Restored Thorens TD 160 Compared to New Production Turntables

Sorry, it makes the Td160 double its' height which turns it into a very heavy and crude looking table imho. So I find it rather ugly.

 

I have a Vinyl Nirvana TD-160 (with a Rega tonearm) and I would say yes, it could easily hold its own against the sorts of turntables you mention. Very detailed and open sound, though, of course, the cartridge has a lot to do with that (an AT VN540ML).

Someone upthread said the speed of their Thorens was dead on - not the case for me. Mine ran a bit fast and wow and flutter was less than ideal until I got a Music Hall Cruise Control speed box. Just thought that was worth mentioning.

Also, as others have mentioned, if you're not on a concrete slab floor, you will very likely need a wall-mounted shelf because of the suspension. IIRC, the VN upgraded suspensions are supposedly even springier and more sensitive than the stock ones - just looking at the thing causes it to bounce.

If you buy from Dave at Vinyl Nirvana, he is very responsive to any questions and willing to help with any possible issues that may come up. You're not left on your own once you get the thing.

 

Might also have something to do with US obesity rates!!!

My 2 Thorens sit on 2 1/2 inch maple slabs on top of budget audio racks which sit on wood floors. When I did start to hear some impact from my subwoofers upon moving some things around last year, I simply inserted 4 of these between my maple slab and top rack shelf and problem solved for $5 for both TTs.

 

In reality the height increase is not too bad, but agreed changes the look and it looks less sleek and more robust (just like the sound is more stable as well) with the integrated platform.

 

I have a VinylNirvana TD160 Super with a Jelco 850S arm and Music Hall speed controller. It's fabulous and definitely competes with more expensive modern turntables. Dave really knows she's doing. Highly recommended!!!!!!!!!!

 

I bought a restored TD-160 Super Reproduction with a Moth (Rega) 202 arm from Dave at Vinyl Nirvana five years ago and love it.

It currently has a Dynavector 20X2 high-output MC cart running through a Graham Slee Reflex M. I also use a Music Hall Cruise Control 2.0, which Dave recommended. It sounds glorious and it remains the one component I've felt no need to replace or upgrade.

I've never experienced any problem with footfalls or other vibrations. That said, I did place four Isoacoustics Orea isolation pucks under it and noticed an improvement in sound quality.

I don't think you'll be anything less than thoroughly pleased with a resto-modded Thorens from Dave

 

Great to hear that some knowledgeable people can tweak the timeless design of Thorens to new, modern heights!
I am not sure , if VinylNirvana also treats the platter. I put a dampening ring around the outside of the platter, as my platter did not have any dampening, which is nowadays often installed on the inside rim of the platter. This is another worthwhile tweak, if you have a bare, metal platter.

 

So you also give weight to the aesthetic factor. I don't. I just care about the function, and for $80, the Auralex provides all the functionality I need.

 

I would be very carefull to add damping to the platter as it can cause extra rumble when not done perfectly and very evenly around the platter.

 

Well, the OP is in America, so he gets America-tailored advice.

 

I rather doubt Dave is a "she".

 

I know, just pointing it out to Eu readers who might think this is a problem with Thorens or all suspended tables, not thinking about housing /building differences between both continents .

 

Not quite, as I said this platform also stabilizes the frame of the Thorens as it takes out a known vibration node in the center of the base frame. Hence it has additional functionality, which is a custom design for the Thorens.
Secondly, it also has dampers on in the 4 feet, which dampens the entire TT, like any conventional platform is supposed to do.

 

On the other hand, I feel for you folks living on concrete floors. Wood is just so much 'warmer' and homelier...

 

Sounds to me you're trying to justify the price tag by giving it superfluous attributes. However, let us not argue - I have not heard the Thorens on your platform, you have not heard it on mine. So arguing is pointless. Let's leave it at that.

 

We just put our wood on top of the concrete, best of both worlds man !

 

You guys are making me thirsty for a TD160!

 

Dave typically ships his tables with a cork mat but otherwise no other platter treatment. Works well in my view.

 

Well, there is a range of flooring styles no matter which continent you're on. When my wife and I were living in Slovakia, a few places we lived in had solid concrete floors and the Thorens probably would have been fine without being wall mounted. In another apartment, however, the floors throughout most of it were wood and slightly raised, and springy to the point where a Thorens would have had no chance in that place without a wall-mounted shelf.

Similarly, when my brother lived in Paris, his first apartment there had very springy/creaky wooden floors. I realize concrete dwellings are a lot more prevalent in Europe than, say, here in California, but I've still encountered some springy wooden floors in Europe.

Meanwhile, the first floor of my mom's home here in the US is all concrete slabs, and would be great for a spring-chassis turntable. But in our current apartment, the suspended floors are so springy that a wall-mounted shelf for a Thorens (hell, any turntable, to be honest) is required. So, I'd say it's a dwelling-dependent situation rather than continent-specific.

The best way to determine this is to jump up on and down on your floor a few times, and if the objects in the room start shaking, you'll likely need a wall-mounted shelf.

 

I agree, older appartments are something else here. In older houses as well,the first floor (bedroom etc) might be on a wood based level. Houses built after 1970/1980 usually have all concrete slabs on all levels.

 

When I bought mine from Dave, the cork-rubber composite mat cost extra, and I stupidly cheaped out and went with the thin felt mat. I hated that felt mat from the get-go, and I eventually upgraded to the cork-rubber one. So, if Dave still offers it as an option, I would strongly encourage people to not go cheap and get the cork-rubber mat.

 

I use a cork-rubber mat on my own. It's an easy diy job if you can find the right material at your local diy store. You can also find sheets of cork-rubber online, it's cheap and you can make tons of mats out of it.

 

The Thorens TD-165 I once owned- the same table as the TD-160, essentially (iirc only the antiskate tech is different)- always ran about 3% fast. No pitch control on those models.

That situation is fixable with one of those outboard DC power supply boxes that have a pitch control option, though. Just plug in and play. Works for any belt-drive table with a DC motor (not for AC motors like the AR TTs). The pitch adjustment range on the ones I know about is both vast and adjustable with good precision.

You definitely want to isolate the 'table, and make sure it's level across the board. Even for wood slat floors, using a very heavy piece of furniture for a base works at least as well as a shelf, as long as it's level (may require shimming.) My recommendation is to find a big old radio or phono console at a thrift store or garage sale, preferably with front-opening doors so you can get some record storage. One of those can stabilize just about any shaky situation.

 

I have a VN150/Moth with a 2m bronze. I got three things that were upgrades at the time: the cork mat, the stainless steel counterweight, and the Bren weight. I use the Bren for thinner (usually older) records. I like the other two upgrades.

 

Another difference between the Td165 (I also have one besides a Td160 and Td125mk2) and the Td160 is in the subplatter. The Td165 uses a lightweight resin subplatter, the 160 uses a cast iron subplatter, same material as the outer platter.