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Restoring a Thorens TD124 Mk II SME3009 Shure V15 Type III

fox said:
Stripped, cleaned and lubed... two years ago Well worn in

New 'shrooms fitted = no sag! Motor not warm but I prefer better airflow as the motor sits in a very tight well with just a few mm clearance (with a hole in the plinth beneath) rather than an open space so set thread high.

Re cover: http://www.plasticonline.co.uk/index.php?_a=viewCat&catId=719d.
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I'm with you on providing some ventilation for the motor. When I observe this current practice of closing the plinth in tight around the motor, I can't help but think that we are shortchanging motor life in an attempt to dampen a few measly vibes. In the case of a well working TD124, it is not really necessary. Far better to allow some air flow.

-Steve
 
A couple of new bits fell through the letterbox today, a new Swissonor alloy top platter (as I've never been happy with the quality of machining of my original) and a DL-103:

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There's a 3gram SME weight hidden in the headshell and the additional rider-weight on the 3009 so it's actually a lot more massy than it looks. Sounding very good so far, certainly more solid and weighty than the Pickering MM that was in there before, great bass and just that 'rightness' of sound these old decks have - they just make me smile. I'll take it through and stick it up against the Garrard once the 103 has run in for a week or two, that could be interesting.

I'm seriously contemplating taking this 124 as far as possible within the context of this aesthetic, i.e. I don't want to change the plinth or 3009 as I love the look so much, but I'm very tempted to throw a Swissonor / Schopper grey iron platter and a Schopper bearing at it over the next year or two. It's a keeper so I'm tempted to max it out.
 
Very nice Tony. I do like the compactness of a TD124 and I really fancy getting one. The trouble is finding the right one at the right price!
 
Stuart Frazer said:
Very nice Tony. I do like the compactness of a TD124 and I really fancy getting one. The trouble is finding the right one at the right price!
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It is, without any shadow of a doubt, my favourite turntable from a design perspective. Everything is just so perfectly thought out ergonomically that it makes everything else look clunky and user-unfriendly by comparison, e.g. 4 speed, clutch, integral 45 adapter, spirit level, easily removable arm board, suspension adjustable from above etc etc. It is however not without issues, the drive mechanism is noisy IME - I've owned three of them so far and I'm yet to find one I can get to run as quietly as a Garrard or a Lenco, let alone a Linn, Spacedeck, Gyro or whatever. The 124 simply isn't a whisper quiet deck, and almost certainly never can never be as it has many mechanical interfaces / couplings that a conventional belt drive deck does not. Mine is currently playing a copy of Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire, as it was knocking about and I wanted to try something with voice as a lot of very quiet bits. It sounds excellent and I'm really enjoying it, but you'd never mistake it for a CD player, and I just don't care! The strengths lie elsewhere, these clunky old heavyweights just make music. They've really got something magical that is so hard to put into words, though be prepared for a fair bit of hassle and post-purchase expense to really get one to deliver the goods. File under 'hobby' rather than 'tool'.

PS I'd got the cartridge wired exactly 180 degrees out in the pic above as, in true idiot fashion, I'd read the picture the wrong way up. Now I actually have correct absolute phase and the channels the right way around! \o/
 
Just been reading some 124 stuff over on AudioAsylum and I noticed some comments that armboard mounting screw tightness is a critical factor when it comes to rumble. I'd previously had mine just loosely nipped up and tightening the three screws up good and tight must have halved (or more) the amount of noise that makes it through the speakers. I'd go as far as saying it's really quiet now, probably pretty similar to the 301, so a good tip for sure. I like days where I learn stuff...
 
