[luidge]

Hi, my mom give me her old TD166. It look pretty messed up at first, but i take some more time to look at it and it seem like what i was thinking was shaky parts were in facts build to mve around like this, to lessen vibration i think. So i can't try it since i don't have an amp or receiver with a phono preamp built in. But what would be the first thing you would do if you find an old TT like this one? I know for sure that i will try to recable her since the cable look fairly cheap but other than that what do you think will i need to do to make her work as new again?

Luidge

 

[DrBenway]

Quote:

Originally Posted by luidge /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi, my mom give me her old TD166. It look pretty messed up at first, but i take some more time to look at it and it seem like what i was thinking was shaky parts were in facts build to mve around like this, to lessen vibration i think. So i can't try it since i don't have an amp or receiver with a phono preamp built in. But what would be the first thing you would do if you find an old TT like this one? I know for sure that i will try to recable her since the cable look fairly cheap but other than that what do you think will i need to do to make her work as new again? Luidge

You'll want to take a good look at the cartridge. You might want to re-mount it (Have someone knowledgeable do this for you if necessary. A properly mounted and aligned cart is essential for good sound from a turntable.) There are various third-party alignment tools that can help with this task, but, as I said, it would be better to get help from someone experienced.

Also, consider replacing the stylus if you don't know how much wear it has been through. A worn or damaged stylus will chew up your vinyl. Some replacement stylii are absurdly expensive, particularly for high end cartridges (and some high end carts don't have user replaceable stylii at all), so you may want to consider replacing the cartridge altogether. J&R still lists a ton of cartridges, at a wide range of price points starting well under $100.

Good luck! Thorens makes great tables!

 

[luidge]

Thank you i will look at J&R and at Todd to for sure. If i change the whole arm, would i need to buy a new cartridge too or is the arm normaly come with a cartridge. I have read that the Linn arm make a good replacement. Ill see the maximum information i can digg before upgrading my table. If you got any more info guys, i am open to suggestions.

Luidge

 

[fran]

No, don't buy anything just yet. What you need to do is clean down the table fully. Then you need to get yourself some kind of phono preamp - see if you can borrow an old receiver or amp from someone you know. You need to spend some time on the www learning up about set up of an old table. Basically you need to be able to adjust:

1. Cartridge alignment ie how the cart is aligned in the headshell
2. Downforce ie how much weight is pushing the stylus down by adjusting weight at back of the tonearm
3. Antiskate - the little weight that hangs off a string at the back side of the tonearm
4. Make sure that the belt is OK and that the bearing is properly lubricated - undoubtedly you will need to change the oil before you play this table.

So spend a bit of time searching on the web for setting up a TT (there are dedicated sites for thorens). Make sure its working AOK before you spend much money. Then, when you are sure that its all working AOK, you have stable speed etc, then go and buy a new cartridge and phono stage.

The 166 is quite a nice table, certainly a good performer when set up properly so you have a good base here to start from.

Fran