The above reviews although being, for the most part,spot on, are too ready to bash to TD 295. The table has its shortcomings, but not because its not a Rega. But because Thorens is not understanding that it is an Audiophile that will spend $1100.00 on a turntable, not the common consumer that wants something that is little better than what you can get at the big box electronics store. It certainly is better than what is found there, but it fails at being a true over achiever that a similarly priced Rega is. I do not think it was ever designed to be in the same league. To expect it be something it is not, I do not think is entirely fair to the merits the table does have. Although I never warmed up to the table, it is not junk. It is niche product that would serve someone who wants something that sounds nice without all the vigilance a manual table requires.
My experience with this table came by chance. My neighbor had purchased it just before being hospitalized. Knowing that I am an Audio Geek, he asked that I set it up for him. Me being the curious type, hooked the unit up to secondary system and ran it until his return. Over this six week period, I found it to perform well in some areas, but overall it did nothing spectacular enough to give me goose bumps.
Setting it up:
We removed the AT95e cartridge and replaced it with a Dynavector 10X5.
We also ditched the cheap-@$$ cables with some decent Kimber Kable 1m TAK cu RCA to RCA phono cables.
Since it absolutely has no damping the last piece that we got rid of was the stock slip mat and replaced it with an KG-104 anti-static mat.
Equipment used:
The phono stage: Bel Canto Phono One
Amplification: Magnum Dynalab 208 Receiver
Speaker: Polk LS 90 (A discontinued design, for 2 channel music, not to be compared the home theater centric product the company currently offers)
Phono Interconnects: Kable TAK cu RCA to RCA
Interconnects: Kimber Kable HERO
MIT speaker cables.
Fit and finish:
This model with its Mahogany finish, is sexy looking and has a great spousal acceptance factor. The plinth, the platter are substantial and are on par with the price point that the table is at. However I would like to have seen heavy acrylic platter instead of the metal one. They could at least put some silicone damping material on it. Do not get me wrong the TD-295’s platter is OK, but not really worthy of a $1,100.00 turntable. The supplied slip mat and interconnects are also substandard and were promptly replaced,. The power supply, motor and belt assembly are made by Project so this table is not a true Thorens. However they are good enough. I liked the use of an external power supply, it is lightweight, bordering on cheap, but overall it’s sufficient. The supplied cartridge was decent but a $1,100.00 table should have something a little more high end. So we mounted the Dynavector 10x5. This where we ran into the table’s major short coming.
The TP 41 tonearm is an ill conceived design that has no business being on a table at this price point. It is a tinny, ultra light thing, that gave us hell of time when mounting a heavier cartridge like the Dynavector. Everything about this arm is shoddy, from the thin wire used for the tone arm cradle, to the lamp cord like interconnects, to the dingle-berry of a anti skating weight. In order to get the tracking force right we had to go to an heavier aftermarket counterweight. Now I see why these ship with a factory cartridge. The head shell leads are these thin pieces of thread, that I also found difficult to work with, If your somebody like me whose handy man skills are lacking, I recommend you bring it to someone with the tools and resources to professionally set it up. Your life will be much easier. The output jacks are fine and are on par with the TT’s price point.
Listening:
Equipment compared to:
Rega Planar 25 with the same cartridge.
Project RM 4 with Grado Prestige Gold.
In this system I have a Rega planar 25 with the same cartridge. Since I own this table I am biased towards Rega. I also have an Project RM-4 that I do not like, but hooked it up for another comparison. So the other bias I have is I am no fan of Project tables. This being a re-badged Project has put it in position of having an uphill battle with me. However, the sound of the table was pretty good. Properly set up the arm tracks well, and held the stylus solid in the grooves. The sound is more veiled than the Rega but I found it engaging and satisfying. The motor is isolated well and the noise floor is nice and quiet, just as quiet as the Rega. Definitely quieter and cleaner sounding than the Project RM-4 it made me forget that it was made by the same company. Overall its sonic signature is drier, more analytical. Having a very different sound than my Rega 25. So if you are used to the effervescent character of a Rega this table may not be a good choice for you. Even so, I did enjoy its sonic flavor. Do I think it’s on par with my Rega? No, because the Rega’s arm is a much better design it will grab a lot more music out of the grooves putting more flesh on your recordings than the Thorens ever will.
Ease of use:
This is the area where it outshines my Rega. The belts and pulley system on this table are IMHO better designed. One of my beefs with the Rega is they use a low torque motor, so unless you give the platter a little nudge with your finger while stating it up the belt starts to slip, putting additional wear on it. Not a big deal overall, but forget to do this, the P-25 starts to make some really alarming noises. With the TD 295-MK-IV the thing just starts up, and after a few seconds is up to speed, no muss or fuss.
