I've spent some "quality time" playing around with my TD160 a few years back. My approach was to look for a plan of attack. I had remembered that, back in the 80's and 90's, there was a company called "Chadwick Modifications" which offered an upgrade service for the various Thorens turntable models, including the TD160.
Fast forward into the early years of the 21st century, and I was now interested in seeing how to improve the TD160. I could not find very much on the web about Chadwick Modifications, but did encounter one magazine article that made a comparison between a Chadwick modified Thorens player and a VPI HW19 in which the Thorens fared well.....and at a lower price.
I wrote about that here:
http://www.theanalogdept.com/thorens_tweaks.htm
It is also worth noting that Thorens themselves offered a "hot-rodded" version of the TD160. It was called the TD160 Super. They produced that model in the late seventies/early eighties in the Mk II iteration of the model. That version used a more solid plinth, added some dampening material to the underside of both the motor plate and the sub-chassis, came without a tonearm so that the owner could specify it, and replaced the plastic armboard with a wooden one. Other changes included some higher quality dust cover hinges, etc.
First order of business:
1) make sure that the drive train is operating up to its best. Not much to it.
2)Oil in the main bearing.
3)Make sure the motor shaft spins true and hasn't been bent.
4)Add a few droplets of lube to the motor bushings.
5)Replace the belt with the correct model. The new Thorens does offer a correct belt replacement.
See Acoustic Sounds for belt replacements. Avoid cross referenced belts, such as sold on ebay at reduced prices. These tend to have the wrong thickness, width and length, tension.
6) suspension adjustments See above link for a couple of tutorials on the subject.
7) Yes. The original rubber platter mat can be improved upon. Especially now that it is 40 years old and not as supple as it originally was.
-Steve
Fast forward into the early years of the 21st century, and I was now interested in seeing how to improve the TD160. I could not find very much on the web about Chadwick Modifications, but did encounter one magazine article that made a comparison between a Chadwick modified Thorens player and a VPI HW19 in which the Thorens fared well.....and at a lower price.
I wrote about that here:
http://www.theanalogdept.com/thorens_tweaks.htm
It is also worth noting that Thorens themselves offered a "hot-rodded" version of the TD160. It was called the TD160 Super. They produced that model in the late seventies/early eighties in the Mk II iteration of the model. That version used a more solid plinth, added some dampening material to the underside of both the motor plate and the sub-chassis, came without a tonearm so that the owner could specify it, and replaced the plastic armboard with a wooden one. Other changes included some higher quality dust cover hinges, etc.
First order of business:
1) make sure that the drive train is operating up to its best. Not much to it.
2)Oil in the main bearing.
3)Make sure the motor shaft spins true and hasn't been bent.
4)Add a few droplets of lube to the motor bushings.
5)Replace the belt with the correct model. The new Thorens does offer a correct belt replacement.
See Acoustic Sounds for belt replacements. Avoid cross referenced belts, such as sold on ebay at reduced prices. These tend to have the wrong thickness, width and length, tension.
6) suspension adjustments See above link for a couple of tutorials on the subject.
7) Yes. The original rubber platter mat can be improved upon. Especially now that it is 40 years old and not as supple as it originally was.
-Steve