New Thorens 900 series reference turntables

I likey.

Mono & Stereo blurb HERE.

 

God that's ugly. It looks like a bad re-plinth. The cork mat looks like crap with the white paint. Look at the speed adjust knob. It looks like its bumping into the plinth. The black arm mounting board looks thrown onto the color scheme. That's actually Thoren's unaltered design? It just can't be. The good thing is it looks like at TD150 or TD160 with the floating design. I wonder what they going to rock you for resuscitating the old design? If it has that heavy aluminum chassis, my guess if $3k. I'll just hunt down a TD150 for that loot! Those hunks of metal will never wear out.

 

Or, a fancy RCM.

jeff

 

Allow me to cleanse my eyes.

 

I'm sure it is pricey all for a motor, rubber band, ...oh, I just need to stop complaining about another overpriced $2k lp spinner. Sorry.

 

http://www.lydogbilde.no/nyheter/trippel-lansering-fra-thorens

The players expected to be on sale from October 2015 prices are estimated at 3,500 Euro ($3,200) for TD 903, 6o00 Euro ($6,587) for 905 and 9000 Euro ($9,888) for the top model 907.

 

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Yikes!!!!!

 

That White Plinth must go, it needs to be wood a la TD 150, TD 160, TD 165 original models. Come to think of it, it's nice otherwise. Looks like I will be going TD 165 and restoring one.

 

The prices are getting crazy on this stuff.

And I'm not a stick in the mud with a $200 turntable.

 

It's made to match those white IKEA record shelves.

 

Quite expensive indeed.

 

Not inexpensive indeed. But makes Vinyl Nirvana prices for restored classics bargain buys.

 

From the article:

The launch comprises three new models: TD 903, TD 905 and TD 907, all of which share the three-spring sub-chassis design that is so highly regarded among vinyl lovers. The new models are a deliberate reminiscence of legendary models such as the TD 150 and TD 160, top-selling turntables in their day. "However, we put an enormous effort into modernising the design," says Heinz Rohrer, CEO and owner of THORENS®.
"The demand for a sub-chassis turntables was huge, we couldn’t ignore it. We made a point of taking our time, though, as we wanted to to create a new reference range in the process."
The THORENS® engineers painstakingly fine-tuned each of the three sub-chassis designs. Carefully applied weights allow the three springs to be distributed evenly, with the same tension for each spring, thus ensuring true pistonic movement of the sub-chassis. This efficiently isolates the turntable from footfall and other sources of vibrations.

The designs are user-friendly, too: in order to adjust the spring tension, one needn’t access the springs from inside the plinth as with older turntables or many other products. The new THORENS® models can be adjusted from above – even while a record is spinning.

The turntables feature further design elements to increase sound quality. The high-quality, high-rigidity plinth, for example, is damped with a composite top plate made from alternating layers of aluminium and polyethylene. The same composite is used for the base plate and, in double thickness, for the sub-chassis itself. The motor assembly is decoupled by means of vibration dampers and a support bracket made from POM thermoplastic.

I love the Vinyl Nirvana TTs, but this sounds like quite a different beast than a restored Thorens.

 

How I hated adjusting the springs on my TD-125. Of course, you don't have to do it all the time. I don't understand "carefully applied weights." The old Thorens guys designed the entire chassis to allow for even weight distribution. If you want to know what a well made turntable feels like, lift up that chassis. It's THICK plate of metal. I sorta miss my Thorens. I dunn, it got to the point where I think the springs had sprung and I couldn't get it leveled right. God, setting up those springs. What a nightmare. From the top, now that's a blessing. Of course, the anal types will now be adjusting his springs before every record for the best sound..... The way it used to be was if you finally got those bastards balanced, you didn't want to touch them again for years. And it still bounced like hell when I walked across the floor. I did do the rubber grommet mod (to try and get around the bouncing) where you take the springs out of the equation, but it sucked all the life out of the table. Lost that "airiness," whatever causes that. Less upper midrange? Minute amounts of reverb from shimmying on springs? Or less feedback from the rest of the table cancelling out the highs. It works.

 

A friend of mine just bought a Thorens td 160 in perfect condition for € 300,00. These prices are insane.

 

If the middle one is around the level of a top TD160 Super, that's still £4250 in the UK (it will be more than that of course in reality).
A brand new Linn Sondek LP12 with arm and cartridge is £2700.

http://www.audiot.co.uk/products/linn-majik-lp12-turntable-2081.aspx

Hmmm.

 

Adjustment from the top is cool.

 

It very much reminded me of the VPI cyclone record cleaner, ugly for sure.

 

Actually, that's a pretty good deal for a mint TD160. At least, around here.

And that is "not" a good deal IMHO.

jeff

 

Yeah, but that Linn doesn't have a Linn arm or cartridge on it...not sure if it's a fair comparison...unless you think the Project arm is as good as the Thorens.

 

If price is no concern, there are some really beautiful to look at Thorens restorations out there. I know a dealer that restores Thorens 124s to sell to his VERY high end price-is-no-object customers. These tables are, in comparison to modern high-end tables, very economical even when put into a nice looking plinth. The dealer simply likes the sound of the Thorens combined with the top end modern Ortofon arm.

I have no idea how they sound, but, the Artisan Fidelity restored Thorens 124s look REALLY nice. Check this out:

http://www.artisanfidelity.com/Thorens-TD124-.html

 

Chill people. In terms of aesthetics it looks a LOT like an old Thorens. Get over the white finish, if you managed to click on the link you would have seen other finishes. It's amazing how quickly some people conclude something is overpriced without actually seeing or hearing it. I find it's best to reserve judgement until you know, not until you think.

 

True, but come on man, it is hard not to be skeptical looking at these. Finish aside (it was really the last thing I was looking at-I was much more interested in the review and engineering in the tables), the glass platter in the $4k and $6.5K U.S. models just screams cheap to me, and looks cheap as well. I agree you would need to listen with stuff like a VPI Classic at $3K or even if you're paying the distributor penalty in North America, something like the Gyrodec with a slightly tricked up Jelco 750D on it that would also come in around $3K. I have a hard time believing those "cheaper" Thorens models would be able to hang even in that company let alone with something like a modernized 124 like yours or Larry I has referred to. Or many other $5k-$10K tables.

But hey, I'm willing to admit I could be wrong. For all intents and purposes though, this looks to me a lot like the resurrection of Dual a few years ago with prices to cash in on the name and so-called analog revival. And you don't hear much about those Dual tables now.

 

Obviously better than standard for Thorens arms. Obvious high-end work on damping and vibration control. Judging from the connector, separate power supplies, away from the turntable. The option of balanced connections to the cartridge. Feel Better?

 

Glad to see more traditional looking options for the plinth. That look more to me like Thorens. But I don't find the white ugly either. It has grown on me.