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Inspire Hifi for Thorens TD160 ?

C

Cato

pfm Member
I have an old TD160 from my dad and mulling over a refurb programme - I have a nicely made plywood plinth but mechanically it may benefit from a tune-up; bits missing off the TP16 arm etc and may look to change this

Has anyone tried the Inspire TD160 tune-up ? What about other arms: Rega, Jelco, OL etc ?

Any and all thoughts appreciated

Cato
 
I've had a TD160, they are very nice. All I would say is that for the price of a good TD160S and a tuneup you can buy something like a Linn or a Garrard which is better all round.
 
Thanks - yes I can see that, though for me I guess part of the appeal is the sentimental value the deck has.
 
Absolutely, and that's as good a reason as any to go down this road. As long as you know why you are doing this and not chasing an unrealistic goal, then you won't be disappointed and you won't waste a hill of money. It's for you to decide what you want, and that's the end of it.
 
I would have thought that if you already have the 160 you could give it a "tune-up" yourself. Clean the electrical contacts of the switches (if necessary) with a spray contact=cleaner, clean up the main bearing and give it some fresh motor oil, and a new belt (if needed).
 
Thanks - I probably could but time poor and a klutz with anything vaguely mechanical - hence why I think I'd rather pay someone else to do it properly; e.g Inspire, Swissonor or similar
 
In which case go for it. Your choices are:
1. Live with it as it is, with a basic service if anything is past its best. A TD160 super is a bloody good deck, I had one with an SME 3009.
2. DIY a service and a few mods if you fancy it.
3. Pay a man to service and mod as much as you like.
No rights and wrongs other than do what you think and enjoy the ride.
 
Thorens decks respond very well to a bit of locally-administered TLC. The only issue I can see is the missing parts from the TP16, which will necessitate a trip to ebay or an appeal on pfm.

there's loads you can do for not much money. I completely refurbed my TD150 and it was (a) fun to do, and (b) has resulted in a deck of surprising ability.
 
Wow ! That looks fabulous - bet it sounds very good too; nice work indeed and definitively an inspiration
 
I love these old things. They have a physical presence that modern turntables lack. That is bloody lovely.
I see you have also gone with the mains lead with an IEC plug and socket on the plinth. My 160B has that. Much neater than cutting an exit hole for a dangly wire.
 
The arm is the Kugel arm. A later version to the TP13.

What bits are missing off your arm ?
 
Looks nice the Kugel - I'm missing the knob/dial to adjust antiskate and the bearings also feel loose/rattle'y - probably easily remedied
 
You mean the little aluminium cover ? I think I have one of those somewhere....

Is it D in the picture?

 
Yep - that's the one ! Would be most grateful if you have a spare one that I can somehow persuade ($) you to part with :)
 
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