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The Thorens TD-124 MK2

Turntable - Review

Discover more about the Thorens

TD-124 MK2 Turntable - A true CATEGORIES

1960s classic which keeps on

giving. Digital 6

The Thorens TD-124 is one of the most classic turntables. It Amplifiers 5

has a wonderful sound and a celebrated history. This review is

Preamplifiers 4
a look back at my experience of owning the TD-124.
Reel to Reel 4

Turntables 3

Accessories 2

Crossovers 2

Loudspeakers 2

Cables 1

REVIEWED
MANUFACTURERS
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 Contents - ULTRAFIDE / MC2 -
About the Thorens TD-124
TANNOY - STUDER -
THORENS - CROFT -
Cartridges
AIR TIGHT - ENTREQ -
Making modifications to the TD-124 MARK GRANT
Summary CABLES - ALLO -
VOLUMIO - SPL -
RECTEC - FUNK FIRM
In 2009, I bought a Thorens TD-124 turntable and since then it's
- TRIO KENWOOD -
become even more highly regarded and loved turntables. It's
PIONEER - ROTEL -
certainly earned its noted soubriquet 'legendary'. It stands out as
one of the top audiophile decks in sound and design. SEPEA AUDIO -
CHORD
Needless to say, this little deck consistently captures the hearts ELECTRONICS -
of many, including myself. MICHELL
ENGINEERING -
- KHOZMO
ACOUSTICS -

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About the Thorens TD-124

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The TD-124 for me has to be one of the cutest decks. It has a
very compact footprint and the build quality is outstanding.
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Like a decent Studer reel-to-reel deck, the chassis is cast so it

has a decent amount of weight to it. My deck was bought
Subscribe
around 1965/66 by an engineer who helped fit out the Radio
Caroline craft which was originally anchored off the coast of
:
Essex, UK in 1964. Powered by

The previous owner, Bob Gale said: "I bought the deck after a
re-fit of the station. It was going to be fitted but the powers
that be had other ideas. It was in the stock room for around CONTACT
TANNOYISTA
6 months before I was able to buy it. Back then, it was
quite expensive and I wasn't flush enough until I did
another BBC job at a local station in Slough, UK.
Name
We hardly used bases back then, most were planted into
the sound desk. DJs back then kept them running full time
with Snooker table felt like a slipmat. The rubber mat was
thrown away. They used to que up, hold the record and Email *
then release to play.

Tonearms were normally the standard Thorens arms but

some were fitted with SME. The standard arms were good
Message *
as they were generally more durable."

Radio Caroline used a number of decks and the TD-124 was

one of them. In fact, most radio stations used the TD-124
including the BBC.

My TD-124 was a MkII. That is it had a non-magnetic platter as

opposed to the original which was cast iron.
SEND

My previous deck was a Michell Gyro SE. It was a beautiful

deck. I really enjoyed it but when I had the chance to own a
piece of broadcasting history, I jumped at the chance. The
sonic differences between the Gyro and the TD-124 were quite
different. The Gyro had very precise timing, which was great, in
comparison, the Thorens had a more laid-back feeling, more
organic with an exciting feel.
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When I bought the Thorens, cosmetically, it was almost
untouched, in mint condition. But mechanically, it wasn't in
great shape. It wasn't worn out, but neglect of use was its main
problem. Everything needed lubricating. Although the motor
was nice and quiet, it suffered from a speed drift. Reading up
about this problem on the net, it was suggested that a full strip-
down was required. So, I set to work.... big mistake. EEK!

There's a knack to those motors. My advice would be this...

Send it to a specialist.

Back in 2010/11, there was only one place to send it and that
place was Schopper, Switzerland.

My TD-124 underwent a full rebuild. All of the mechanical

linkages were removed and cleaned, and the sintered bushings
were replaced on the idler and the main platter spindle. The
motor was also totally refurbished. When Schopper re-furbish
the motors, they constantly run them in for 48 hours to check
for any excess noise.

Schopper has some amazing experience with the TD-124 and I

can totally recommend them.
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When the turntable returned it ran like a dream. Although it was
very quiet, it wasn't totally silent. This was because of the
stepped pully bearing but Schopper supplied a modification for
this which consisted of two washers which are placed
underneath the pully. After that mod, it sounds amazing.

Unlike the Garrod 301/401, the 124 is a belt-driven idler. But

the belts last and last. I only changed the belt a few times in all
the time I had it and it's really easy to do too! It's recommended
every 18 months but mine lasted much longer.

I found that the best belts were from Schopper. I tried a

Thacker belt but it was too tight and not as quiet.

Here are some pics from when it returned from Schopper.

