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Cartridge for older Thorens TD 165C

Hello vinyl SMEs,

I can't seem to set-up my Shure V-15 VMR well enough to eliminate distortion during quiet passages. Most of my vinyl is almost new by the way. I tried alignment tools and test records to no avail. My guess is that the Shure is not the right cartridge for this TT – too compliant perhaps. I have a Thorens TD-165c in mint condition with the original TP-11 tone arm and TP-60 headshell. According to the Analog Dept., effective mass of the tone arm is 16.5 grams.

I also noticed that resonance with the Shure is a low 6.6 Hz which puts in foot fall territory. This explains the bouncing in the grooves if I walk too closely. It's tracking at 1.25 grams with additional anti-skating and weight for the stabilizer brush.

So, what other cartridges would work with this TT besides the Shure? Preamp is the one tube wonder by Bellari.

Thanks
av2k

Showing 2 responses by av2k

av2k OP
17 posts
 
Thanks for the response.

I increased the tracking force to two grams which decreased the distortion to some degree. Shure recommends tracking at 1 gram which makes me think this is not the ideal match to the tone arm. The distortion I hear is similar to what is heard with a dirty stylus. The Shure stylus has been thoroughly cleaned however.

The TD-160 MKII had, I believe, the TP16 II tone arm which is only 7.5 grams in effective mass. That might explain why it was a good match for your setup.

By the way, the Shure sounds just fine in my Dual CS5000. However, there's more audible rumble from this TT. Perhaps I'll try a Benz (less compliant) in the Thorens.
av2k OP
17 posts
 

Found something that improved the sound. I replaced the fancy aftermarket turntable mat with the original rubber mat and surprise! Sounds much better. Apparently, the greater thickness of the aftermarket mat negatively affected the VTA.

I still believe this arm is too heavy for the V15 Type V-MR, but, it sound OK for now.
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