Just been reading some 124 stuff over on AudioAsylum and I noticed some comments that armboard mounting screw tightness is a critical factor when it comes to rumble. I'd previously had mine just loosely nipped up and tightening the three screws up good and tight must have halved (or more) the amount of noise that makes it through the speakers. I'd go as far as saying it's really quiet now, probably pretty similar to the 301, so a good tip for sure. I like days where I learn stuff...
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That's my experience too, although not specifically in the context of rumble. The armboard screws can even be used to 'tune' the sound of the deck - too loose and the thing sounds really flabby. I see that Schopper list a decoupled Panzerholz armboard, which at first sight seems to fly in the face of my acquired TD124 logic, but I may try something similar to see if it works. I'd be very interested to hear from anyone who has tried the Schopper decoupled armboard.
 
Whilst we are on the subject of Shopper has anyone tried their idler noise reduction kit? I'm certain a lot of the noise I'm getting is coming from this area.

My motor is in superb condition and very quiet. With the belt off I have to put my ear really close to the deck with the platter off to hear anything at all. With the belt on there is a quietish 'swoosh' noise from the intermediate wheel, which seems to be quite a resonant casting. The idler adds the majority of noise and this is further amplified by the rather resonant zinc alloy lower-platter. I'm expecting / hoping things will be better once my Swissonor grey iron platter turns up as any 124s I've heard with the iron platter seem quieter than those with the alloy one, it's just a far heavier and less resonant casting. Even so there is still some noise I'd like to remove from the idler. I'd actually like to replace the idler, but new ones seem rather thin on the ground at present. I'm also certain the issues here are largely down to using a traditional lightweight plinth and the rubber mushrooms, I bet I'd hear nothing at all with the deck direct coupled to slate or marble. I like my plinth though!
 
gerard said:
Tony, have you got a link for the new Swissonor alloy top platter, and some pics please !
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Details in the products section of the Swissonor site. It looks absolutely identical to a real one, just without the top-edge machining error of my original. Apparently it's a harder alloy, but you'd not know from handling it.
 
Tony L said:
Whilst we are on the subject of Shopper has anyone tried their idler noise reduction kit? I'm certain a lot of the noise I'm getting is coming from this area.

My motor is in superb condition and very quiet. With the belt off I have to put my ear really close to the deck with the platter off to hear anything at all. With the belt on there is a quietish 'swoosh' noise from the intermediate wheel, which seems to be quite a resonant casting. The idler adds the majority of noise and this is further amplified by the rather resonant zinc alloy lower-platter. I'm expecting / hoping things will be better once my Swissonor grey iron platter turns up as any 124s I've heard with the iron platter seem quieter than those with the alloy one, it's just a far heavier and less resonant casting. Even so there is still some noise I'd like to remove from the idler. I'd actually like to replace the idler, but new ones seem rather thin on the ground at present. I'm also certain the issues here are largely down to using a traditional lightweight plinth and the rubber mushrooms, I bet I'd hear nothing at all with the deck direct coupled to slate or marble. I like my plinth though!
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Yes, I have tried the idler noise reduction kit, and it made very little difference. I have bought a variety of idler wheels, including a brand new one, and all have different noise characteristics. In the end, I came to the conclusion that none are completely quiet, and it's a matter of pot luck whether you get a good one ( a view shared by Martin Bastin when I spoke to him). I have one idler that is very noisy but which has a nice bearing, so I might get a new rubber rim fitted.

Belt noise can be reduced by applying a bit of talcum powder. Even very quiet motors can benefit from an overhaul - mine was done by Martin Bastin using new bearings and felt pads bought from Jim Campbell in the States (eBay seller jec965). Martin also sets the motor coils in place using a benign type of silicon mastic, and the result is noticeably better speed stability and control.

I's love to give the Swissonor non-magnetic ferrous platter a whirl, but it's fearsomely expensive. There is a chap in California (eBay seller sq38s http://myworld.ebay.com/sq38s/?_trksid=p4340.l2559 ) who makes a stainless steel replacement platter as well as a machined top platter, but whether these items are better than the originals, let alone the Swissonor stuff, is not known. The new idler wheel that I bought was from this chap, and it is reasonable but ultimately bettered by a lucky NOS buy..
 
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