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Used Thorens TD-160 - pricing and what to look for

K

kws87

New Member
Hi AK -

Edit* Assuming both work and are the same price - I have a choice between the TD 160 and a vintage Rega Planar 3 - which is the better turntable??

What would you say is a good price for a clean td160, that looks to be playable, without a cart?

I am going to look at one today or tomorrow and recs for any specific tests/checks would be greatly appreciated. I did find a helpful thread from 2010 but I was hoping to get a list of common issues with this deck.
 
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In the Mk-I nothing was stopping the platter from smashing into the pulley and bending the motor shaft.
Later models had a safety post to mitigate this. I think the most serious concern is whether or not the pulley
appears to rotate without any warbling. If it warbles, the shaft is bent and it's a serious PITA or impossible to fix
without an expensive motor swap. Speed change and rubbing noises from the belt against the guide lever, or
the guide lever against the platter is another common, but easy to fix issue. The suspension is adjustable,
the tonearm is replaceable, everything else pretty much amounts to maintenance and TLC.
 
tnsilver said:
In the Mk-I nothing was stopping the platter from smashing into the pulley and bending the motor shaft.
Later models had a safety post to mitigate this. I think the most serious concern is whether or not the pulley
appears to rotate without any warbling. If it warbles, the shaft is bent and it's a serious PITA or impossible to fix
without an expensive motor swap. Speed change and rubbing noises from the belt against the guide lever, or
the guide lever against the platter is another common, but easy to fix issue. The suspension is adjustable,
the tonearm is replaceable, everything else pretty much amounts to maintenance and TLC.
Click to expand...
That is EXCELLENT info! Thank you.

So, if it's a Mk1, and the pulley has wobble that's a major fix? That would be more than I'd want to get into.
Outside of that, other MkX's, the issues are relatively easy to fix if not a little expensive?
Is $300 a good price if it is in fact in good shape?
 
I got some additional pictures - The deck just says "TD 160" - no "Mk" marking. Does that mean it's a Gen 1? Any other identifying marks I should ask for pictures of?
 
Based on a video I got, the pulley doesn't look to be a problem. I'll be going to check it out tomorrow - fingers crossed.

I plan to take an AT 130 with to test out the deck, if you have other tips for assessing the table let me know!
 
If I looked at it, I'd like to find at least a little oil in the spindle well (You probably will).

It's easy to check. Remove the platter mat. Lift off the outer platter. Slip the belt off. Pull the inner platter straight up and see if the spindle has any oil on it.

At this point you could also run the motor and check for any wobble of the motor pulley, as tnsilver mentioned.

The TD-160 is a pretty basic turntable w/o a lot to go wrong. I had one here that had an outer platter that was scraping and it took an adjustment of the springs to fix that. Nothing major but it did require some thought. There are lots of repair/adjustment threads here on AK (and the internet) for the 160.

Hopefully, you will find that the tonearm has a headshell. If not, they are sometimes available on eBay but can be a bit pricey (approx $75, the last time I checked). If you find a hum, it's often the old RCA cable connectors not making good contact where they connect with the phono input. They weren't of great quality to begin with, and now old, sometimes will need to be replaced.

I can't speak to price as I've not been in the market for awhile. I do know that prices have climbed quite a bit since I bought my Thorens turntables several years ago. IMO, they are fine sounding machines once you work out any kinks. Good luck to you tomorrow.
 
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Also, when you transport a Thorens turntable, it's always a good idea to remove the heavy outer platter first.
 
Thanks again for the great info everyone. The table does come with the Thorens headshell. The dust cove also looks like its in pretty good shape
On a totally aesthetic note - this deck will look great next to my Pioneer SA-1000. The aluminum and wood look very close to the same hue between the two.
 
Assuming both work and are the same price -
If I had the choice between the TD 160 and a vintage (probably early 90s) Rega Planar 3 - which is a better deck? pros / cons of each?
 
kws87 said:
Assuming both work and are the same price -
If I had the choice between the TD 160 and a vintage (probably early 90s) Rega Planar 3 - which is a better deck? pros / cons of each?[

/QUOTE]

Whichever one that is less sensitive to footfall. :idea:
Click to expand...
 
Took me a bit, but I finally saw the deck.

Unfortunately the spindle has wobble, making it spin in a little oval with the platter removed. Needless to say I am bummed, I was hoping to be the owner of a new old Thorens. :(

Thanks to all the advice here. I passed on the knowledge to the seller.
 
My Mark 1 came with the stop pin. Its just an extra long screw replacing one of the motor mount screws. No reason at all you couldn't add either an original part or fake your own with a suitably long screw in the proper thread size with a nut snugged against the deck to hold it.
 
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ranch 22b said:
If I looked at it, I'd like to find at least a little oil in the spindle well (You probably will).

It's easy to check. Remove the platter mat. Lift off the outer platter. Slip the belt off. Pull the inner platter straight up and see if the spindle has any oil on it.

At this point you could also run the motor and check for any wobble of the motor pulley, as tnsilver mentioned.

The TD-160 is a pretty basic turntable w/o a lot to go wrong. I had one here that had an outer platter that was scraping and it took an adjustment of the springs to fix that. Nothing major but it did require some thought. There are lots of repair/adjustment threads here on AK (and the internet) for the 160.
Click to expand...
I agree that "The TD-160 is a pretty basic turntable w/o a lot to go wrong". The strength of the Thorens turntable is the design and quality of their platter spindle which last much longer than other brands. When you pull the inner platter straight up, you should hear a sucking sound as if you are breaking a vacuum. And see if the spindle has clean oil on it.

I used my Thorens TD-160 more than 30 years, with a Grace 707 tonearm and a Dynavector Karat Ruby 17D MC cartridge and am still happy with the sound.
 
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