I agree that you should keep both of the Thorens if you can. I have four Thorens tables, and have owned or played with plenty of other nice tables for comparison. The TD 124 is hands down the best of the lot, and the gap between it and the TD 125 Mk. II is significant. That said, the TD 125 I got off Craigslist for a pittance performs as well or better than everything else I have or have had other than the 124. Better than a well-equipped Clearaudio Champion. And at least as well, if not better, than my SOTA Sapphire.
While it’s a less direct comparison, I picked up the 125 after auditioning a newish and heavily modded VPI Scout (surrounded by better equipment than I owned at the time), and being completely underwhelmed at how it compared to the TD 160 I was upgrading from. To my ears, that TD 160 was much better than the VPI; and the 125, in turn, is dramatically better than the 160.
While it’s a less direct comparison, I picked up the 125 after auditioning a newish and heavily modded VPI Scout (surrounded by better equipment than I owned at the time), and being completely underwhelmed at how it compared to the TD 160 I was upgrading from. To my ears, that TD 160 was much better than the VPI; and the 125, in turn, is dramatically better than the 160.