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Cartridges
ORTOFON RONDO RED MC:

My first cartridge on the Thorens TD-124 was the same

cartridge I had on my Michell Gyrodeck SE, the Ortofon Rondo
Red MC.

What can I say, if coupled with a very good MC head amp, the
Rondo Red is a really nice cartridge. I wanted to try other
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Rondo range at the time but because the Thorens was a
vintage deck I decided to go down the vintage route.

SHURE V15 MK3:

So the next cartridge was a Shure V15 Mk3. The cartridge of choice
from Thorens back in the day and recommended by SME.

This together with the SME 3009 S2 (non-improved) tonearm

was a very nice vintage combination. I also had the JICO stylus
fitted which was so much better than the original. The only
problem I found with the V15 was that is was a little tame.
Although the resolution, air and space were amazing, I like to
shake my ass so it was time to move on to something with
boogie.

GOLDRING G800:

The Shure ticked a lot of boxes but as time went by, I was
tempted with an early Goldring G800 fitted with an updated
stylus carried out by NWA (North West Audio) here in the UK.

Some consider the G800 as a hammer of a cartridge, some call

it an old nail but this is not the case I can assure you. The build
quality on the early versions included Alinco magnets and
although it was a staple broadcast cart, if you want something
with 'oomph', look no further. The only thing I'd recommend is to
get the stylus updated. Standard styluses are great but you do
need that edge of refinement.

The G800 could really boogie. A well-presented soundstage,

nice and balanced. It had everything I wanted. But, another
Goldring was also tempting.

GOLDRING G1042:

The G1042 was my next choice and just like the G800, it was a
really nice match. It had lots of 'bottom' and great timing. The
only thing it lacked was the air and space as the Shure/Jico
combination.
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ORTOFON SPU GT:

My cartridge of choice with the TD-124 and SME 3009 was a

vintage SPU GT. This beautifully crafted cartridge brought it all
together. It had a very sophisticated way of reproducing the
sound. Not harsh, not soft and the bass was voluptuous.

The SPU was my final cartridge for the lovely Thorens TD-124.

Making modifications to the TD-

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124
The great thing about the TD-124 is that it's such a well-
catered-for deck and there are lots of places that sell
modifications. Here are some of the mods I found to be the
most beneficial.

THE PLINTH

One great upgrade in looks and sound was a heavy solid wood
plinth. I originally had a Schopper plinth but the chance of
having a plinth made with a piano gloss finish was too tempting.

Using a solid design as opposed to the standard open type had a

massive sonic upgrade. Grounding the sound and keeping
everything tight and focussed.

MUSHROOMS

...or the absence of them. I found that securing the turntable to

the solid plinth and removing the rubber suspension
mushrooms worked best. Once the deck is secured properly,
the sound becomes even more impressive.

You lose the ability to level the turntable using the side
adjusters but you simply adust the base of the plinth instead.
With the solid plinth, I also had made a sub-platform but I found
this made no discerning improvements in sound.

MOTOR SUSPENSION

Over the years I have updated the motor suspension grommets

too. I tried all types of grommets but the ones from Hanze Hifi
were the best. The motor suspension systems Hantz HiFi
manufactures are springs rather than rubber. A huge upgrade
bringing that noise floor as low as I could get it.

IDLER WHEEL

Another great upgrade was to have the original idler wheel re-
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conditioned. Re-manufactured idler wheels are simply nothing like
as good as the original ones. To remove the glaze on a worn idler is
a great idea but taking it a step further was to precisely skim it so its
edge is perfectly flat also makes a great improvement.

Ammonite Acoustics here in the UK did this job for me. To clean
the idler, the motor pully and the stepped pully I recommend
using a magic eraser. It's simple, and quick and makes
maintenance even easier. Simply place the eraser on the edges
as it's running for 30 seconds.

Since 2010, lots of upgrades came out for the 124. Some were
good and worthwhile but some truly awful and simply not worth
thinking about. So if you are lucky enough to own one of these
very special decks, be careful and don't believe the hype with
some upgrades.
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Summary
The Thorens TD-124 MKII is a wonderful turntable. The way it
performs and reproduces music is uncanny. Its build quality
even now is outstanding. It can sound a little clunky but once
refurbished it's a very reassuring 'Clunk'.

These decks do need initial attention. A bit of maintenance is

needed every 12 to 18 months. It's nothing major and can be
carried out by anyone. It's very simple to do.

If anyone is interested in buying one today. Have it serviced

properly by a specialist and it will last you a lifetime. The
Thorens TD-124 is an audiophile beauty that is wonderfully
addictive.
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