Probably so. But there's 50 plus years of motor technology to consider and hindsight is always 20:20.
Considering when the TD124 series was built, the longevity and popularity it has enjoyed, and the few modifications Thorens implemented during it's run, I would say most everything lined up right to create a successful turntable at an affordable price.
Then came belt drives, etc. and the rest is history.
My plinth is also open and yes, there is motor vibration, but all motors vibrate. I never scoped and measured mine, but I didn't think what I heard was terrible, more of a low hum. More important I think in an idler drive system is how the idler transmits vibrations to the platter. The sheer weight of the platter, the precision of the main platter bushings and the innovative small belt coupling the motor to the stepped pulley was in my opinion a very clever solution to taming what I think is the main source of vibration in a rim drive or direct drive turntable. While the motor certainly transmits vibrations to the chassis, the weight of the chassis does a pretty good job of dampening. In addition, any remaining vibrations in the chassis are further dampened by the heavy platter.
The remaining vibrations, at least as far as I could hear with a stethoscope had their most deleterious effect on the armboard where it could transmit vibration to the tonearm. So tonearm isolation and armboard material becomes something to consider as well while trying to optimize the TD124 platform.
As we know, we don't live in a perfect world and engineering is the art of compromise. So many design philosophies out there, direct drive, belt drive , sub platters, spring, foam and air suspensions....it gets crazy and out of hand. I think Thorens vision of delivering a quality product at a reasonable price was well thought out and the TD124 blew away the competition for years. To my knowledge, no manufacturer has since duplicated the combination belt/idler/rim drive.
I like your 57 Chevy analogy. In fact, I would consider the TD124 a "muscle car" rather than a precision car like a Porsche. But even by today's standards and prices, I think a $2500 TD124 does a more than an admirable job of competing with anything modern at that price point.
I passed on a lightly used, fairly recent $2500 VPI Classic with all the bells and whistles because the motor running the external belt drive was outside rather than underneath the platter. Not only that, but I saw one potential problem with the unipivot arm...hit a bump or skip in the record and it takes time for the unipivot arm to re-center itself on the point. That was a huge detraction in my opinion.
Yeah...If there's anything to complain about with the Thorens it's the motor. While many aftermarket products have been produced to address some of the issues, a drop in replacement motor is something I haven't seen.
It's a helluva table. I'm impressed and satisfied and think it's the last table I'll ever own. But I've said that before!
Good conversation!
