Thorens TD-166mk II

[Pairustwo]

Title meant to be: Thorens TD-166mk II vs. Rega Planar 2.

I'm looking to upgrade my turntable. I've got a couple of options at the price that's roughly equal to the credit I have at a local shop.
A rebuilt from the ground up (unclear about the details re:tonearm and cart) Thorens TD-166mk II or a new Rega Planar 2.
Two very different looks but I'm wondering about playback and build quality. I mean does that glass platter bring anything to the table that the Thorens doesn't?

 

[ZebraBlvd]

Someone should be around soon to give you some good info to your question. I'm to biased to give you any deciding feedback. I could only give comment on the Rhorens tables. Which are all around me as I write. But I would not kick a good Rega out of bed for eating crackers. They have their own great sound and qualities. Their just not for me and my ears.

 

[Grenadeslio]

Go with the Thorens if those are your only two choices.

 

[jbjsr]

I've owned both. If the Thorens is in nice / rebuilt condition w/ good motor & bearing then in my opinion I would go with it.

 

[tnsilver]

...A rebuilt from the ground up...

That always sounds impressive with the clientele. The truth is these TD-16X turntables are so simple that what it usually means is some wire up re-organizing/resoldering, stock RCA plugs/cable swapping plus suspension tuning, lubrication and some general cleanup. This is typically enough to get an old TD-16X up to snuff. Phase shift + snubber capacitors swap out and TA rewire might be included as the next stage of maintenance and there's the standard RCA panel install-on-deck, plinth replacements, 'audiophile' feet and damping mods - none of which are actually necessary. None of it is really technically challenging - in fact, most of it is being reported done here by Thorens owners all the time - some of which without previous experience at all. It's easy, mostly fun for the enthusiast and just a casual routine for seasoned techs. Now that we got this out of the way - these are, relatively to their rudimentary design - formidable turntables from the old world that were remarkably executed with amazing sound quality. By all means - accept the former recommendations. My vote for the Thorens too.

I am not a Rega fan. They had never caught my attention with any of their designs. The plannars strike me as cheap to produce eye candies and I belive they do not stand out way different than the Pro-Ject entry level turntables. As far as glass for platter goes - that one always baffled me. For some reason I distinctly remember having read (maybe TNT Audio or Elliot Rod's notes on ESP) that glass is one of the worst materials on earth in terms of damping, meaning it transfers resonances at nearly the same amplitude it receives. I'm sure this property can be exploited in mechanical engineering - I just can't see how it fits in this case. This may be either me totally failing to grasp the concept and purpose of glass for platter or it may be some other reason that evades me. It's been done long before Rega by some other prestigious manufacturers (so there may or may not be practicality in it) and I hope Rega didn't just do it because others had done so too, or because they think it's some kind of a marketing gimmick.

 

[Pairustwo]

Thanks for the decisive responses everyone!
Thorens it is.