Hi from the middle of nowhere!

[Mike - H]

Hi everyone, I’m Mike, I’m employed as an ODP in the NHS and I live in the middle of nowhere; on the moors above the Lancashire town of Oldham. My music interests centre mainly around my vinyl collection, which whilst modest in size, goes back 40 years or more.

I came back to vinyl about 18 months ago after ten years of listening to mp3s, luckily the damage wasn’t permanent. My present deck is a Thorens TD 166 which I have owned from new, this has been tweaked a bit and is now fitted with a RB300. In the last couple of weeks I have begun the process of building a new deck based around a Garrard 401.

I have been scouring the internet for hints and tips, which has lead me to this site. I hope in future to not only learn from the other members but also to contribute, cheers for now.


Mike

[prestonchipfryer]

Hello Mike and welcome to the AoS. I'm sure you will enjoy it.

John

[Macca]

Welcome Mike

[Audio Al]

Hello Mike

( I live in the middle of nowhere )

Lucky you

I live in Dagenham a township of South Africa , I think you know why

Enjoy your time here

:)

[DSJR]

Welcom from me :) I live at the end of the road, so feel a different sense of remoteness...

Re the TD166. See if you can find a Td160 cast inner platter with the same diameter spindle. I'm told there were several diameters, but one from the same era should be possible to fit with no issues. Quite a large sonic difference for some reason I found... The Thorens arms can be usefully rewired too. The garrard is a lovely thing to fettle and get running right, but those stil cheap little Thorens decks just keep coming back for more and with modern mat and low playing weight cartridge technology (the latter is essential with these soft belt models), it's possible to get a very good sound with very low surface noise issues too.

[Pete The Cat]

Welcome Mike. Intrigued by your reference to building a new deck based around the 401. Look forward to hearing more in future.

Pete

[Tarzan]

Hello Mike

( I live in the middle of nowhere )

Lucky you

I live in Dagenham a township of South Africa , I think you know why

Enjoy your time here

:)


Dagenham Heathway is beautiful:)

[Mike - H]

Thanks guys! Dave R, I’ve also heard the cast subs ring like bells,and my bearing is in such great shape I’m loathed to change it. I’ve replaced the springs for rubber bushes, put a thick plywood base on it and run a RB300/2m blue combo, all of which sounds very nice.

Pete, I have only just bought the 401, I’m now researching arms and carts plus looking at plinths. Some of the prices are out of my league, like a grand for a slate plinth? I’ve got about £1500 for the arm, cartridge and plinth, so some careful shopping is called for. :scratch:

[29029]

Hey Mike - many moons ago i used to live on Honeywell Lane in Oldham! I bet the place has improved a lot since then :)

[MartinT]

Hi Mike, what a gorgeous place to live. Welcome to AoS.

[Mr Kipling]

Hi Mike,

You could damp the sub-chassis of your Thorens with bitumas dampening panels. This was a common tweak in the '70s for the 160 and Cambrasound the importers eventually produced an upgrade kit that included a custom fit piece for the sub-chassis and I think a piece for the top plate. Run a section around the inner periphery of the inner and outter platter. Might as well do the plinth when you're on. Smear the inner platter lip with petroleum jelly to bond the two sections together. Don't know if this actually makes any difference soundwise. The dampening panels do though. If the armboard is plastic, try replacing it with a section of steel or aluminium plate using spacers on the bolts. If the plinth is black use a silicone sponge for a car dash from Asda. Try a local stonemason for a 45 mm section of slate/granite. I'd try a seperate section for the arm with the two on a sub-section.

Kind Regards,
Stephen