donlombardo Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 I got a Thorens 318 last month and am enjoying it a lot. Does anyone else have a Thorens? Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southern Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 I don't, but I'm intrigued by the new "entry-level" turntable they're coming out with soon: http://www.cnet.com/news/a-brilliant-new-turntable-from-a-100-plus-year-old-company/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tardcore Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 I don't, but I'm intrigued by the new "entry-level" turntable they're coming out with soon: http://www.cnet.com/news/a-brilliant-new-turntable-from-a-100-plus-year-old-company/ seems a bit steep for entry level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allenh Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 seems a bit steep for entry level. Yes it does but then all of Thorens current product range seems very expensive for what you get to me. So far everything I've seen since the TD166 has rather underwhelmed me because of either a lack of quality or a lack of value for money or both which is disappointing because Thorens has made some superb competitively priced turntables in the past. That said I'd like a closer look at the arm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donlombardo Posted April 27, 2015 Author Share Posted April 27, 2015 So far everything I've seen since the TD166 has rather underwhelmed me because of either a lack of quality or a lack of value for money or both which is disappointing because Thorens has made some superb competitively priced turntables in the past. Tell me more about this... The 300-series (316-320) came after the 166 one. How does the 300 series compare to the previous ones? What is it's disadvantages? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allenh Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Up until the 166 Thorens turntables were well engineered and well made from quality materials but after that things went downhill with what were effectively plastic copies of the 160/166 or just generally cheap plastic tables. To be fair a lot of companies stopped making turntables all together during this very dark period and Thorens had to do something to drop costs to stay in business but what they ended up doing was trading on a very good reputation and selling it out with an inferior product Were not talking Crosley cheap Chinese plastic but the late 80's, 90's and possibly some early 2000's Thorens were just nowhere near as good as the 60's, 70's and early 80's products and with similar if not higher prices. They now make some very nice turntables again but the prices do seem very high for what you get for the money and you can buy some very similar if not better products for less money. There is also Lenco to consider who were a contemporary of Thorens, a very fine makes of turntables from the past who has had their named sadly degraded by using the Lenco name and logo on Chinese made turntables of the AT120 variety, there's nothing wrong with them as a table and they are quite nice entry level bits of kit but they are not Lenco's by any stretch of the imagination, at least Thorens go down that road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donlombardo Posted April 27, 2015 Author Share Posted April 27, 2015 That doesn't sound like my table at all, and they began making them in 85... it's heavy and not plastic at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allenh Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 I am being general but in general the product line in the late 80's and early 90's just wasn't as good as the earlier output. They still made nice tables during that time but the general market push was for a lower grade product because people just didn't want to pay for products like the earlier ones. The rise of the CD has a lot to answer for in that time period as far as turntable manufactures goes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donlombardo Posted April 28, 2015 Author Share Posted April 28, 2015 Aaaah, I getcha. I've got the original TP21 arm on my. I read a lot of people using some arm called SME or something? Is it an arm specifically good for Thorens or is it an arm fitting any player? Is it good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allenh Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 SME arms were the daddy in the 60's and 70's and a good one now will cost a pretty penny, the one they are talking about will be a 3009 which is 9 inch but there was also a 3012 in the same series and a current 309 would cost you about $1900. Google SME tonearm and loads will pop up but the 3000 series is a legend of an arm and very popular on 60's and 70's superdecks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundfanz Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 I just acquired a Thorens TD 125 MK I with a nice SME 3012 tonearm. Couple of pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allenh Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 there you go a proper Thorens with the right SME a 12" one. Very nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donlombardo Posted May 4, 2015 Author Share Posted May 4, 2015 give me. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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