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Thorens TD 125 vs. new cheap TT?

I got hold of an old TD 125 with a (probably equally old) Shure v15 mkII cart. It works, but even my newbie knowledge level can tell that it needs serious servicing. Is this a good turntable worth hanging onto? My budget is very limited, so a new tt would have to be in the $300 range.

If I should hang onto the Thorens, could anyone recommend a good, inexpensive phono preamp and cartridge to go with it?

Thanks for any ideas.
nacnud
satch
329 posts
 
No prob. Could you tell if it works out? I have a Thorens 125 as well, with a SME 3009 arm attached, but the bearings on the SME are loose, so I'm thinking about replacing it with a Rega RB300 or something similar. I'm just not sure if that's a good combination, so any knowledge would be appreciated.....
am_dial
35 posts
 
Hi, I have a TD-125/II. About a year ago, I installed an Origin Live 250 in place of the stock Thorens arm. In my system, and to my ears (and some friends' ears), the difference was minimal (I also recorded various LP tracks with each setup onto CD-R and heard little to no difference listening to these discs). If you google the 125, you'll find that many people consider the TP-16 tonearm its weak point, while others consider the TP-16 underrated. I am, to my surprise, in the latter camp. I think the OL-250 is a far superior arm than the TP-16, but perhaps not in this particular application.

Joshua
stereoperson
10 posts
 
Hi. About Thorens TD125. Some claim they are rumble free and
have good arms. I found the arm to be well made, but it didn't seem to track all cartridges well. Maybe its tracking adjustments were at fault. Also, at low levels, I swore I
could hear some rumble, not noticeable when music was higher
in levels. And, I found the I could hear wow on sustained
musical passages, on organ music in particular. But, it is
a classic and better than most tables of its vintage. CEM
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