Thorens, TD-125 MKII

The TP16 tonearm was an upgrade from the MK1 to the MK2. I have a TP16 on my TD160 and it’s just OK, nothing to rave about but it’s functional. Mission tonearms as well as the SME tonearms were popular upgrades. The vintage Thorens tables are a project. If that’s your friends aim, to improve on an old Thorens, then have fun and in the end, it’ll be worth it. Otherwise, how about a Rega? Rega’s aren’t built like a VPI but they sound very good given there price point.

I have a Thorens TD 124 with SME III and Ortofon 30H I bought as a visual icon, a handsome combination. I was surprised that it sounds so good playing expensive vinyl, but it gets no more than yearly play when a vinyl-head cousin comes for Xmas. I used a Parasound JC 3 phono stage and now an Ayre P-5xe. It’s Roon for me.

dbphd, how did you tame the motor noise coming from the TD124?

The evolution of the Thorens was to eventually compete with the Linn Sondek hence the TD160 Super. Two reasons why I believe Thorens fell short;

1) Thorens made it more difficult to replace the tonearm since there TD124.

2) The TP16 tonearms didn't rise to the same standard as the Linn tonearms.

goofy foot, on the few occasions I’ve used the TD 124 I’ve been unaware of any motor noise. It’s quiet and the strobe stays fixed. I bought it from a fellow at a Santa Barbara audio shop who restores turntables as a hobby. The price, IIRC, was under $500, which I never understood -- and he set it up for me. Add the handsomely intricate SME III arm and the offer was irresistible. I’ve admired the TD 124 since I first saw one, but being a student, they were well beyond my financial reach. This was a period when I built my own speaker cabinets and amp kits, a decade before the Marantz 18, AR3a speakers, and AR turntable of my post-doc years.

dbphd, dealers and owners that I’ve talked to have made claims of noise and advised me to stay away from buying a TD124. The motors for the TD124 and for the Garrard 301 are similar in that they are big, in order to meet the work load. The frustration seemed to be that the motor noise was impossible to tame so I’d see extremely heavy slate plinths’, etc…But technology changes and it could be that the tech who restored your Thorens knew of a way to keep it quiet. My guess is that if you ever decide to sell it, that you’ll ask for more than $500.00.