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I know... it just sounds pretty good to my ears as-is, and I'm not willing to go through the PITA of tuning the suspension to be "perfect." As stated, I don't have the right kind of stand to prop it up on, which is the major issue. Also, it's just too tweaky for my nerves to take, given that I could easily make it ten times worse and then have to try getting it back to the way it was again. 'Nuff said on this subject, it's off topic anyway.

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Frankly, I feel this is getting into the realm of placebo. Yeah, maybe you'll hear a minute difference under certain conditions.

I really hate the tweaky nature of Thorens tables with a passion. I'd much prefer a modern table, but am not into vinyl enough to pay for a good one.

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If you are into working with wood why not build yourself a new plinth? its just 4 bits of wood glued together with a few braces inside after all.

The stock plinth is one of the areas where Thorens really skimped on these models ( they weren't that expensive back in the day after all ) so if you are able to make your own then this will improve the sound no end.

The stock plinth on mine was thin marine ply which made a hollow cardboard-boxy sound when tapped. This resonance will come through on your records. What you want is a heavier material which is as accoustically inert as possible, so any hardwood or really thick MDF would be ideal.

It's probably not such a good idea to glue a new bottom on though as you do need to access it from time to time.

checkout http://www.theanalogdept.com/thorens_td_160_dept_.htm for loads of info on TD160 tweakery.

Also http://www.hi-fiworld.co.uk/hfw/olde...renstd150.html for a comprehensive list of upgrades.

Well, fresh from my 'mod my zhaolou' soldering success, I did the grounding mod and also changed the audio cables and took out the underside. The turntable does sound much better now, but I still get this damn high frequency interference. I was told that I could try mumetal to isolate the phono preamp (most likely to pick up the interference), but it's expensive...any other ideas welcome...

Have you considered trying another phono amplifier just to see if it is that or not? There is a cheap phono amplifier on the Home HIFI web site that might be worth risking a few U$ on just to test your signal path. You can always dispose of it on ebay afterwards . It has MM and MC and is a big seller in the US apparently, so it might actually be worth keeping as a back up afterwards.

Yes, I've tried two other preamps, one from an older integrated amp and one from a diy preamp made by some audio fanatic. Same problem!
It's not really clear where the problem originates, if the sound is picked up by the cartridge or the preamp. If anyone has this cartridge (Audio Technica AT-150MLX, got it from audiocubes), did they have this problem?

Is there a cartridge out there that is "famous" for its non sensitivity to EMI/RF? (plus I need a decent sound!) It's just a pain to change carts just to test this...

I was just mentioning this problem to a friend who is a DJ. He says that there could be a fault in the cartridge, in particular with the coil windings. He mentione dsomething about similar process as a cat's whisker . Supposed to be some sort of old time receiver. I'll have to go and look it up what he means...

Interesting, note that this is a moving magnet cart.

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He is describing the internal workings of the cart which is basically a magnet moving inside a coil or vice versa in the case of moving coil carts. This movement within a magnetic field is a result of the stylus bouncing down the groove and is what converts the sound from kinetic to electrical energy.

What I think he is saying is that the cart can act as a radio receiver which is of course true.

I have used AT carts for many years and never experienced this although I have had interference from police freqencies through my Cyrus amp in the past.

You must have a really strong RF field in the vicinity. Have you tried moving the set up to see if that helps? otherwise a change of cart seems to be the only possible course of action if you have eliminated the amps.

...I think I get the noise each time the elevator in my building starts working. So this must be due to A/C current problems. Are the 'fancy' power filters (from China for instance) that you can buy over the web any use in a case like this one? I currently have a PC power surge (with filters supposedly) by Belkin and it's no help at all... Thanks!

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Could be - unless its electrics do not unintenionally act as a transmitter....

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That would depend on what the elevator actually causes - chances are that it's something like massive phase shifts between voltage and current or strong power drains. In such a case, I wouldn't expect simple filters to help - you might rather need something like a power regenerator (or a good online ups with sine-shaped output), if there's no chance to find another outlet which isn't infested or to ameliorate the problem right at its source...

What you could try, though, is asking the house electrician, whether the phase(s) of the outlets in your place is(/are) connected to the power supply of the elevator - and if that's the case, whether there's any chance of supplying your outlets from a different phase.

Greetings from Hannover!

Manfred / lini

Just a quick update on my increasingly desperate situation:

The elevator is apparently not connected to the building's mains, so the interference comes from somewhere else (it does come from the elevator and the mains though!)

I tried a simple "Schaffner" type mains filter, didn't work...

I tried a Belkin PF30 filter "power console", no soap...

I tried a double online ups (new, decent quality I think, with a +/-0.5% ouput margin from 230v/50hz) and still I get this high pitched noise (plus alot of noise from the UPS itself!)...

The only solution for the time being is running the tt on battery mode on the ups and cutting the ups from the mains, and then: perfect silence (I mean great music w/o interference!)

But it's not really convenient, and I have to put the ups in another room because the noise it makes is so loud when it's on battery mode...

So I'm on the market for another tt (although I love my td160), maybe a more "modern" one, such as a rega, with a better (external?) power supply, would not have this maddening problem?

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You could try the Origin Live motor upgrade http://www.turntable-power-supply.com/ which isn't cheap but cheaper than upgrading your deck. You will need to spend quite a bit these days to get anything like the TD160, which don't forget has a very particular sound. A 2nd hand Linn Sondek without the Trampolinn mod would be the only deck I can think of which sound vaguely similar.

If you go for a new deck see if you can get a home audition as this electrical issue you have is pretty uncommon and most modern belt drive decks have a very similar motor to the Thorens.

You need to go to something like a Michell Orbe, Linn LP12 Lingo or some of the high end modern German decks like Clearaudio or Acoustic Solution to get an external power supply. You are looking at 3-5000USD and up.

I agree the TD-160 sound is extremely satisfying and I dread having to change my tt...

Changing the motor: interesting...but I'm not that much of a DIY guy...and apparently you have to drill a hole somewhere, as it's not really 'drop-in'...

after googling a bit, the Pro-ject Speedbox SE also could be an option? Apparently some people use it succesfully with a TD-160 and prefer it to a motor upgrade
(in this thread: http://vinylengine.com/phpBB2/viewto...b81935025e03ef...

(it only supplies 3W, but that would be enough?) However the price is a little steep: about 400€ shipped, I could get an almost new P3 for 300€...

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The Speedbox sounds like an interesting solution. I personally went for the last option on the thread which is the TD125, instead of installing a Linn Valhalla on my TD160. I sometimes wish I hadn't sold the 160 though as it did have a pretty unique sound.

What prompted me to think of the OL in your particular situation though, is that it's removing the AC power from the deck altogether and running it on DC which is closer to what you have acheived with the UPS (basically a car battery in a plastic box).

The Project Speedbox SE has effectively solved my problem (it acts as a small specialized power generator for the tt and has effectively isolated it perfectly from the polluted mains)...

I also like the sound I get much better than when I powered the tt through a battery UPS, it's more lively and open.

A great and easy upgrade (at a cost, of course) and "uncommon problem" solver!

Now to the next upgrade...(actually I think there's not much more I can do for my TD-160)