The Analog Dept.

-edible zone-

-- This is a large photo gallery of Thorens turntables in use from around the world. Indexed by model number, starting with the TD124 in 1957 and going forward until 1999 with the Ambiance.

Notes: Some images are linked to a separate page with more photos and text. Others, that say "click" indicate a link to the full size image on this page.

--TD124, TD124 mkII and TD121- belt-idler drive.

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Above: Tonni's Thorens TD124 (Denmark)

Peter F's Thorens TD124 mkII (Australia)

(click) Tony Devitt's Thorens TD124 (NZ) Kuzma Reference 313 VTA tonearm

Dan Donovan's Thorens TD124 (USA)

Wayne Steven's "Thorens Rhapsody" (USA)

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---Above: Elpa catalog page shows optional cabinetry.

Stein Leikanger's Beogram 3000 (Norway)

(click) Tom Bagshaw's TD124 (USA)

---(hint: right click open link in new tab, perhaps)---

(click) - site author's Thorens TD124 (USA)

Beatlebum's Thorens TD124 (USA)

Peter Lundbergs Thorens TD124 (Sweden)

Eugenio's Thorens TD124 (Italy)

Klaus's TD124 Klaus Hassler's TD124 in Slate (Germany)

M. Zimon's TD124 (Israel)

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Robert Chambers Thorens TD121 (USA)

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Above: From the period, an Elpa Ad for the TD121 and the TD111

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Neils Masselink's Thorens TD121 (NL)

Joachim Bung's Thorens TD121 and TD124-II (Ger)

Joachim Bung's Thorens TD124-II and TD121 (Ger)

TD124-II Paul Woodger (UK-Scotland)

Derek Hall's TD124 mkII (UK)

(click) TD124 Drive

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--Above 2 thumbnails: example of The TD124 belt-idler drive design. Motor pulley in 60 hz config. Platter brg. shaft diameter: 14mm

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TD134, TD184, TD111, TDK101, TD135, TD135 mkII, & TD224: -- belt-idler drive.-

gadget-guy's TD224 (USA)

Peter's TD224 (USA)

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---Above: example TD184 belt-idler drive design. Motor pulley in 50 hz config., platter brg. shaft diameter: 10mm

Pat O'Malley's TD111Project (USA)

---Above: example TD111 belt-idler designed for the North American power grid 60 hz

Samy Kheloufi's Thorens TD135 mkII (France)

--Above: example TD135 mkII belt-idler drive design - motor pulley in 50 hz config, platter brg. shaft diameter: 10mm

(click) TD135 Ad

Ferruccio's TD134 (Switzerland)

Ferruccio's TD184 (Switzerland)

Pat O'Malley's TD111Project (USA)

Paul Woodger's TD135 (UK-Scotland)

TD135 TD135 - F. Guerin (France)

Samy Kheloufi's Thorens TD135 mkII (France)

Wolfgang Heisse's Telefunken Studio 220 (Germany)

--Note about the Telefunken Studio 220. Produced in small numbers circa 1961. Manufactured by Thorens for Telefunken. Think of it as a TD135 with the semi-auto features of the TD184.
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TD150, TD150 mkII

Bill Agee's early and original TD150 AB (USA)

P. Fleming's TD150 mkII - modified (Australia)

Klaus Hassler's Thorens TD150 mkII - in slate (Germany)

(click) Rudy's TD150 mkII (NL)

John Simpson's TD150 mkII (UK)

Keith Burrow's TD150 A - modified by Inspire Hi Fi - (UK)

James O'Donnell's TD150 mkII (USA)

Craig Cox's TD150 mkII (UK)

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Above: Keith Holland's TD150 (UK) in a 1930's vintage HMV Acoustic cabinet.

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TD125, TD125-LB, TD125 mkII

JH's TD125 (Canada)

Ruey-Jong Shyu's Thorens TD125 (Taiwan)

Holger's TD125 with Rabco (Germany)

(note above link:: Holger's extensive collection of desirable turntables)

2Channelman's TD125 (Canada)

Beatlebum's Thorens TD125

Klaus Hassler's TD125 in slate (Germany)

(click) A NOS TD125 mkII. Purchased new in1972 (USA) but remained in box unopened until the time of the photograph (2006). (ed. note: circa 2023 current status unknown)

Artur Santos' TD125-LB (Portugal)

Richard Weast's Thorens TD125 LB (USA) (restoration details)

Chris Nelson's TD125 LB (USA)

Holger's TD125 mkII LB (Germany)

D Ashton's TD125 mkII (Australia)

Jorge Madeira's custom TD125 mkII (Portugal)

Doug Olsen's TD125 mkII (USA) in one of his custom plinths.

