[OT] THORENS TD 160 MkII

[Sean Gibbins]

Tap tap tap tap... is this thing working? ;-)

Hi Folks,

I hope you don't mind the OT post but I figured that things are pretty
quiet and it might stir things up if nothing else!

Basically I am looking at buying a Thorens TD 160 MkII. It's in good
nick and being sold by the original owner (if the description is to
believed), so my questions are as follows:

1. What is the spares market like for these turntables? I am guessing
the belt will need replacing if nothing else.

2. What's a good match cartridge-wise? There is an old Shure on there
and I will probably look at replacing that before I unleash it on my
vinyl. I probably won't have more than �50 to spend there, although I
may be able to stretch to �100.

3. Finally, I currently have a Pro-Ject Debut III with an Ortofon OM10
cartridge. Am I mad contemplating a swap?The deck is satisfactory in
many ways but the fact I have to lift the platter to manually set the
speed really irritates me now that I have amassed something of a singles
collection. That said I don't want to replace one irritation with
another (such as expensive or non-existent spares), so your sage advice
would be much appreciated.

Sean

--
music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel:

www.funkygibbins.me.uk

[Mike]

...Cardiff calling... Cardiff calling... Luckily I was turning the
rheostat on this old thing when I encountered your signal!
Though I never owned one a pal of mine did for many many years and
regrets loosing it now!
IIRC there was a slight issue with the speed change device, but again
IIRC this was always due to a new belt being required.
1) A quick search on ebay turned up many Thorens spares and belts are
more of a simple size issue anyway, so you should be ok there.
2) The tone arm fitted will be your guide there... many of these had
tone arm swaps, often for SME's. Details are lost in the mists of time
in my mind but the pairing of tonearm to cartridge is most important - a
little googling should put you on the right track (Pun intended!)
3) Of the Pro-Ject Debut III I know nothing so will lave that subject to
anyone who does.

What I will add is that if you do purchase the Thorens, do listen to it
as it comes since logic suggests that whoever owned it knew what they
were up to when they purchased it!
Also It may well be worth the purchase of a new stylus (Assuming
availability) rather than a new cart. Something else worth mentioning
(For those not familiar with cartridges) is that all cartridges had
their own "Sound" and so were always something of a personal choice as
much as a specification led decision.
The main drawback I remember with the deck was the "Lift off" cover
(Rather than hinged) which always required somewhere to put it while you
played disks!
Hope that helps

Mike

[Sean Gibbins]

On 09/12/12 14:10, Mike wrote:
> Hope that helps

It certainly does Mike - many thanks!

[John Mayberry]

Sorry for the boredom...

Simon and I are working on the turntable schematic...

[Sean Gibbins]

On 09/12/12 16:40, John Mayberry wrote:
> Sorry for the boredom...
>
> Simon and I are working on the turntable schematic...

A worthy cause to be sure John, since even though the Gale Turntable is
way out of my league, they are gorgeous to look at and it's good to know
that they are out there and being cared for. The Thorens is quite a
looker in a chunky 1970s sort of way, so I might go for it as it will
sit nicely with the chromies...

Also, no need to apologise as it tends to be the way that mailing lists
go, and certainly wasn't having a dig - it's up to all of us to provide
content after all!

Are you making any significant progress with the schematic?

[Sean Gibbins]

On 09/12/12 16:40, John Mayberry wrote:

> Sorry for the boredom...
>
> Simon and I are working on the turntable schematic...

A worthy cause to be sure John, since even though the Gale Turntable is
way out of my league, they are gorgeous to look at and it's good to know
that they are out there and being cared for. The Thorens is quite a

looker in a 1970s sort of way, so I might go for it.

Also, no need to apologise as it tends to be the way that mailing lists

go and certainly wasn't having a dig - it's up to all of us to provide

content after all!

Are you making any significant progress with the schematic?

[Toby (Idiosyncratic)]

I can't remember whether I had the Thorens 150 or 160, it would have been back in the eighties. I was given it by a friend of my fathers who worked for a record company (possibly BMJ), they used to have a clear out every now and then and as I was interested as a teenager it used to all come my way FOC! :-)

I remember the Thorens being nicely made, I also got a pair of Pioneer PL12D's a Yamaha (not sure what model) and an Ariston RD80 with Linn arm which I kept until recently.
I also remember getting a Leak stereo 70 amplifier among other bits, all free! I bet its all work a fair amount nowadays if I'd have kept it! :)

[Jack Ward]

Sean,

I have a TD-160 that gets regular use. I have an Ortofon MC 3 Turbo High Output moving coil cart in it and enjoy it thoroughly. I like the "manual" function of the arm and the personal involvement required to listen to vinyl. The cart mass is a bit too low for proper resonance, but I added a little bit of mass to the headshell to compensate. I like the transient response of moving coil cartridges and this Ortofon also fit my budget. My turntable is a collection of parts from fleabay over a period of time. I didn't have the extra cash to buy a really nice table, so I opted to assemble one. If you need belts, don't buy the low priced bargain belts on ebay. They are incorrect in length and thickness and will have a bearing on proper speed. I think I paid $25 US for a new belt from Vinyl Nirvana. Also, I needed a dust cover for it and you don't want to know what an original costs if you have to have it sent to the states. Occasionally I have seen them available, but not often. I instead opted for a hand made replacement from a fella in Florida. It is clear and not smoked like the original, but it is a beautiful piece. Heck, the pivots pins for the dust cover cost a silly fortune.

The MKII has a different arm than my earlier model. The MKII's tonearm is a two piece design called the Isotrack, with lower effective mass instead of a removable headshell like the TP-16 arm in my MKI. I believe the platter weighs less because it is part metal and part polymer, instead of all metal. There are schools of thought on both types concerning flutter and platter resonance. Look it up. http://www.theanalogdept.com./thorens_td_160_dept_.htm  I really wanted to have the MKI because that's what I owned many years ago and obviously the nostalgia bug has bitten fiercely in this household.

Here are a couple of links that may be helpful in selecting a cartridge for your tonearm.

http://www.vinylengine.com/cartridge_database_tools.php

http://www.theanalogdept.com./thorens_dept_.htm


Having said all this, I am still secretly coveting a TD-125 with its variable speed control, greater size, more massive plinth and larger replaceable armboard................but that will come later.

-

[Sean Gibbins]

On 10/12/12 02:36, Jack Ward wrote:
>
> Having said all this, I am still secretly coveting a TD-125 with its
> variable speed control, greater size, more massive plinth and larger
> replaceable armboard................but that will come later.

Thanks for that Jack!

I have wanted a Thorens for many a year, but have always lacked the cash
to buy one. I saw the one in question going for �100 and thought about
going for it, but Christmas cash-flow put the brakes on that idea in the
end. However, I think I will wait for a really good example to surface
in the New Year now, and also look into the TD-125 as an alternative.