Thorens TD126 Mk3 Electronic / Shure V15

[Gordon Steadman]

Just an average Sunday morning's playing here with three TTs on the go.

The Thorens is the problem. My TT sounds way better as one might expect:eyebrows:

However, I have to fix the thing so does anyone know much about these? The arm lift problem will hopefully be fixed when the new belt arrives from Germany. However the Shure V15 is the LT version and so designed for a Linear Tracking arm. It has a fairly flimsy adapter for standard fitting arms, you can flex the thing with very little pressure. My main surprise is that the Thorens arm wand has the strangest fitting system I have ever seen. You mount the cart to the metal lift and then slide in between two layers of plastic. It just doesn't feel adequate to secure the cart properly.

Can you get different arm wands? All the pics on Google look the same so I assume its just the only one available.

I've tried the V15 in the Pioneer PL112D and it sounds better than in the Thorens:eek: but a cheap Audio Technica sounds better than the V15 in the Thorens. All most peculiar but I suspect all about the solidity of the mounting.

[Firebottle]

I had the same thing with the cart mounting on my Dual 505. It's supposed to be a slide in carriage with contacts on the far end, locked by moving the finger lift.
It was so flimsy and loose that I put a screw in from the top to lock/strengthen it and guess what - the sound stage improved considerably.

Keep on playing, not that anything's going to stop you :eyebrows:

:cool: Alan

[Gordon Steadman]

I had the same thing with the cart mounting on my Dual 505. It's supposed to be a slide in carriage with contacts on the far end, locked by moving the finger lift.
It was so flimsy and loose that I put a screw in from the top to lock/strengthen it and guess what - the sound stage improved considerably.

Keep on playing, not that anything's going to stop you :eyebrows:

:cool: Alan

Playing? I should, of course, have said applying my vast depth of knowledge and immense store of experience to the solving of a customer's technical problems - sort of thing:)

[Mr Kipling]

Opening comment inspired this classic:

-K4cEocL5kI

[DSJR]

The V15 III, IV and especially VMR were an excellent and highly accurate sounding choice for that Thorens tonearm 'wand.' My mastering engineer friend used a VMR on a TD147 Jubilee to great effect and again, got fantastic results from his Decca orchestral LP's, later cuts of which sounded very close indeed to the CD's he'd mastered. My rock stuff played beautifully too (Sony TA5650 and Tangent RS4's and Harbeth HL5's - the Sony committed suicide and took the Harbeth bass drivers with it and the RS4 bass drivers fell apart with old age).

Some cartridges just don't need a super-rigid coupling to the tonearm to work well and all those spacers in the Thorens head probably aren't needed anyway. the screws have a special thread to them, so make sure you use the right ones. As for the TD126 III, I can't remember, but the first two marques at least used a low torque DC motor and lightweight outer platter, speed hunting all over the place, but I think the series III returned to the tried and trusted electronically controlled motor and platter system of the TD125 series, but with properly tolerance main bearing and the deck was rated highly for sonics, although by then its face didn't fit in the Linn scheme of things and the rest is history :( Don't care what beobloke says (sorry Adam :)), I loved my TD125mk1 and shall happily have it back one day if its keeper will sell it back to me :)

[Macca]

Opening comment inspired this classic:

-K4cEocL5kI

Great. Now I have that stuck in my head. Nightmare scenario.

[Gordon Steadman]

The V15 III, IV and especially VMR were an excellent and highly accurate sounding choice for that Thorens tonearm 'wand.' My mastering engineer friend used a VMR on a TD147 Jubilee to great effect and again, got fantastic results from his Decca orchestral LP's, later cuts of which sounded very close indeed to the CD's he'd mastered. My rock stuff played beautifully too (Sony TA5650 and Tangent RS4's and Harbeth HL5's - the Sony committed suicide and took the Harbeth bass drivers with it and the RS4 bass drivers fell apart with old age).

Some cartridges just don't need a super-rigid coupling to the tonearm to work well and all those spacers in the Thorens head probably aren't needed anyway. the screws have a special thread to them, so make sure you use the right ones. As for the TD126 III, I can't remember, but the first two marques at least used a low torque DC motor and lightweight outer platter, speed hunting all over the place, but I think the series III returned to the tried and trusted electronically controlled motor and platter system of the TD125 series, but with properly tolerance main bearing and the deck was rated highly for sonics, although by then its face didn't fit in the Linn scheme of things and the rest is history :( Don't care what beobloke says (sorry Adam :)), I loved my TD125mk1 and shall happily have it back one day if its keeper will sell it back to me :)

Thanks David. Useful. The motor does seem very low torque and it takes quite a while to get up to speed. Once it settles down though, it seems very steady and I certainly can't hear any problems in that direction. The whole thing weighs a ton and the outer platter is certainly not particularly lightweight. I will probably put the V15 back in just take care with the alignment. I was surprised that there was so much sibilance and harshness. I thought maybe the stylus was worn but swapping to the Pioneer proved that not to be correct.

The sound in general is very smooth with good depth and height. Neither I nor old bat ears can hear any rumble or other nasties. It not as precise and solid as I'm used to but thats one quality I like so much about the Technics 205.

[DSJR]

I've just looked up via Hifi Choice and the 126 mk III you have does have a lighter motor and servo system, which was changed back a few years later, when an SME III was factory fitted (not sure if the arm-board was replaceable on this later model though).

The one main comment regarding yours was the rather awful 'TD***mk2) mat fitted. I'd try and look out for a 160 Super mat or NAS Spacemat if you can, or an Achromat perhaps at higher cost.

As for the V15 III and 205, both sounded bright and very shrill in the 80's, which I now feel was the awful systems we were selling back then. My own V15's sound delightful, if a little hard toned sometimes (my beloved ADC's do it for me), but I remember how the VN35HE stylus transformed the V15 III, having air and space missing in the original IMO, together with an almost sweet top end. The Jico SAS stylus changes the sonics again, but away from the classic 'V15' balance (the Ed Saunders is the nearest these days I'm told).

[Gordon Steadman]

New belts arrived from Germany this morning. Totally transformed the thing. The lift now works but the main drive belt was obviously slipping too. It now gets up to speed almost immediately and holds consistently. The whole presentation is now much more solid and realistic.

This is the first time I have heard a Thorens in anger and its really pretty good. I still find mine slightly more convincing but I do mean slightly. I could live with this without any problems at all.

It might not be fashionable and obviously we must have new stuff or the world would end but solid engineering lasts a long time - just need to watch the belts. Another advantage of DD?

[Macca]

Just shows how reliant a belt drive is on having a good quality belt that is up to spec. On the other hand it is a fairly cheap and easy fix compared to repairing a direct drive that's gone wrong.