Thorens 160MKII BC Grace 707 + F9????


Good evening all

So my noob brief and bitter adventure with a PD441 came to a close the 2nd day i had it. No quartz lock, speed was wacked. Went straight back to seller. Ho hum

 

I just dont think electrics are my friend. But no worries. I found a gorgeous TD 160MKII BC with a grace 707

I have a Grace f9 and have read that its not the ideal match. Opinions please?

I still need to upgrade the F9 but holding off to get the right styly. 

Down the road I would like a grace with a removable headshell. So any suggestions on model would be very welcome. 

 

Chris

 

chridabs

@elliottbnewcombjr I think the mounting shaft for the 707 is 20-25. had a look for the acos but no where to be found to even have a look!

 

@lewm 

I had read (audiokarma?) that the compliance would not be a good fit. But what do i know. Hence the question. Also my naim only has MM so cant get a MC atm. Theres great info out here but it can be mind bending if you dig too deep at times (8O Re: luxman:  I would spend to get something repaired if i had found it, was given it, was dirt cheap or it crashed over years of use. I do this with my cameras all the time. Money is not always the issue. But to me its not economically sensible or time efficient to spend a ton of cash on something that is meant to be working and arrives faulty for then have ME do the leg work of finding someone somewhere to possibly do the work and just hope that they can actually do the work with parts they may or may not have. Call me old fashioned but all i want to do is listen to records and along the way improve on what i already have. Also having something a little simpler would allow me the space to tinker all day long if things go awry

I am sure the 707 is an amazing arm. Couldn't tell you off the bat I am a noob. But having the access to new headshells and carts without having to fiddle around all the  time sounds like a good idea to me. 

Technicalities aside I like the aesthetics of a straight arm on a deck like the thorens. Always liked the Micro Seiki but not sure if they are a good fit.

But any and all info is definitely appreciated!

I dunno if the 707 is amazing, but I do know it will work fine with the Grace cartridge of the same era.  Why not give the Thorens/Grace tonearm/Grace cartridge combo a listen for a few weeks. If you are dissatisfied at that point, you can then make some changes. I personally believe that an F9 with any one of the better Soundsmith replacement stylus assemblies will give any sub $1000 MC cartridge a run for the money. Give it time to break in.  I own an F9Ruby with the SS sapphire cantilever/OCL stylus; it's excellent.

Grace 707 owner of 48 (!) years here. I owned a Grace F9E and F9 Ruby back in the early 1980’s.

The Grace F9E most definitely works with this tonearm. I could never get the ruby version to no sound bright and hard in my system (bi amplified Dahlquist DQ10’s at the time with AR SP6B and C-J MV75A and Ampzilla amps with double subs). I think the ruby cantilever has kess compliance than the aluminium F9E.

If you look up the compliance data for the F9E vs the F9Ruby, I really do not think you would find much if any difference in compliance. Your finding that the Ruby was bright and hard in your system does not at all gibe with my experience in my system, but that just goes to show the importance of ancillary equipment in determining one’s impression of any cartridge. In fact, one of the things I like better about the SoundSmith OCL stylus vs the stock Ruby stylus is the fact that the former does have a better more extended top end and with greater transparency. (I own two Grace Ruby cartridges, one still with its original stylus and the other with the SS max upgrade, so I have been able to compare them straight across.)

@lewm @jallan 

Thank you both for the information and insights. 

My basic system currently is a naim nait 50th running out to some martin logans. 

The naim is incredibly clear. I am worried that with the wrong choice it may shrill at the top end. 

I will give soundsmith a call and see what is available to me and any suggestions.

On a slight tangent, how do you deal with azimuth on a none removable head???