I've always thought of the Thorens TD-124 as one of the most beautiful of the classic turntables, which for whatever reason, reminds me of being the 1955 Ford T-Bird of the turntable world, a classic car which I also happen to greatly admire.
Artisan Fidelity Thorens TD-124 Statement / Classic Long-Base Turntable
I had lusted after a Thorens TD-124 of my own for years, and I finally decided to pull the trigger and ordered one of Christopher Thornton's Artisan Fidelity Thorens TD-124 Statement turntables with a Cocobolo plinth back in September of 2017 (more HERE), and the completed turntable arrived at my home in November of 2018.
My Artisan Fidelity Thorens TD-124 Statement turntable is the "long-base" version, which means it has a longer plinth to accommodate my Thomas Schick 12-inch tonearm.
Christopher's long-base plinth is extended by about 3-inches over a plinth designed for a 9-inch tonearm. While the long-base plinth occupies roughly the same physical space as a Thorens TD124 with a 12-inch lobed armboard added, the additional mass of the long-base plinth offers more stable mounting and improved isolation from vibrations, as well as giving a more aesthetically balanced armboard & plinth layout.
Christopher's plinth design features a mass loaded, constrained layer, damped, Cocobolo and Panzerholz core, with a grain matched Cocobolo armboard, and Stillpoints Ultra SS isolation feet on the bottom of the plinth.
Christopher personally hand selected the Cocobolo lumber that was used for the Thorens TD124 Statement Long-Base plinth.
Christopher also did a superb restoration of my Thorens TD124. Christopher started with the stock Swiss TD-124 chassis and then refinished it with the same sort of care and attention that he gives the beautiful Cocobolo plinth.
Christopher stripped the Thorens TD124 chassis down to the metal and then completely refinished and restored it, and replaced the Plexiglass strobe window.
Christopher then installed an Artisan Fidelity large-bore stainless-steel self-lubricating precision Sapphire main bearing assembly, featuring an advanced synthetic co-polymer thrust pad.
Next Christopher installed an Artisan Fidelity precision replacement CNC'd idler wheel with a stainless steel hub.
Then Christopher installed an Artisan Fidelity precision CNC'd austenitic stainless steel high-mass main platter (photos below), and a Thorens factory restored TD-124 aluminum clutch platter.
Christopher replaced the Thorens TD-124 chassis mushrooms with new rubber composite mushrooms exceeding the original factory specifications.
Christopher replaced the Thorens TD-124 switch compressor condenser, and the E50 motor was rebuilt using new precision bushings, felt rings, and seals, with a replacement stepped pulley wheel for the E50 motor installed.
Christopher also used a precision replacement belt to replace the original step pulley drive belt.
Chris used non-magnetic stainless steel chassis screws to secure the Thorens TD124 to the plinth, and non-magnetic stainless steel armboard screws.
Christopher went all out with the restoration and hot-rodding of my Thorens TD-124, and it turned out beautifully!
After the Artisan Fidelity Thorens TD-124 turntable arrived I set it up next to my über hot-rodded Classic Turntable Company Garrard 301 turntable (also with an Artisan Fidelity plinth), so I could do a little comparison.
Well, the Thorens TD-124 was a decent sounding turntable, but it wasn't even close to being in the same performance league as my CTC Garrard 301 turntable.
My Artisan Fidelity Thorens TD-124 was restored and built to perfection, was beautiful to look at, and while it sounded pleasant, I was disappointed with its overall musical & sonic performance.
I moved my Artisan Fidelity Thorens TD-124 to my vintage Altec A5 Voice of the Theatre based audio-visual system as my analog source, and I kept the CTC Garrard 301 as part of my main music system in my living room.
More details about my Altec A5 Voice of the Theatre based AV system can be seen HERE.
Review System
For this article, I used my vintage Altec A5 Voice of the Theatre loudspeakers based audio-visual system, as referenced above.
My vintage Altec A5 Voice of the Theatre loudspeakers were restored by Gary Fischer, which you can read more about HERE, HERE, and HERE.
My vintage Altec A5 Voice of the Theatre loudspeakers have custom crossovers based on adaptation of the venerable Jean Hiraga crossover design for the A5s. The above photo shows the high-frequency portion of the crossover, and the one below shows the low-frequency portion of the crossover.
I am using Duelund DCA16GA tinned-copper speaker cables to connect my vintage Altec A5 Voice of the Theatre loudspeakers to my Leben CS600 vacuum tube integrated amplifier (below).
The Leben CS600 integrated amplifier is connected to my Leben RS-30EQ phono equalizer with Acoustic Revive RCA Absolute FM Interconnects.
The power cables used for connecting the Leben electronics to wall AC were the Acoustic Revive Power Reference TripleC NCF AC power cables, and the Thorens TD-124 was connected to wall AC with an Acoustic Revive Power Reference power cable.
My Artisan Fidelity Thorens TD-124 Statement turntable is mounted with a Thomas Schick 12-inch tonearm, with a Thomas Schick graphite headshell that is mounted with a Soundsmith Carmen MKII phonograph cartridge.
The headshell leads I am currently using are the exotic Acoustic Revive PC-TripleC/EX Headshell Leads (photo below), which you can read more about HERE.
