Thorens TD-126 MkII thoughts/advice

Got the vintage TT bug after getting a Dual 1219 restored last month and just jumped on a Thorens on ebay on almost an impulse a couple of hours ago. Grabbed it for $660 which I think (hope!) is a good price. Listed as fully functional from a guy who sells a lot of TT's, so fingers crossed. I'm thinking the Thorens will replace the Dual as a second TT in my system, my primary being a VPI Classic Signature with a Soundsmith Paua. Both tables will run into my Tavish Adagio phono pre, with the VPI on the MC input and the Thorens on the MM. This is my first Thorens, and was leaning towards the 160, but went with the 126 mostly because I have a handful of 78's that I want to be able to play and just can't fit the Dual into my system as a 3rd deck. Here's the Thorens:



I know very little about this table, but did read good things about it and to stay away from the MkIII because of the motor, so any info appreciated. I have some budget left over for upgrading. Where is that best spent, the tonearm? Also, I have no idea what cartridge is on this - didn't even ask, just pulled the trigger. Any MM cartridge ideas for this?

Thanks!

 

The 126 II is a great TT. I'd experiment with different mats with it though. Thorens arms match-up quite well with Grados. But I suspect that other higher compliance cartridges would work great with it too.

I believe that the version with the Thorens arm has an auto-shutoff feature, which one does not often find in TTs of this caliber.

 

Thanks for the cartridge recommendation. According to the manual I downloaded, you can set the arm to lift and the end of the record and the motor to shut down or set it to act as a purely manual table. The Dual has gotten em lazy, so I'll be using the auto shut off.

 

If operating properly, you got a great deal on that turntable! Maybe replace the belt and cartridge; I had an Ortofon on mine and it sounded very good.

I hope I'm wrong, but I can't help but notice from the picture that the variable speed control seems pegged as far "+" as possible. I had a TD-125 and it developed a problem where the motor would not keep speed and I was constantly dialing that wheel to the left until it reached its limit. At that point, I had to take the bottom off the table and adjust an internal pot so that the cycle could start all over again. I eventually traded it rather than get it fixed. If I had it to do over again, I'd get it fixed. Nice table once set up and dialed in.

 

What's the difference between this and the 145MKII? Looks like they have the same tonearm and auto shutoff.

 

In 1976 the 145MKII ($300) was Thorens entry model, the 126MKII ($650) was their flagship. Fantastic turntable, one of the best ever. The arm is very low mass, it was designed for the very high compliant Shure V15 III. On that table I would mount a V15 III or IV with a JICO SAS/R stylus.

 

What are the differences? I believe the arm on the 126MKII is the same one on the 145MKII. I have a Grace F9E on mine.

 

The 126MKII has a heavier plinth, electronic speed control and stroboscope. They have the same same arm, a TP16 MKIV. I never heard the Grace F9E but I know it is an excellent cartridge, and at 25 10^6 compliance is a perfect match for that arm.

 

Ok thanks. Debating with myself as to whether the 126, which is available locally, would be much of a difference/upgrade from the 145, which I like very much.

 

I can't speak to the 145 but my 126 has been wonderful. The only issue I had was with that TP62 tonearm wand which was not the easiest to work with, so I picked up a couple of TP63's. Made my life easier. I also built a custom plinth for it, but that was purely cosmetic. But no plans on getting rid of this table!

 

Well, the 126 is bigger in size and more robust than the 145, and that is not so clearly seen in pictures. The speed control and stroboscope are handy, but both turntables share most of the vital parts: the bearing, the subplatter, the platter, the suspension system and the arm are the same. The 126 is an upgrade on a 145, but I bet it would be quite hard to tell one from the other in a blind test. One thing you must be aware of: the TD 126 MKII is fabulous, the TD 126MKIII is to be avoided, the first batch had speed stability issues and the patch Thorens devised for the second batch did more harm than good.

 

I have a TP63 too. I love the styling of the 126.

Good info. Thanks.

 

Have you ever observed that the speed of your 126 MKII increases slightly as the TT warms-up?

 

Can't speak for Jimi Floyd, but my 126 MKII maintains speed even with hours of play. My 124 can give me a little trouble though!

 

Truly great tables...horrible to service...especially the ones with integrated Thorens arm. At Vinyl Nirvana, we gave up on them 6-7 years ago. Some people swear by the MKIII, but I have never met one that ran correctly. In my opinion, the ones to get are the MKII without the stock tonearm...those at least have a chance of being serviced/restored...though we are so so busy with other models, I won't even take those. If anyone knows someone who works on this model, let me know...I get asked 3-4 times a month.

 

That's my one fear with this table - finding someone to work on it if the electronics ever go bad. I saw on your site that you don't work on these anymore, Dave, so I'm also interested in finding out about someone to keep on file in case i ever need it - fingers crossed.

BTW, the Jelco 850 I got off you for my 124 back in January is absolutely wonderful! Playing it as I type this! Shame they seem to be going out of business.

 

Why does the stock tonearm make it difficult to work on? I know when I was researching the 145MKII that I eventually obtained I was warned about it, but I have had no issues with it. Supposedly difficult to align, but I had no such problems. Getting the arm level took a little effort but that was about the most difficult part of the set up.

 

That's what I have. MKII with an Infinity Black Widow. Great table. Haven't had issues yet, but I'm sure they'll happen. Charm of a 40+-year-0ld turntable!

 

I have the same setup - 126MKii with a Black Widow. What cart are you using? I use an ADC XLM II high compliance. I’ve had it for years now and has been a flawless performer with amazing sound. My kids jump around like crazy, the table bounces but rarely skips - I love it! I had a Dual 1229q and 1019 at on point, and love them for what they are, but this Thorens is in a completely different league in every way.

 

It's a vintage (1980 i think) Ortofon MC20 with an Ortofon MCA76 step-up.

The Audiolab 8000PPA phono preamp can handle MC (and MM), but I think the step-up transformer adds some depth to things. It was designed for it, so I'm not surprised.

 

It's NOT the stock arm, per se. It's how the stock arm is integrated into the auto-shut off and powering on and off. Very sophisticated and a pain to trouble shoot. The 145 MKII is a piece of cake in comparison.

D

 

Turns out the one that I was considering locally is a 126 MKIII. After reading through this thread and others, would seem there would be no reason to consider it any longer.

Am I correct here?

 

If you can spring it, I would instead go for a Vinyl Nirvana table and know that you're buying something that has been thoroughly gone through to last you a very long time.

 

I already have 4 tables, including a very nice 145 MKII that I have 3 arms for. I was only asking about this specific table because it's local(but with an asking price of $1000 which is way overboard AFAIC). And was just confirming that MKIII is the problem child.

 

From what I've read and heard you don't want the MKIII. That was a step backwards for Thorens from the MKII. And a $1,000 is a lot for that table. I paid $660 on ebay a year ago for the MKII pictured above and it was in perfect working condition. I think that was a great deal, but I wouldn't have gone much higher.