As being a reincarnation of the iconic studio turntable of the sixties it has splendid balanced outputs to protect the vulnerable MC phono signal coming from the Ortofon cartridge, custom made for Thorens in modern technology.
The flywheel drive of the sixties original has been replaced by a modern 12 pole direct drive to get rid of the rumble that was typical for the original.
A dream combination with the BHK series, when the Perfect Wave phono stage with balanced inputs is released.
Great looks! Although I doubt it will be able to anyhow max out the capabilities of such a phonostage. Guess it would better fit a modest but nice tube integrated.
It’s a EUR 8.000 turntable. Excl. cartridge. The cartridge is another EUR 2.000.
So how expensive does a turntable need to be, to be worthy a PS Audio phono stage, I am curious.
Perhaps you are right PS Audio is too good for moderate people.
The TD1601 with TAS1600 MC cartridge, which combination costs half that money is a really good turntable and there are other very good options. That option may already be considered high end as it is beyond of what a professional musician would pay for it.
The shape of the TD124DD just has that resemblance with the shape of the BHK / perfect wave enclosures and I do trust that it will play well enough to utilize the benefits of any phono stage.
I went to listen to a variation of Linn LP12, Majik, basic models (albeit high end already as they don’t come for below EUR 4000) with different tuning options, tone arms, cartridges, power supplies and drive motors. By far the biggest differentiator In Sound Quality on an EUR 800 cartridge was the phono stage (with balanced input and balanced connection to the turntable).
I know this sounds more arrogant than intended…8k is for sure enough money spent to fit a 6k or so phonostage. I just think those 8k sit elsewhere in this design than in most top notch sound performance…but that’s just my assumption, I may be wrong.
Perhaps at first site it looks like it. I give you that.
But I have been following this development wherever I could. Gunter KĂĽrten, was the manager of Elac Miracord 90. A nice turntable as well.
The tonearm of this Thorens TD124DD is replica of the original EMT Swiss made tonearm. The cartridge is the latest Ortofon MC technology in a classic “Tondose” jacket with SMT such that the cartridge can easily be swapped with for example the Thorens TAS1600 cartridge, also a custom development derived from sA top of the line Audio Technica, the platter is turned aluminum, the motor is mounted in a rigid cast aluminum base, the same base that was used for the famous studio turntables from the 60’s.
Gunter KĂĽrten has partnered up with the original designers and a team of mechanical experts in Taiwan who improved the technology.
This is not just a cheap trick replica, this is a unit well thought off to address today’s demands with today’s technology.
Perhaps I will settle for the TD1601 which is a truly fine turntable as well.
Ok I can see where you are coming from. You have an impressive and remarkable turntable and set of tonearms.
Must be a lot of fun to set up, play music and maintain. I started my career with a “Maschinenschlosser Lehre” so anything mechanic triggers my senses. They made me hand file perfect flat, perpendicular and round surfaces I surely appreciate accuracy. Hence the fact that I try to read any publication about internals of turntables I can get my hand on.
Thorens does not disappoint in sharing design information. Although for the TD1600/1601 they published more.
The best source of information used to be on the Linn Forum for the Sondek LP12. But in Linn’s infinite wisdom they pulled the plug on that forum. Disappointing many of their customers. Now they need to sell the turntables in any color of the rainbow to try and make up for the lost customers. I bet re-opening that forum will increase the sales better. As you can see everybody keeps coming back to these forums.
