Thorens TD124

[Ammonite Audio]

Here's my Thorens TD124, running the Jelco SA-750D and ESCo retipped AT33PTG. The acrylic platter mat is a stop-gap until I fit the alloy top-platter and Thorens mat that have just arrived from Germany.

http://i56.tinypic.com/15ho5qo.jpg

and here's the AT33PTG, which is sounding very nice indeed. Perhaps less zingy with its ESCo Paratrace tip than with the original micro-ridge, but that's a benefit in my book!

http://i56.tinypic.com/25pln2q.jpg

[Marco]

Nice one, Hugo - looks fantastic (and the Jelco makes an nice aesthetic match) :wow:

As I've told you before, I love the TD-124, and it's the deck I would've used myself had I not embarked on my (rather extensive) journey with the Techie.

I'm not a massive fan of modern turntables (finding most of them somewhat poor value for money in terms of engineering quality), and for me as vintage T/Ts go, the Thorens just makes most sense as a 'sorted' design, having wonderful bass depth and texture, a beautifully expressive midrange and an open and detailed, but never over-insistent top-end.

It's a wonderfully musical turntable, that when put in a suitable plinth and partnered with the right arm and cartridge, ticks all the boxes for me, trumping the Garrard 301 and 401 in terms of neutrality, and in many ways is also preferable to an SP10.

Enjoy, and don't ever sell it! :cool:

Marco.

[tannoy man]

Hi Hugo i see your not using Rubber Mushrooms is the Thorens bolted down? the German Mushrooms on Ebay are very good and add air to the top end.

[DSJR]

The TD124 is one I could have owned on two occasions but didn't take the plunge (1994 - TD124 with base board and 12" SME for £125........). Good old deck that..

Now Hugo, that SXL Decca may have some wonderful music on it, but accurate it aint, as most of not all of them had substantial added eq at the cutting stage, as the half-speed cutters they used back then couldn't take a "flat" signal as the producer intended. Why people spend huge amounts of money for these is beyond me, except for the thicker vinyl they were made from ;)

[Ammonite Audio]

The TD124 is one I could have owned on two occasions but didn't take the plunge (1994 - TD124 with base board and 12" SME for £125........). Good old deck that..

Now Hugo, that SXL Decca may have some wonderful music on it, but accurate it aint, as most of not all of them had substantial added eq at the cutting stage, as the half-speed cutters they used back then couldn't take a "flat" signal as the producer intended. Why people spend huge amounts of money for these is beyond me, except for the thicker vinyl they were made from ;)

That SXL Decca does have a fantastically accomplished musical performance on it. That's enough for me. I should also add that it's a Speakers Corner reissue, so subject to a completely different cutting technology than the originals.

[Ammonite Audio]

Hi Hugo i see your not using Rubber Mushrooms is the Thorens bolted down? the German Mushrooms on Ebay are very good and add air to the top end.

The plinth is a solid (apparently Martin Bastin) design, to which the TD124 is firmly bolted, so it does without the mushrooms. Although redundant, I will get some reproduction adjuster wheels to complete the look of the thing. Also, I will get the plinth tidied up and sprayed black, since the ply is not really good enough to be left naked.

[Barry]

Umm! Looks good, and I'm sure sounds good Hugo!

It's a moot point whether you support the deck on the rubber 'mushrooms' allowing the deck to be levelled, or to bolt it firmly to the plinth, isolated from the room using the combined mass of the two to absorb any vibrations that may pass through the arm.

I love the Thorens 124, not only for its looks but for its performance, I have three of the Series II models; though I wouldn't turn my nose up at a Garrard 301/401.

Regards

[JazzBones]

Thats a beaut 124 you've got there Shuggie. I believe, if required, you can get or easily make an arm board to accommodate a 12" arm with nil hassle? Now I wonder what a Jelco 750L would sound like :)?

By the way sorry about my 'Sometimezer moment' the other day with the Shuggie arm collar, too many things coming at me in one go :doh:

Ron :)

[Ammonite Audio]

Umm! Looks good, and I'm sure sounds good Hugo!

It's a moot point whether you support the deck on the rubber 'mushrooms' allowing the deck to be levelled, or to bolt it firmly to the plinth, isolated from the room using the combined mass of the two to absorb any vibrations that may pass through the arm.

I love the Thorens 124, not only for its looks but for its performance, I have three of the Series II models; though I wouldn't turn my nose up at a Garrard 301/401.

Regards

Thanks Barry! The plinth, although a bit scruffy, is fairly massy, rather well designed and would cost quite a lot to reproduce. As I understand things, the mushrooms are needed on a lightweight plinth, but with a heavy one like this, direct coupling is best. I may be wrong, of course! If I get a set of adjuster wheels, then it will be easy to experiment with the mushrooms, though.


Thats a beaut 124 you've got there Shuggie. I believe, if required, you can get or easily make an arm board to accommodate a 12" arm with nil hassle? Now I wonder what a Jelco 750L would sound like ?

Thanks Ron! The 750L would be too massy for my suite of cartridges, so is pretty much out of the question. I do have a new tonearm coming shortly which should sing like a bird on the TD124, but in the meantime a new Brazilian Cherry armboard has been ordered, so that I can fit the Ittok LVII to the deck. Much as I like the SA-750D, it is truly left for dead by the Audio Origami fettled Ittok and I'm so looking forward to having it back in the system.

I have been listening to the TD124 with the acrylic platter mat shown in the picture above; and with the original Thorens alloy top platter and hard rubber mat. It was an original spec TD124 that drove me to buy one for myself, so it's with more than a little surprise that I find the acrylic platter mat to sound better, notably more 'open' and certainly more dynamic. I shall however reserve judgement until I've fitted some new rubber platter support discs, which are on order.

The drivetrain of my TD124 is a bit noisier than I would like (but not obtrusively), so I'm going to try Schopper's idler wheel noise reduction kit:

http://www.schopper.ch/uploads/images/Thorens/Kits%20und%20Belts/TD_1306_a.JPG

I'm also going to have a pop at refurbishing the motor, which has probably not been looked at in over 40 years and is probably a bit gummed up. A kit to do this has been ordered from an eBay seller in the States - this looks like a simple enough job.

[DSJR]

Bloody Td124's - shouldn't be allowed..........................................: ner:

[SPS]

very nice deck,

my first one was bought about 15 years ago... then i sold it after buying a delphi mk2, i regretted that about two weeks after it went...

i was a few years before i found another.. then another.. then another
i parted with one.. then another was bought before christmas, nice to have a spare..or 2
the alloy top platters dont always run true, finding good ones is quite something.. to me its more important than the odd mark

sound wise or not i love the ease the clutch gives in use they can take a little fettling / oiling etc but then seem to run for ever..

i think they are very nice decks.. and i have quite a few to choose from

best of luck with it
steve