonies, god help me, even to the Bonzo Dog Band! |
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From the moment that the stylus set down in the groove of 'Over The Hillside' the extra weight, presence and authority was palpable. Of course, despite the outstanding advances in CD replay over the last few years, I am still regularly surprised by what vinyl can achieve. But this was special! The 3-dimensionality of the sound shifted the whole system up a gear. The bass could now be felt rather than just heard and stage width, height and depth had all improved. The sound was also markedly less processed' sounding, and the last few drops of emotion were wrung from Buchanan's vocals. Jazz, the music I probably listen to most, was the next obvious choice. Coleman Hawkin's Alive At The Village Gate (Verve/Classic Records V6-8509) is a fine, musical and sonic performance. The Orca managed to give the opening track All The Things You Are' even more conviction than I'm used to. It gave it the sort of warmth that I'm constantly reminded of when I attend a live gig. A warmth that until you adjust seems 'wrong'; until you kick yourself and realise that this is the quality of real live sound. A warmth, coupled with no loss of other detail across the sound spectrum and with dynamic swings that kick in as and when with natural ease. Throughout the album, the Orca helped sustain the Village Gate moves to small listening room inn Winchester' feeling. Right down to Major Holley's bizarre bass n' singing work on 'Joshua Fit The Battle Of Jericho', to the breathy tonics of Hawkin's tenor sax, and to the entirely natural audience applause at the close. Fine, fine stuff with the Orca doing precisely what it should and getting out of the way of the music! On gentler material like the Julian Bream and Cremona Quartet, Boccherini guitar quintet (RCA SB 6772), the fluidity and expression of Bream's playing, the flow of the quartets strings and the attack as Bream strums out the louder sections are entirely natural. Another case of the Orca quietly getting on with the job. And the quality has held up regardless of what I've thrown at it. The Orca won't paper over the cracks on less good recordings, but it will help bring the best from them. A case inn point is Albert King's Thursday Night In San Francisco (Stax 032) an out-standing live gig which unfortunately suffers from a slightly bright and one dimensional recording, at least in my re-mastered, re-pressed copy. The Orca doesn't disguise the recordings failings but the searing power of his playing is allowed to rise above it with sufficient clarity and musical conviction that the negatives are easily forgotten and the old 'air guitar' is rapidly brought into play. |
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As if to complement the distinctive style of the Orca, you get the world's sexiest volume-only remote. A small (7cm-diameter) black aluminium disk that fits neatly into the palm of your hand. It's as much sculptural as functional and is so tactile that I often find myself just enjoying holding it whether I plan to alter the volume or not. And even more sadly sometimes when the system's not even switched on! Unlike the slab like OEM devices from most other manufacturer, I've actually enjoyed using this remote. Stranger still, despite it being less than half the size of my other remotes, I've not lost this one once. I suppose this says something about perceived value! |
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Having now had the privilege of using the Orca regularly for over two months I am confident that Michell have developed a worthy successor to the Argo. It's performed unflappably whatever the source and whatever I've thrown at it, and it looks great too. But have Michell also achieved their goal of 'affordable high-end'? Let's put it this way: I have to find £1,600 and fast. This baby isn't going back! |
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| TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Orca
Line Stage Power
Supply Unit Prices
Manufacturer.
J A Michell Engineering Ltd. Back to Last Page | Top | Forward to Next Page | Technical Review index
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