John began his engineering career when he served an apprenticeship with Finchley Autos in the early fifties. Deciding to start his own business, he set up in his garden shed and quickly moved to a small industrial unit in North London. Working as a jobbing engineering company, he soon outgrew the premises so, during the mid ‘60’s, moved to Borehamwood. Although very much an engineering company, John also made scale models and it was during this time that he met Stanley Kubrick and built the space ship ‘Discovery’ for the film 2001 – Space Odyssey, later to become the inspiration for the GyroDec.

John started to make parts for Transcriptors who subsequently re-located to the Michell premises. At the time, Michell was still supplying other local firms as well as working directly with the film studios making models and component parts for films such as Star Wars. When in 1973 Transcriptors re-located to Ireland, Michell took over the manufacturing under licence of the Hydraulic Reference turntable. These products are recognisable by their ‘By J.A. Michell Eng. Ltd’ name badges.

1977 saw the development of the first true Michell Engineering turntable – the Michell Reference Electronic. Offered initially only with a black base and later with a mirrored or marble base, the later models have become extremely rare and sort after. John had another breakthrough in 1977... he invented the record clamp, a technology that has now been adopted by many other turntable manufacturers.

The early 1980’s saw the introduction of the GyroDec – surely one of the most iconic turntable designs of all time. The original GyroDec featured a heavy aluminium platter fitted with a rubber mat and the signature gold platter weights mounted below. Over the next four decades, the GyroDec has continued to be the company’s bestselling and most popular product. Key to this success has been the numerous developments to bring it to the level of performance offered today. These include the now famous inverted oil-pumping bearing; an ingenious design that dramatically reduces the amount of friction and wear resulting in low noise and rumble. Being the modular design that it is, the company is still able to offer all the upgrades to bring an original deck right up to current spec.

In 1989, John began research into quieter power supplies for its turntables. The Gyropower was replaced with the much more advanced Gyropower QC. This was a fully active power supply, using quartz control to lock the output frequency, synthesising two sine waves with precise phase relationship, which were buffered by two power amplifiers before driving the motor coils. The QC was an option for the GyroDec and Gyro SE and became standard for the Orbe (see 1995) when it was introduced.

Following the success of the GyroDec and from demands for a higher performance product from its customers, Michell Engineering launched the flagship Orbe in 1995. Developed as a true high-end performance turntable, the Orbe features significant engineering improvements over the GyroDec. Still the company’s flagship turntable, the Orbe has undergone refinements over the years and now offers a performance way beyond its price bracket.

In 1999, Michell introduced a smaller footprint version the GyroDec. By doing away with the expensive acrylic base and hinged lid, the Gyro SE became smaller and cheaper while remaining sonically identical to the larger GyroDec. Providing an audiophile experience to a wider audience.

In 2002, John Michell was struck by a sudden illness but continued at the helm of the company. Although given the ‘all clear’ later that year, the illness returned with a vengeance, and he was no longer able to take part in the day-to-day running of his beloved company. He handed over the running of the business to his daughters, Julie and Beverley and his son in-law Stephen. With the support of long-serving staff, the company continued to thrive. This allowed John to continue at home with his main passion of design and during this period Michell Engineering introduced the current entry-level TecnoDec turntable, the TecnoArm tonearm, Techno Weight, and the HR Power Supply.

On October 23rd 2003 John passed away, after a huge battle with his illness. His legacy continues as the company is still very much run in the manner to which he would have expected – professional, personable, and still offering products that offer customers staggering performance combined with real value for money.

In 2006, Michell, now under the management of John's capable family, introduced a smaller footprint version the Orbe. By doing away with the expensive acrylic bases and hinged lid, the Orbe SE became smaller and cheaper while remaining sonically identical to the larger Orbe.

Stephen begins researching the possibility of producing a moving coil cartridge. Initially opting to partner with a famous cartridge company, to utilise an existing design. Realising this wouldn’t result in a satisfactory Michell product, Stephen enlists the help of his son in-law Jonathan, who joined the company the previous year. They decide to develop three moving coil cartridges, designed to their exacting specifications, that will appeal to entry-level audiophiles and experienced listeners. Jonathan, an avid audiophile himself, strives to design an ultra-high-end experience at an approachable price.

After five years of research and hard work, Stephen and Jonathan complete the range of Michell's first moving coil cartridges. The Cusis E, Cusis S and Cusis M cartridges bring a true reference listen to the market, at a price point that belies the performance of each cartridge. With glowing reviews, the cartridges are an instant success.

In 2021 Michell began the development of an all-new, all Michell tonearm, to be released in 2023. Watch this space!

2022 ushered in a rebranding and repositioning of the company, focusing on genuine music enthusiasts, looking to improve their entire music system. With a suite of new products scheduled to arrive over the coming few years, Michell begins the development of upgrades to its current turntables, development of new models and renewed focus on high end hi-fi accessories and isolation solutions, utilising new materials, design principles and manufacturing techniques.