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Get my turntable fixed or buy a new one?

Here's the situation.  In 1988 when turntables were dissapearing I bought a Thorens TD-320 for $600 that included a signet cartridge.   It has served me well over the years.  It was In Storage for about four years along with the rest of my system.  I recently unpacked everything, hooked it up and found that the turntable wasn't working.  I am faced with this dilemma, I can probably get the Thorens fixed.  Found some guys in the Philly area that work on them.  On the other hand it's almost 30 years old.  Is it worth getting it fixed or should I get a new one.  If you vote for new, give me some ideas as to what brands and models you would recommend of comparable quality.

My current system includes:

Krell KRC-3 pre, Krell KSA 200S amp, Parasound Z-Phono phono pre, Revel Performance F32 speakers and Ayre CD Player
128x128pipebro
bondmanp
1,820 posts
 

FWIW, My TD-166 MkII that I purchased new in 1984 was mothballed from 1990 until ~1998.  All it needed was a good cleaning and a new belt.  I have since had it slightly modded, and I am thrilled with it.  Once, at a Stereophile show, I asked a panel how much I would have to spend to get a new 'table that improved on my Thorens.  Predictably, Mike Fremer suggested something like a VPI Scout, and Art Dudley suggested I keep the Thorens.


I find it hard to believe your belt is okay after all that time in a stationary position.  But if the motor isn't getting power it could either be a simple repair (power cord replacement) or major one (new motor).  But, man, those Thorens 'tables were built like tanks, like Swiss watches.  I would at least get an estimate from a qualified repair facility.  I found one through Thorens.

pipebro's avatar
pipebro OP
32 posts
 
Thanks for your response.  That was very helpful!

pipebro's avatar
pipebro OP
32 posts
 
Here's the strange thing.  When I first unpacked the Thorens it didn't work.  I used some good old radio shack contact cleaner on the power connector and the on/off switch and it started working.  About three weeks later it stopped again and I can't get it going.  That tells me it's something sinple like a short or something since the motor was turning for a period of time.  I'm going to see about having it fixed.
noromance's avatar
noromance
9,862 posts
 
There is a frequency generator circuit board underneath which could be faulty.

gregkohanmim
153 posts
 
Pipebro - You are doing the right thing getting it fixed.  It's a fairly simple unit from am electronics point of view and quick internet search shows that there are plenty of parts available and that more often than not, the power connector or switch is the likely culprit - should be inexpensive to get going and you could probably fix it yourself.  

For example you could test the output of your power supply with a multimeter to verify it's function, then perhaps bypass the connector or the power switch and see if that solved it.  Either way it's probably worth investing some time and money in to get it going.

All of that said, if I were you and had 700 LPs in my collection I'd also consider getting a new table regardless.  Since your collection goes back to the 50's, it might be fun to set up the 320 with a decent mono cart and get a new table for more contemporary recordings.

Perhaps I'm just a hoarder, but that's what I'd probably do :)

Greg

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