[adhoc]

It's equipped with a Grace 707 arm, Stanton 681EEE cartridge & stylus and an acrylic armboard.

What do I look out for? This will be my first turntable and I want it to be a good experience.

Anyone?

 

[Ori]

Quote:

Originally Posted by adhoc /img/forum/go_quote.gif It's equipped with a Grace 707 arm, Stanton 681EEE cartridge & stylus and an acrylic armboard

Well, someone has a good new year resolution... your very first vinyl... hmmm...

The TD-160 is a simple turntable. The main issue I have with it is the lack of an auto-lift or auto-shutoff at the end of a record. This might get to you, coming from digital...

I'm also not sure how good that Stanton cartridge is and how well it mates with the Grace tonearm. It's a good idea to have a test record to assess this aspect, if you can borrow one locally.

 

[ssportclay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by adhoc /img/forum/go_quote.gif It's equipped with a Grace 707 arm, Stanton 681EEE cartridge & stylus and an acrylic armboard. What do I look out for? This will be my first turntable and I want it to be a good experience. Anyone?

Look for a Thorens that runs quiet and you should see no runout in the spindle and pulley with the platter removed.The biggest weakness of the Thorens is the stock tonearm and wiring and this has been fixed for you.If you buy it,get a new belt from Turntable Basics,get a new stylus from KABUSA,(D-11S which is a line contact Stereohedron @ $59.95) or a new stylus from JICO.You also want to fill the spidle bearing hole with Castrol Syntech or Mobil 1.Remove any over the top spillage with paper towels.Clean any surfaces that touch the belt with denatured alcohol and try not to get any hand oil on your new belt.

 

[ssportclay]

BTW, the Stanton 681EEE is as good as any cartridge made today under about $150.Replace the stylus with a good line contact type and you are good to go.

 

[adhoc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ssportclay /img/forum/go_quote.gif Look for a Thorens that runs quiet and you should see no runout in the spindle and pulley with the platter removed.The biggest weakness of the Thorens is the stock tonearm and wiring and this has been fixed for you.If you buy it,get a new belt from Turntable Basics,get a new stylus from KABUSA,(D-11S which is a line contact Stereohedron @ $59.95) or a new stylus from JICO.You also want to fill the spidle bearing hole with Castrol Syntech or Mobil 1.Remove any over the top spillage with paper towels.Clean any surfaces that touch the belt with denatured alcohol and try not to get any hand oil on your new belt.

Runout?

Sorry total newbie here.

 

[n_maher]

I have to admit, I'm a little biased to this table.

From everything that I've read it's a pretty stellar entry into vinyl that can scale well with arm and cart upgrades.

 

[ssportclay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by adhoc /img/forum/go_quote.gif Runout? Sorry total newbie here.

Things should not look like they wobble as they spin.

 

[adhoc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ssportclay /img/forum/go_quote.gif Things should not look like they wobble as they spin.

Thanks. Much appreciated my friend.

 

[memepool]

Quote:

Originally Posted by adhoc /img/forum/go_quote.gif It's equipped with a Grace 707 arm, Stanton 681EEE cartridge & stylus and an acrylic armboard. What do I look out for? This will be my first turntable and I want it to be a good experience. Anyone?

The Grace was an arm commonly fitted to the Linn Sondek in the 70's. It's a good quality arm of Japanese manufacture, certainly better than most of the stock Thorens ones.

The Stanton cart is also a very good top of the range moving magnet, and you can still get a new stylus from needledoctor for about 75USD.

The fact that the armboard is acrylic means someone has lavished some care and attention on this deck recently as this was never a stock item.

As far as making sure the deck runs right is concerned the most important thing to check is the main bearing. Ask the vendor to show you a "spin test". This is acheived by removing the outer platter (where the record sits) and drive belt and spinning the inner platter. It should spin silently for several minutes. Put your ear up close and listen carefully. This is the Thorens quality you are paying for.

Also gently move the arm around and make sure that the bearings are tight and that there is no rattle. Very very gently slightly twist the headshell and armtube to assess this.

Take along some of your favourite records for a listen. A TD160 in good order like the one you describe will give pretty much any new deck upto 1500 USD a run for it's money. They are that good.

 

[peter braun]

The TD-160 is indeed a good entry point into vinyl. As mentioned above the weak point is typically the stock Thorens arm, but that has been addressed in the unit you are considering. I currently use a TD-160B Mk. II with a Rega RB250 arm. The piece is really well made and very quiet. I would only replace it with a Linn Sondek but those are significantly more expensive. Good luck.

 

[adhoc]

Just an update...

I ended up with a LP12 (with Grace 707)!

 

[memepool]

Quote:

Originally Posted by adhoc /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just an update... I ended up with a LP12 (with Grace 707)!

Lovely. It's an early model from the mid 70's by the looks of it in original condition. Linn have made many updates over the years but personally I would leave it as is as they are becomming a rarity in this condition. Also many prefer the sound of the early version. Make sure you set up the supsension properly and sit back and enjoy what many consider one of the best ways to listen to records ever created.
The next thing to search for would be an old Naim amplifier with a suitable phono stage for whatever cartridge you decide on. These cost a lot even 2nd hand but are a wonderful match for the classic Linn sound. A Cyrus One or Two amp from the 80's would be a cheaper but equally classic match and you can pick these up from around 50UKP on ebay.

 

[adhoc]

Dead on, memepool.

You're right - it is a 70s era LP12. 100% stock equipped. #14515. And I would imagine exceedingly rare in the condition I picked it up in.

Any recommendations for the proper care and feeding of my LP12?

 

[memepool]

Quote:

Originally Posted by adhoc /img/forum/go_quote.gif Any recommendations for the proper care and feeding of my LP12?

Did you get it from a dealer or audigon? I don't have an LP12 myself (more of a Thorens fan) but there are a few other head-fiers who are running one so I'm sure someone will have some advice.

There is loads of info on the net about the suspension which is a fiddly thing to level correctly so many get a dealer to set it up for them as far as I know.

 

[Audiofiler]

Make sure you remove the platter and let the TT idle to speed and make sure the TT is silent