The other thing I liked is the speed control. To switch from 33 1/3 to 45 is merely a flip of a switch. While the Rega you have to pull the platter off and place the belt onto the larger pulley, then put the platter back onto the table. I absolutely hate this. Not only am I stretching the hell out of it, the oils from my fingers are not doing the P-25’s belt much good.
The third feature was unexpected. This table has an optical auto shut off. So when the tonearm reaches the end of a record, there is small pop and the table shuts off. It is not like the semi automatic tables of 70’s and 80’s so it does not return the tonearm to its cradle. But if you are not too ambulatory, or have a habit of falling asleep in your listening chair this feature it will save a lot wear and tear on your stylus. Because my neighbor is not in the best of health, this I am sure is the reason he purchased it. It just too bad it not built like the old Thorens table he was familiar with when he was young man. I found the Auto shut off feature quirky, If you use it on a mass market release by a major label it works fine, but put a MOFI or some Audiophile re-release in the thing it will just keep going and not turn off. I suspect with these re-issues the diameter of the dead groove is larger, so the tone arm does not come close enough to engage the optical sensor that's suppose to turn it off.
Overall value:
My friend, did you really pay $1100.00 for this table? Fortunately for him he did not, this was a closeout that he obtained for $699.00. I still think that $499.99 should have been its price point, but this amount is certainly closer to the mark than $1,100.00. This table is definitely not worth the original list price. The tone arm is just too chintzy. The Auto Shutoff is a nice but its fidgety. The biggest issue with this table has an identity crisis. It does know if its Mid-Fi product like a Denon or Hi End like a Rega. So it’s designed to be something in between. Its plinth, bearing and motor are on par with a higher end tables, but it is more of a Mid-Fi offering. If you like its looks and features and are strongly considering purchasing it... Even at the $699.00 price, I strongly suggest you look at an Rega P-3 24. Which can be had for not that much more money. If you plan to spend the full $1100.00 on this thing? NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Save your money awhile longer and go with an tripped out Rega, P3-24, stock P-5 or ClearAudio Emotion. There you will get something that is truly designed to be precision source component and not some hybrid want a be. At the time of writing this review, my friend has been released from the hospital. Since then I have a put it in his old 70’s era Pioneer Receiver with Advent Speakers. It is working out for him just fine and he seems to be happy with it. However, In the near future I have a sneaking suspicion that my friend will be asking me to setup something else.
I could have been a contender:
What is sad about this table is with a better platter and tonearm like an Rega RB-251, this would have had the potential to be a darling of the industry. But since it has none of those things, it has become something of a pariah. I am not sure if that is fair, but neither is expecting someone to pay $1,100.00 for it.
My experience with this table came by chance. My neighbor had purchased it just before being hospitalized. Knowing that I am an Audio Geek, he asked that I set it up for him. Me being the curious type, hooked the unit up to secondary system and ran it until his return. Over this six week period, I found it to perform well in some areas, but overall it did nothing spectacular enough to give me goose bumps.
Setting it up:
We removed the AT95e cartridge and replaced it with a Dynavector 10X5.
We also ditched the cheap-@$$ cables with some decent Kimber Kable 1m TAK cu RCA to RCA phono cables.
Since it absolutely has no damping the last piece that we got rid of was the stock slip mat and replaced it with an KG-104 anti-static mat.
Equipment used:
The phono stage: Bel Canto Phono One
Amplification: Magnum Dynalab 208 Receiver
Speaker: Polk LS 90 (A discontinued design, for 2 channel music, not to be compared the home theater centric product the company currently offers)
Phono Interconnects: Kable TAK cu RCA to RCA
Interconnects: Kimber Kable HERO
MIT speaker cables.
Fit and finish:
This model with its Mahogany finish, is sexy looking and has a great spousal acceptance factor. The plinth, the platter are substantial and are on par with the price point that the table is at. However I would like to have seen heavy acrylic platter instead of the metal one. They could at least put some silicone damping material on it. Do not get me wrong the TD-295’s platter is OK, but not really worthy of a $1,100.00 turntable. The supplied slip mat and interconnects are also substandard and were promptly replaced,. The power supply, motor and belt assembly are made by Project so this table is not a true Thorens. However they are good enough. I liked the use of an external power supply, it is lightweight, bordering on cheap, but overall it’s sufficient. The supplied cartridge was decent but a $1,100.00 table should have something a little more high end. So we mounted the Dynavector 10x5. This where we ran into the table’s major short coming.
