Thorens TD166 MKII

JayPare

JayPare

Active Member
I came across a Thorens TD166 MKII turntable with a missing power cord. Could be able to get it for 200$ but it's 2 hours away from me.

The 16VAC 300mA (not DC) adapter might cost me around 50$.

For 200$, is it worth it over my Sears 28668 (pretty much a Marantz 6100 replica) or my Pioneer PL-15R?
 
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FWIW, I see many 16VAC power supplies on eBay for much less than $50. Is there something special about this one?
 
swechsler said:
FWIW, I see many 16VAC power supplies on eBay for much less than $50. Is there something special about this one?
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Except it's not DC but VAC no. I didn't check on Ebay but yeah I might be able to get something even cheaper there.
 
I personally would do a road trip for the table. But, I could be a little biased since all my tables are Thorens. The missing power cord would be a concern for me. In that I could not check the operation of the motor or TA before purchasing it.
 
ZebraBlvd said:
I personally would do a road trip for the table. But, I could be a little biased since all my tables are Thorens. The missing power cord would be a concern for me. In that I could not check the operation of the motor or TA before purchasing it.
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I think I'm gonna do it. I will try to find an adapter locally and bring it with me. Also, what's "TA"?
 
Yep. Just make sure the TA doesn't have in "wiggle" (another technical term) in it. Good luck on getting the table.
 
Ok small update. I went to Salvation Army and found a 16VAC adapter for 1$. Therefore I decided to pull the trigger and went to pickup the TT. When I arrived there, the TT was not working. I was kinda stressed since the guy said me he had to leave soon so I didn't thought about the belt, but I was sad only to the idea of letting it there so I picked it up anyway. I then stopped to a McDonald's and used my cigarette lighter adapter to plug the TT in my car: no change, no spin. I lifted the platter and guess what, the belt was off. After putting it back it started working right away. :)

The only thing left to check is the "wiggle" in the TA, but I don't know how to do that. Can you enlighten me @ZebraBlvd ? :)

Thanks again guys!
 
Jeremy Pare said:
Ok small update. I went to Salvation Army and found a 16VAC adapter for 1$. Therefore I decided to pull the trigger and went to pickup the TT. When I arrived there, the TT was not working. I was kinda stressed since the guy said me he had to leave soon so I didn't thought about the belt, but I was sad only to the idea of letting it there so I picked it up anyway. I then stopped to a McDonald's and used my cigarette lighter adapter to plug the TT in my car: no change, no spin. I lifted the platter and guess what, the belt was off. After putting it back it started working right away. :)

The only thing left to check is the "wiggle" in the TA, but I don't know how to do that. Can you enlighten me @ZebraBlvd ? :)

Thanks again guys!
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Nice pick up. I have the same one but with a fixed powercord. I'm not sure what the wiggle in tonearm is, but as long as you have the counterweight, and the dangling anti-skating weight, you should be fine. Try playing a record or two. Did it come with a cartridge? And both hinges are intact? (hinges tend to be broken, and they cost $30 a pair on eBay for repro...)
 
slowpat said:
Nice pick up. I have the same one but with a fixed powercord. I'm not sure what the wiggle in tonearm is, but as long as you have the counterweight, and the dangling anti-skating weight, you should be fine. Try playing a record or two. Did it come with a cartridge? And both hinges are intact? (hinges tend to be broken, and they cost $30 a pair on eBay for repro...)
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Apparently hinges are broken but I wonder if they are not only unclipped. I didn't have time to look at it a lot. There is a cartridge but I didn't even look at it to see what it was. :P I will keep you posted.
 
Jeremy Pare said:
Ok small update. I went to Salvation Army and found a 16VAC adapter for 1$. Therefore I decided to pull the trigger and went to pickup the TT. When I arrived there, the TT was not working. I was kinda stressed since the guy said me he had to leave soon so I didn't thought about the belt, but I was sad only to the idea of letting it there so I picked it up anyway. I then stopped to a McDonald's and used my cigarette lighter adapter to plug the TT in my car: no change, no spin. I lifted the platter and guess what, the belt was off. After putting it back it started working right away. :)

The only thing left to check is the "wiggle" in the TA, but I don't know how to do that. Can you enlighten me @ZebraBlvd ? :)

Thanks again guys!
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To expand upon and my wiggle statement. Can you move the TA spindle (where the TA is connected to the table) Up\Down\Left\Right? You can perform this quick test by pinching the top of the TA spindle and GENTLY try to see if it has any play (wiggle) in it. It's not a big deal if it does. It just means that the spindle needs to be tightened. Here is a link that will answer all your questions about Thorens tables, and then some. I call it my Thorens bible. Please keep us informed on your travels with this great table.

http://www.theanalogdept.com/
 
Nice table, Thorens has a better brass drive pulley to replace the delrin supplied, also an upgraded power supply. If the belt is loose, the Thorens belts are better than the cheap offerings on the net.

You got a good deal, these are really nice tables.
 
Grenadeslio said:
Nice table, Thorens has a better brass drive pulley to replace the delrin supplied, also an upgraded power supply. If the belt is loose, the Thorens belts are better than the cheap offerings on the net.

You got a good deal, these are really nice tables.
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Do you know where I can find all these? I checked on the Thorens website but no model number are supplied and you can't buy them from the website.
 
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Jeremy Pare said:
Do you know where I can find all these? I checked on the Thorens website but no model number are supplied and you can't buy them from the website.
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If memory serves the belt was from an authorized vendor on eBay, the belt had Thorens printed on it. The pulley was not a Thorens product, also purchased on eBay. This was about 5yrs ago so......
 
You can also purchase original Thorens belts from qaudio.com. This is the only place I purchase my belts from. I'm sure that there are others, but I have never had a problem with any of their Thorens belts.
 
ZebraBlvd said:
You can also purchase original Thorens belts from qaudio.com. This is the only place I purchase my belts from. I'm sure that there are others, but I have never had a problem with any of their Thorens belts.
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Which consequences could I get from using a cheap belt? Bad speed? Faster deterioration?
 
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