Thorens td 145 mkii with Ortofon VMS 20 EO mkii cartridge

MoCh.ongor

New Member
Hello everyone!

I would like to purchase my first turntable. I have been reading a lot on the topic and I am more inclined to go with a vintage table then a new one.

A local vintage audio shop has a few nice turntables. The owner is highly recommending a Thorens td 145 mkii with Ortofon VMS 20 EO mkii cartridge . It is in good condition, services with 6 month warranty. The price would be around 500$.
He is advertising the cartridge as one of the best.
The shop has some Duals as well in almost mint condition.1019, 1219, 1229 the latest two at half the price of the td 145.
What is you recommendation, which would be the better choice? Any other recommendation?
Sound quality and durability is important. I think the td 145 might have better arm and compatibility with current cartridges, styluses.

Thank you!
 
What arm is on the Thorens? Is it like the one in this borrowed picture?

I have one of these and love it but mounting various carts on it is actually tricky because there's no "slots" to allow lateral movement under the cart mounting piece. You can get a little by force but not much. It just kind of clamps on there. On the other hand, you can buy spare arm wands (the front half of the tonearm), and pre-mount various carts so they're ready-to-go, which I found to be pretty nice. The other thing I did was buy a Schopper arm tube which fits the 145 (screws right on there), and has a different cart mount "head shell" that does allow for adjusting lateral alignment.

All-in-all, I def go for the Thorens over the Duals.




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Schopper
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Schopper
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What arm is on the Thorens? Is it like the one in this borrowed picture?

I have one of these and love it but mounting various carts on it is actually tricky because there's no "slots" to allow lateral movement under the cart mounting piece. You can get a little by force but not much. It just kind of clamps on there. On the other hand, you can buy spare arm wands (the front half of the tonearm), and pre-mount various carts so they're ready-to-go, which I found to be pretty nice. The other thing I did was buy a Schopper arm tube which fits the 145 (screws right on there), and has a different cart mount "head shell" that does allow for adjusting lateral alignment.

All-in-all, I def go for the Thorens over the Duals.




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Schopper
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Schopper
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Hi meggy,

Thank you for your input. I am totally new to the game, not sure what arm is on it, but I have a pic. Do you think it is worth the money?IMG_2027.JPGIMG_2026.JPG
 
No don't get a Rega and hell no, the 145 is not worth the money. $500 for the most troublesome TD of the classic series, with it's puffed up, ridiculously over complex, semi auto shut down circuit that tends to hum and buzz, in addition to that stupid headshell is just pure greed.
I've won a minty Ortofon VMS20E with an almost NIB stylus in an eBay auction just 6 months ago for $40. It's a superb light tracker but doesn't come close to my Stanton 881S. That Thorens package price is way off too high in my opinion.
If they give you a warranty for 6 months, get the Dual 1229 for half the price. It's a giant killer on it's own merit. If you insist on a classic Thorens, I wouldn't recommend the 145 at all.
 
Thank you! Seemed a bit pricey for me as well. I do not insist on any brand or model, I would like a TT with great audio quality without investing more than 400-500$. Maybe later I will upgrade but, I don't want to start with a relatively huge investment without having the necessary knowledge.
 
agree on the dual 1229, its duals totl type table look it up. for a beginner thorens are a fiddly kind of table more for intermediates and up
 
I'd also do a Dual, either the 1019, or the 1200 series is a nice beginning. The 1019 is a sleeper against the 1219,1229, but due to the smaller platter, people tend to shy away from them. I've had both and still have the 1019. I prefer it over the 1229Q I had. Both these tables can be upgraded with both moving magnet and moving coil cartridges if you get the itch to upgrade down the line.

As for cartridges, Ortofon, Shure, Stanton/Pickering, Denon , ADC, all do very well with them.

As for the Duals I have had, I've had a CS-506-1, 701, 1219,1229Q, 2-1019's, and still have 1-1019. I preferred the 1019 as well due to the lack of plastic parts, so it's easier maintenance for me.
 
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