The TP 41 tonearm is an ill conceived design that has no business being on a table at this price point. It is a tinny, ultra light thing, that gave us hell of time when mounting a heavier cartridge like the Dynavector. Everything about this arm is shoddy, from the thin wire used for the tone arm cradle, to the lamp cord like interconnects, to the dingle-berry of a anti skating weight. In order to get the tracking force right we had to go to an heavier aftermarket counterweight. Now I see why these ship with a factory cartridge. The head shell leads are these thin pieces of thread, that I also found difficult to work with, If your somebody like me whose handy man skills are lacking, I recommend you bring it to someone with the tools and resources to professionally set it up. Your life will be much easier. The output jacks are fine and are on par with the TT’s price point.
Listening:
Equipment compared to:
Rega Planar 25 with the same cartridge.
Project RM 4 with Grado Prestige Gold.
In this system I have a Rega planar 25 with the same cartridge. Since I own this table I am biased towards Rega. I also have an Project RM-4 that I do not like, but hooked it up for another comparison. So the other bias I have is I am no fan of Project tables. This being a re-badged Project has put it in position of having an uphill battle with me. However, the sound of the table was pretty good. Properly set up the arm tracks well, and held the stylus solid in the grooves. The sound is more veiled than the Rega but I found it engaging and satisfying. The motor is isolated well and the noise floor is nice and quiet, just as quiet as the Rega. Definitely quieter and cleaner sounding than the Project RM-4 it made me forget that it was made by the same company. Overall its sonic signature is drier, more analytical. Having a very different sound than my Rega 25. So if you are used to the effervescent character of a Rega this table may not be a good choice for you. Even so, I did enjoy its sonic flavor. Do I think it’s on par with my Rega? No, because the Rega’s arm is a much better design it will grab a lot more music out of the grooves putting more flesh on your recordings than the Thorens ever will.
Ease of use:
This is the area where it outshines my Rega. The belts and pulley system on this table are IMHO better designed. One of my beefs with the Rega is they use a low torque motor, so unless you give the platter a little nudge with your finger while stating it up the belt starts to slip, putting additional wear on it. Not a big deal overall, but forget to do this, the P-25 starts to make some really alarming noises. With the TD 295-MK-IV the thing just starts up, and after a few seconds is up to speed, no muss or fuss.
The other thing I liked is the speed control. To switch from 33 1/3 to 45 is merely a flip of a switch. While the Rega you have to pull the platter off and place the belt onto the larger pulley, then put the platter back onto the table. I absolutely hate this. Not only am I stretching the hell out of it, the oils from my fingers are not doing the P-25’s belt much good.
The third feature was unexpected. This table has an optical auto shut off. So when the tonearm reaches the end of a record, there is small pop and the table shuts off. It is not like the semi automatic tables of 70’s and 80’s so it does not return the tonearm to its cradle. But if you are not too ambulatory, or have a habit of falling asleep in your listening chair this feature it will save a lot wear and tear on your stylus. Because my neighbor is not in the best of health, this I am sure is the reason he purchased it. It just too bad it not built like the old Thorens table he was familiar with when he was young man. I found the Auto shut off feature quirky, If you use it on a mass market release by a major label it works fine, but put a MOFI or some Audiophile re-release in the thing it will just keep going and not turn off. I suspect with these re-issues the diameter of the dead groove is larger, so the tone arm does not come close enough to engage the optical sensor that's suppose to turn it off.
Overall value:
My friend, did you really pay $1100.00 for this table? Fortunately for him he did not, this was a closeout that he obtained for $699.00. I still think that $499.99 should have been its price point, but this amount is certainly closer to the mark than $1,100.00. This table is definitely not worth the original list price. The tone arm is just too chintzy. The Auto Shutoff is a nice but its fidgety. The biggest issue with this table has an identity crisis. It does know if its Mid-Fi product like a Denon or Hi End like a Rega. So it’s designed to be something in between. Its plinth, bearing and motor are on par with a higher end tables, but it is more of a Mid-Fi offering. If you like its looks and features and are strongly considering purchasing it... Even at the $699.00 price, I strongly suggest you look at an Rega P-3 24. Which can be had for not that much more money. If you plan to spend the full $1100.00 on this thing? NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Save your money awhile longer and go with an tripped out Rega, P3-24, stock P-5 or ClearAudio Emotion. There you will get something that is truly designed to be precision source component and not some hybrid want a be. At the time of writing this review, my friend has been released from the hospital. Since then I have a put it in his old 70’s era Pioneer Receiver with Advent Speakers. It is working out for him just fine and he seems to be happy with it. However, In the near future I have a sneaking suspicion that my friend will be asking me to setup something else.
I could have been a contender:
What is sad about this table is with a better platter and tonearm like an Rega RB-251, this would have had the potential to be a darling of the industry. But since it has none of those things, it has become something of a pariah. I am not sure if that is fair, but neither is expecting someone to pay $1,100.00 for it.