Ed Smith's TD125 mkII (USA)

Volker's TD125 mkII by Swissonor (Germany)

TD125 LB by Rolf Kelch Electronics (Germany)

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TD160, TD145, TD165, TD160 mkII, TD145 mkII, TD165 mkII, TD166, TD166 mkII, TD146, TD147, TD147 Jubilee, TD160 Super, TD160-S MKIV, TD160-S MKV

Re: TD160 vs TD165 --- OK, so what is different and what is the same between the TD160 and its sibling product, the TD165..? Details, mainly. The 3-spring suspended layout is the same. The floating chassis forms a rigid platform for both the platter bearing and tonearm on both of these tables. Indeed, it is the same stamped plate. The cabinetry is identical and much of the tonearm is the same, but there are also differences. The platter bearing for the TD165 houses a 7mm spindle rather than the 10mm spindle shaft of its larger sibling. The inner driven platter for the TD165 is die cast resin (unknown which resin -- perhaps nylon...) rather than the cast zinc metal of its brother. The tone arms differ in the anti-skate devices used. The TD165 used what was known as the TP11 tonearm. Essentially the same - gimbal pivot -armtube - headshell - design as the TP16, used on the TD160, but with a weight-on-a-string design to counteract the skating forces that all pivoting tone arms must deal with. The TP16 of the TD160 used a pair of opposing magnets, one fixed, the other adjustable for position in location about a metal ring. Turn a knob to adjust the one magnet closer to the ring magnet and anti-skating bias was increased. Who is to say which of the two arms was actually better..? However the TP16 was sold at a slightly higher price.

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--Above: magazine ad TD160Cinfosheet

The TP16 repair article: disassembled, repaired and then reassembled and then tested.

(Note that the TP16 tone arm (mk1) was standard equipment on the TD160C, TD125 mkII and the TD145.)

(click) Thorens TD160C

Peter F's Thorens TD160B mkII (Australia)

site author's TD160 mkII with TP16mkII w/ TP62 wand (USA)

Pat Lecce's Thorens TD160 mkII (Italy)

(click) Marcello Olza's customized TD160 mkII (Spain) With an SME series 3 tonearm. And a custom top face plate

Guy Pallister's TD165 (USA)

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The Thorens TD145 and TD145 mkII

TD145-anonymous (Canada)

Allan Spivak's TD145 mkII with Mission 774 tonearm (Canada)

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Re: The TD160 Super: What about the 'Super' designation....what's so super..? Here's a little story.

The story begins with a UK Thorens distributor called Metrosound, and later to be known as Cambrasound. Metrosound was the kind of company that listened to its customers comments. When they began hearing numerous comments from TD160 owners who claimed to have modified and indeed improved the sound of their samples, Metrosound decided to investigate on their own. They set service manager Charles Trayhorn on a mission of producing a modified TD160 in an effort to persuade the manufacturer, Thorens, to produce such a version.

What Trayhorn built used a different mat, it used no foam damping in the springs, and the undersides of the motor board and sub-chassis were damped with bituminous felt. The plastic TD160 arm board was replaced with a high density version and left blank to incorporate many different tone arms apart from the standard Thorens TP16. The standard cabinetry surround was replaced with a larger, more solid one and the plastic dustcover hinges were replaced with metal ones and the top trim facia received a slightly different paint scheme. This is essentially what Thorens themselves built, dubbing it the TD160 Super. The factory TD160 Supers were all based on the TD160 mkII model.

Typically, the TD160 Super came without tonearm so that the customer could choose his/her favorite arm and allow the dealer to drill the arm board to fit. Metrosound / Cambrasound was just such a company that could do this. The TD160 Super sold in limited quantities and always cost significantly more than its standard TD160 MkII brother. Even without a tone arm.

Luca D's TD160 Super (Canada)

Arthur Santos's TD160 Super (Portugal)

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Phil M's TD166 BC (UK)

Gerwyn Bowen's TD166 MkV (Wales, UK)

Gary McGee's TD166 mkII (USA)

(click) TD166 mkII brochure

Galactika's TD166 mkII, and several more in custom plinths (France)

Juergen Gammer's TD146 (Germany)

Dirk van der Sloot's TD146 mkVI (Holland)

Robert Veenema's Thorens TD147 (Netherlands)

(click) TD147 Jubilee sn 00331 anonymous source

Chris Burmajster's TD147 Jubilee (UK)

JH's TD147 Jubilee (Canada)

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The TD160S, like the Mk IV and MkV versions are actually successors to the TD147 which came equipped with the TP16 mk IV and TP90 tonearms respectively. The Mk V is from 1988 to approximately1991. These models, like the TD145, 146 and 147 featured auto-lift and shut-off operations. Like the TD147 they feature a more solid cabinet. The TD160S should not be confused with the earlier - manual - TD160 Super.

