Game of Thorens
maxward
Posts: 1,577
Yes, you read that right. Now that the series is ended, I thought I’d post this. 
This TD 160C is the only survivor of my first stereo, bought in 1973 for $144. You can spend more now on an automatic arm lift. It’s been a workhorse. I did several mods to it, some of which, in retrospect, were probably mistakes. In the age of ADC XLMs and Infinity Black Widows, I lightened the tonearm as much as I could. The chassis is damped with mortite. Output cables were replaced with Mark Levinson by a dealer in the ‘80s. Some years ago, the motor developed the dreaded Thorens motor knock, but that was fixed with an ingenious device from Vinyl Nirvana (a great guy). It’s gone through several belts, but surprisingly few cartridges. I retipped my old Sumiko Talisman S a few years ago instead of replacing it. It currently has a Herbie’s mat and record weight. I use a sacrificial record to keep dust off the mat. In 2013, I had a 40th birthday party for it. Guests were allowed to bring one LP each to play one side only, less if the DJ deemed it unplayable/unlistenable. It kept me way too busy and there was some friction, especially between spouses, about the records that were selected. So I’m not planning a 50th.
This TD 160C is the only survivor of my first stereo, bought in 1973 for $144. You can spend more now on an automatic arm lift. It’s been a workhorse. I did several mods to it, some of which, in retrospect, were probably mistakes. In the age of ADC XLMs and Infinity Black Widows, I lightened the tonearm as much as I could. The chassis is damped with mortite. Output cables were replaced with Mark Levinson by a dealer in the ‘80s. Some years ago, the motor developed the dreaded Thorens motor knock, but that was fixed with an ingenious device from Vinyl Nirvana (a great guy). It’s gone through several belts, but surprisingly few cartridges. I retipped my old Sumiko Talisman S a few years ago instead of replacing it. It currently has a Herbie’s mat and record weight. I use a sacrificial record to keep dust off the mat. In 2013, I had a 40th birthday party for it. Guests were allowed to bring one LP each to play one side only, less if the DJ deemed it unplayable/unlistenable. It kept me way too busy and there was some friction, especially between spouses, about the records that were selected. So I’m not planning a 50th.