Working on Thorens TD150 Mk2

[TD150]

Hello,

I have a Thorens TD150 Mk 2 sitting idle for a couple of years which is without a tone arm. I have planned to use it and would be working on fixing it in April mid or May (during vacations).

I request guidance from members on which tone arm & cartridge will suite this TT (thinking of Jelco SA-250-ST with Denon DL103 or Linn LVV with Shure M97xe).

My budget is tight & would generally go for a used one.

Thanks in advance.

Regards,
TD150

 

[jls001]

Hello,
I request guidance from members on which tone arm & cartridge will suite this TT (thinking of Jelco SA-250-ST with Denon DL103 or Linn LVV with Shure M97xe).

LVVs are hard to come by and damned costly. Otherwise I would have picked up one Some more options you can think of:

a) Rega RB 300 or 301 or 250 or 251 used. These Regas are highly tweakable (for a cost, of course) and there is an industry built on tweaks for these Rega arms. Notable among them are Origin Live, Michell Engineering, Isokinetik, Incognito and Moth.
b) Jelco 750 D, 12 inch, oil damped (if finances can be stretched and you get a very good 12 inch for not too much outlay).

Above options will allow you to use a DL103. I like the M97xE too - it is a very good cartridge.

If you are planning to buy used, ebay and audiogon are your new best friends.

 

[malvai]

PM me your email id.

Hello,

I have a Thorens TD150 Mk 2 sitting idle for a couple of years which is without a tone arm. I have planned to use it and would be working on fixing it in April mid or May (during vacations).

I request guidance from members on which tone arm & cartridge will suite this TT (thinking of Jelco SA-250-ST with Denon DL103 or Linn LVV with Shure M97xe).

My budget is tight & would generally go for a used one.

Thanks in advance.

Regards,
TD150

 

[TD150]

Dear jls001

Thanks for your valuable advise.

I was checking for the LVV tone arms and the seem to be available on ebay, the cost seems to be approx. $150. It seems the Linn Ittok are costlier ones (correct me if am wrong).

Since the TD150 is a suspended chasis design (similar to Linn LP12) I was thinking of considering the LVV, however mating a cartridge with the tone arm would be a question.

I liked some reviews of DL103 hence was thinking of a choice between SA-250-ST/ DL103 or LVV/M97xe.

I will definitely check on reviews of the other tonearms mentioned by you Rega/ Origin Live/ Michell Engineering/ Isokinetic/ Incognito/ Moth.

And also keep an eye on the sites ebay & audiogon

Regards.

 

[TD150]

Hi malvai,

I realy don't know the option on how to send a PM to you.
I tried through the FAQ and it shows some restrictions.
Will try again.

Regards,

 

[jls001]

Dear jls001

Thanks for your valuable advise.

I was checking for the LVV tone arms and the seem to be available on ebay, the cost seems to be approx. $150. It seems the Linn Ittok are costlier ones (correct me if am wrong).

Since the TD150 is a suspended chasis design (similar to Linn LP12) I was thinking of considering the LVV, however mating a cartridge with the tone arm would be a question.

I liked some reviews of DL103 hence was thinking of a choice between SA-250-ST/ DL103 or LVV/M97xe.

I will definitely check on reviews of the other tonearms mentioned by you Rega/ Origin Live/ Michell Engineering/ Isokinetic/ Incognito/ Moth.

And also keep an eye on the sites ebay & audiogon

Regards.

You're right - it is the Ittok that is costly. Supposedly one of the best partners to the LP12.

Regarding M97xE v/s DL103, the later is in a much higher performance class (as is the price!). If you have a phono pre-amplifier that supports MC cartridges (which the DL103 is), then it is really a no-brainer to choose it over the M97xE (an MM cartridge). What is your current phono pre-amplification?

 

[TD150]

I think getting these used tonerams on ebay & audiogon (within budget) will be a matter of luck (considering the bidding process). Are there any chances of getting these tonearms (used ones) in India?

By the way I have a NAD PP-2 external phono pre-amp, which has switchable MM & MC. It will be compatable with DL103.

 

[jls001]

I think getting these used tonerams on ebay & audiogon (within budget) will be a matter of luck (considering the bidding process). Are there any chances of getting these tonearms (used ones) in India?

By the way I have a NAD PP-2 external phono pre-amp, which has switchable MM & MC. It will be compatable with DL103.

If you really want an item from ebay and have decided your upper bid limit, use www.gixen.com to automatically bid for you. It will bid upto your upper price limit. This is how I won the bid for my Origin Live Silver Mark III arm. Prior to using the gixen bid, I lost quite a few other bids

Chances of finding used arms in India is very slim indeed.

If you don't mind new, you can buy the Scheu Classic from The Listening Room Bangalore. I think they have both 9 and 12 inchers. Claims to be the perfect match for a 103. It is an unipivot. Sub-30K INR I think.

Another option is ProJect's carbon fiber arms like 9cc. You can try with Nova Audio, Mumbai. I believe they sell at European street prices. I don't know prices.