(click) The Thorens TP90 tonearm as supplied with the TD160S MkV turntable.

Jake Jacob's TD160S mkV (UK)

Dirk van der Sloot's TD160S mkV (Holland)

(click) TD160S mkIV advertisement.

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TD126 MK1, 2, 3 and 4. replace the TD125. followed by the TD127 (a long base TD126), the TD226: a special TD126 that accommodates two (2) tonearms.

* (click thumbnail for full image)

*Above TD126 Electronic product brochure images vourtesy of Aleksandar Kujucev

* Alek's TD126 B (Serbia) First version TD126 B

(click) Eric Landry's TD126 mkII (Canada)

Carbonman's TD126 mkIII (Canada)

(click) Don Hopkin's Thorens TD126 mkIII (USA) SME 3009 S3, Shure V15vMR

Wolfgang Heisse's Thorens TD226 (Germany)

TD226 by Rolf Kelch Electronics (Germany)

Tom Cheung's TD127 (China)

Holger's TD127 (Germany)

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Above 2: TD126 mkIII Ad Brochure.

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TD104, TD105, TD110, TD115 (circa 1978) based on the DC Tacogenerator motors as had been used by EMT in their direct drive broadcast turntable models. For the belt driven models such as the TD126 mkIII and those models seen below it is a 72 pole version.

Philippe Kindt's Thorens TD104 (Belgium)

Jason Kelly's Thorens TD105 mkII (USA)

Felipe Maceda's Thorens TD115 (USA)

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Thorens Reference: The factory turns their designers loose to build a "cost no object" best sounding turntable.

Bruno's Thorens Reference (France) (and with a very cool system)

Thorens Reference SN 034 (USA)

Rolf Kelch restores Reference No. 22 (Germany)

Thorens Prestige: After making the limited edition Reference, Thorens offers this flagship model.

Francisco Garcia's Thorens Prestige (Spain)

(click) Thorens Prestige Advertisement

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Thorens TD321, 320, 318, 316 and Phantasie

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(click) photo of a TD318 drive pulley

(click) B Kearn's Thorens TD321 (Ireland)

Carl's Thorens TD320 --- and an Oracle Delphi (NL)

Colin Royle's 'four' TD321 / SME players (UK)

(click) TD321 brochure

Heikki's TD316 mkII (Finland)

(click) TD318 brochure

Soren's TD320 Limited (Denmark)

(click) Thorens Phantasie minus platter (anon)

Soundbug1's Phantasie (USA)

HP's Thorens Phantasie (Australia)

(click) TD320 brochure

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-- Thorens Concrete

--This model circa 1988/89

--From the booklet; "Fascination of a Living Legend":

"In the same year the Thorens team created the "concrete" which had a mixture of granite and concrete die-cast to a heavy base. This left behind all nasty resonances and provided a solid foundation for the suspended chassis (taken from the TD320) and the massive glass platter (3kg) with felt mat. All other structural parts were made of high density aluminum, except for the tonearm base which was made of MDF that could also be pre-drilled for taking almost any 9" tonearm"

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--TD520 / 521 (a long base TD320 / 321), TD521-S Acrylic

-- Circa 1985 - 2001 With its wider plinth to accommodate 12 inch tonearms, the TD520 carries on in the tradition of the TD125 LB (Long Base), and the TD127.....only in an updated design more akin to the TD3xx and TD2001 models (but with a strobe window)

(click) TD520/521 brochure

(click) C_Hagermeier's TD520 (Germany)

Thomas Appel's TD520 (Germany)

R.A. Webber's TD521 S Acrylic (Canada)

TD 521 S Acrylic (anon)

The Thorens TD524 Direct Drive - based on the EMT 938 direct drive.

Ferruccio's TD524 (Switzerland)

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Above: TD524 brochure.

(click) TD535 anon

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Above: TD535 brochure: The Thorens TD535 direct drive turntable. (ed. note: I'm still searching for -more- photos of a real one out there in the world)

---TD2001, TD3001 and Ambiance

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