{"id":2179,"date":"2022-11-08T15:33:47","date_gmt":"2022-11-08T15:33:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wiredwood.co.uk\/wordpress\/?p=2179"},"modified":"2022-11-21T20:26:34","modified_gmt":"2022-11-21T20:26:34","slug":"thorens-td160-turntable-initial-impressions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.wiredwood.co.uk\/wordpress\/thorens-td160-turntable-initial-impressions\/","title":{"rendered":"Thorens TD160 Turntable. Initial Impressions"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

This was a charity shop find. Not cheap at \u00a3250. Could be a bargain? Or could be a money pit?<\/p>\r\n

\"Thorens
Thorens TD 160 Turntable<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n


Let’s give it a good looking over.<\/p>\r\n

We have a Thorens TD 160 B MkII Super. The “Super” variant is designed to be fitted with a 3rd party tone arm and cartridge.<\/p>\r\n

In this case both the tone arm and cartridge are from Audio Dynamics Corporation (ADC).<\/p>\r\n

The tonearm is an ALT-1. The cartridge is\u00a0 a “VLM MKIII Improved”. Both\u00a0 look to be in good condition.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Cosmetic Assessment<\/h1>\r\n

All appears to be present and correct. This is good news, since replacement parts can be elusive and expensive.<\/p>\r\n

The plinth is the black vinyl covered version, so potential for a re-veneer at a later date. <\/span>Some minor damage to the vinyl is evident on exposed edges.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The perspex lid is badly damaged by the cables being left in contact with it in storage.\u00a0 I often see this. It looks like heat damage, but actually it is a reaction with chemicals in the cable insulation. Hopefully I will be able to polish out the worst of this. No other cracks or damage are obvious. One of the hinges has snapped off, but it looks repairable.<\/p>\r\n

The deck is in good cosmetic condition.\u00a0The base plate is clean and un-marked. <\/span>Turntable platter is a little tarnished, but should polish up nicely.\u00a0<\/span>The original thick rubber mat is fitted.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Mechanical Assessment<\/h1>\r\n

Turntable rotates easily and level. The motor runs smooth and silent. After allowing plent of time for the slack old belt to do it’s thing, I checked platter speed with a strobe disc and lamp. Spot on.<\/p>\r\n

The arm moves freely with no clicking or slack. It can be balanced to a “floating” position. The arm lift is smooth and well damped.<\/p>\r\n

The platter doesn’t sit level.\u00a0 <\/span>Suspension looks to be out of adjustment.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Electrical Assessment<\/h1>\r\n

The unit has been PAT Tested by the charity shop, so I was happy to plug it in and see how it worked.<\/p>\r\n

Connecting to an amplifier, the right channel was hum. Wriggling cables removed the hum. When I put a record on the left channel worked ok, but the right was silent. Problems with signal wiring, or maybe the cartridge?<\/p>\r\n

Comming soon<\/h1>\r\n

Nothing too serious there I think. Basically a very nice unit. I think the bigest issue is going to be the perspex cover.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Further articles will cover:<\/p>\r\n