A nifty turntable that I've been playing with, the Thorens TD-160 "Super" repro from Vinyl Nirvana..

What an interesting experiment. You are blessed to have one of those new Grado cartridges - and as you say, a serious price mismatch.

I would not be able to help myself though and would definitely want to hear that cartridge on a more "upscale" turntable.

 

You'll just have to get another upscale table then

 

Isn't the play doh going to dry eventually?

 

Definitely the total counterweight's mass will become less, as the water in the Play-Doh evaporates. We already thought of that, but thank you for making sure.

I set the tracking force to about the middle of the cartridge's specified range, so as the Play-Doh dries, the tracking force will increase, but still stay within the acceptable range, until we measure and adjust. We will have to move the Rega counterweight backwards, toward the Play-Doh to compensate, and YES, I did provide space between the two to easily do just that.

Eventually, I think we will move the cartridge to another TT/TA, just to further experiment with how "good" a TT/TA this cartridge needs to reveal its best performance. I don't expect that we will have Steve make his full evaluation with only the TD-160 Super/Rega.

Although... I really was surprised how much I like this particular Thorens TD-160 Super and this Rega RB-202. They appear to have been modified to perform better than stock. For example the Rega has the RB-300 tungsten counterweight and counterweight post, plus a REAL tonearm cable -- not the mediocre tonearm cable (with weird ground) that came with a RB-202 or RB-300. And, this Thorens TT is the most beautiful I have ever seen. Obviously, this TT/TA is a very special item, taken to well beyond just "restored".

 

Maybe the Michell counterweight with the heavier weight would do the trick. And yes, the new wire in the arm makes a huge difference, the wire supplied with the Rega arms can't even be used to wire a cheap table, noisy as hell. A single length of uninterrupted Cardas wire properly shielded opens up these lower cost Rega arms.

When you guys are done evaluating the Grado I would be happy to be next in line to try it out

 

Thanks, Warren! Considering the equipment your company offers, Vinyl Nirvana will accept the kind words!

 

Grab another VPI arm wand.

 

Dave is keeping on. I have a music player coming inon Sat!

 

Put some kind of clear sealer on the Play Dough.

 

Very excited to have just ordered this one from Dave! This will be a significant upgrade from the budget tables I’ve been using out of necessity the last bunch of years. Very excited!

Custom Thorens TD-160 Super Reproduction, Midnight Edition (ME), Jelco 750DB arm, Bird's Eye Maple Plinth - AR Turntable Vinyl Nirvana Acoustic Research Merrill Thorens TD 160 For Sale

 

Dave,

This thread has inspired me to seek out a second hand Thorens turntable. Which models would you recommend if buying second hand ? I see plenty of TD 160 MK II but not many TD 160 Supers offered here in Germany.

 

In my opinion, most of the turntables you typically see on my for sale page are good candidates: 160, 150, 125, 145, 166, 147, 146, and the various MKII incarnations of all those. The 165 is also good, but the top plates were inferior to the others mentioned. They scar very easily. Any of these models have a plethora of parts that are available on eBay and other sources. There are also many resources for the do-it-yourselfer, including numerous threads in numerous forms and also an increasing amount of YouTube videos. Best of luck to you, Dave PS the models that start with 14X are auto shut off and that function is dependent upon keeping the stock arm

 

For me the TD150, best of the
Lot. The standard TP13
tonearm is superb.
Don,t bother with damping the subchassis .
Clean out main bearing replenish.
( plenty on EBay)
Tune suspension.
Renew tonearm to cartridge connection tags .
Enjoy.

 

The audio Technica AT95E
Works so well with this arm.
Producing better results than many MC,s

I don,t know why ?

 

Years ago on the late 70,s
Magazines would reccomend the

Rega planer as an upgrade .
I always found this dubious advice.
The early Rega wobbled on piano music
A fact hidden from prospective buyers.
I always found the
Thorens as good as the far more expensive Linn.
The Excellently made Linn
Used the same spring spacing and was actually a copy of the Thorens/AR turntable.

 

I did not. I had a TD-160 (which I enjoyed immensely) and after a couple of years bought a nice used Sondek from a dealer and I was very pleased with the improvement.

 

I've had my VN Thorens TD 160 from Dave at Vinyl Nirvana for about 1 year now. It has been a fantastic table for me. Just as sexy as the day I purchased it. Dave was very helpful with me while I was going through some newbie growing pains. I had posted a picture which has since fallen victim to photobucket so I thought I would revisit and post pictures of the table in it's current state. I still have Ortofon Bronze that Dave provided, may go to the Black when its time to replace it. This particular plinth is the "bloodwood".




Here is it with our host's mastering of CCR sitting on the platter:

 

Really like that setup. I have a 150 zebrawood on order and cannot wait to receive it

Can you tell me where you purchased you tt shelf? I've been looking online but haven't seen many options.

 

Hi guys. I just jumped on board this train.

Transformed Vintage Thorens TD-150 Turntable, Upgraded Rega Arm, Solid African Mahogany, Extras

I'm so excited to go from my U-Turn Orbit to this thing of beauty. I've been itching to upgrade to something long term and I think this is it. Can't wait to get it.

Thank you Dave.

 

That's a beaut!!! I hope mine has that classic thorens lettering on it. Dis you ask Dave for any specific mods?

 

This is the photo. This TT was sold on 3/22/18, so this might be the exact one.

 

This is my TD-160 Super, which I understand was the first "Midnight" edition that VN made.



Being that it is the Midnight edition. I suppose that the 2M black stylus is called for.