Three Simple & Cost Effective Hot-Rod Mods for the Classic Thorens TD-124 Turntable!
Even though my Artisan Fidelity Thorens TD-124 Statement turntable was beautifully restored and equipped with all the typical upgrades one could want, it fell short of my musical & sonic performance expectations by quite a lot.
There are three relatively affordable accessories that I was made aware of and have installed that have elevated the performance of my Artisan Fidelity Thorens TD-124 Statement Long-Base turntable into the same general musical & sonic performance league as my CTC Garrard 301, which as you can imagine, I am very pleased to report.
As a result of these three hot-rod mod's, I'm now a happy man regarding the musical & sonic performance of my Artisan Fidelity Thorens TD-124 Statement Long-Base turntable, and I want to tell you all about these three relatively easy modifications that you can easily do for your own Thorens TD-124 that will boost its performance way beyond stock.
The first accessory is the Woodsong Audio Thorens TD-124 platter adapter ($75 USD), the second accessory is the SPEC AP-UD1 Analog Disc Sheet ($350 USD), and the third accessory is the Hanze Hifi Thorens TD-124 motor decoupling spring kit (€39 Euros).
These three simple and cost-effective accessory additions taken together produced a dramatic improvement in the musical & sonic performance of my Artisan Fidelity Thorens TD-124 Statement Long-Base turntable, a magnitude of performance improvement that I would not have imagined as a possible result had I not installed them and heard them for myself.
Woodsong Audio Thorens TD-124 Platter Adapter ($75 USD)
The Woodsong Audio Thorens TD-124 platter adapter is what got me on the course of getting the performance of my TD-124 on par with my Classic Turntable Company Garrard 301, and it is an ingenious little device that allowed for the use of a better turntable mat than the stock Thorens mat, which turned out to be an upgrade that my TD-124 desperately needed to reach the level of performance of my Garrard 301.
If you don't yet know about Chris Harban's artisanal audio works at Woodsong Audio, where Chris restores & hot-rods Linn Sondek LP12, Garrard 301/401, Thorens TD-124, and Technics SP10 turntables, and builds stunning wood plinths for them—the "wood" in "Woodsong Audio"—you should really check out Chris' web page (HERE).
I saw a photo on Facebook of Chris' Woodsong Audio Thorens TD-124 that was fitted with a beautiful Tenuto gun-metal platter mat, and I was really impressed.
Then in a Facebook post I said that while I love my Artisan Fidelity Statement Thorens TD-124, it wasn't up to the same über level of musical and sonic performance as my hot-rodded Classic Turntable Company 301 with it's Artisan Fidelity plinth.
I had been speculating about the difference in the performance of the plinths of my Thorens TD-124 and CTC Garrard 301, the mat, and so forth, trying to understand why there was such a big difference in the musical & sonic performance between the two turntables, and wondering how I could bridge that performance gap.
Chris Harban responded to me that he didn't think it was so much the difference in plinths, as when he compared his Garrard 301 with its high-mass plinth to his Thorens TD-124 in a compact plinth, that their musical & sonic performance were almost indistinguishable.
Chris suggested I try one of his platter adapters on my Thorens TD-124, which would allow me to use a better mat than the stock Thorens mat.
Chris dropped one of his adapters in the mail for me so I could hear for myself what this simple upgrade could do for my Thorens TD-124's musical & sonic performance—thanks, Chris!
In order to remove the mat from my Thorens TD-124, I first had to twist and pop up the 45RPM adapter so I could remove the screws that hold it and the stock Thorens mat in place (above), and then I was able to remove the stock Thorens mat.
In the photo below you can see Chris' adapter on the left, next to the Thorens 45RPM adapter, on the right.
Chris' adapter is beautifully made, and it is machined from clear anodized aluminum, with a bronze bushing in the center that slides over the Thorens' spindle.
Once the 3 screws that hold the 45RPM adapter to the platter are removed the mat and adapter just lifts off (above), leaving the outer platter of the Thorens TD-124 exposed.
After removing the stock Thorens TD-124 45RPM adapter and mat I installed Chris' adapter (above), which comes with three Allen machine screws and an Allen wrench to make life easy. Classy!
You can reach Chris at Woodsong Audio HERE to find out more about his Thorens TD-124 platter adapter, and I very highly recommend it to get the most performance out of a Thorens TD-124 turntable.
SPEC AP-UD1 Analog Disc Sheet ($350 USD)
With the Woodsong Audio platter adapter installed and ready to go, now it was time for a record mat for my TD-124.
I've been using the SPEC AP-UD1 Analog Disc Sheet (mat) on my Classic Turntable Company Garrard 301 (you can read more about it HERE), which is a very thin aluminum plate with a 'special surface treatment' that is the same diameter as a record, and it is placed on the platter instead of a record mat.
The SPEC is the best "mat" I've tried by a long shot, so I put the one from my CTC Garrard 301 on the Thorens with Chris' new adapter and gave the TD-124 a listen.
I was blown away by the improvement the combination of the SPEC AP-UD1 Analog Disc Sheet and Woodsong Audio platter adapter brought to my TD-124. I couldn't hardly believe that installing a couple of simple accessories like the Woodsong Audio platter adapter and the SPEC AP-UD1 Analog Disc Sheet could make such a dramatic difference in the performance of my Thorens TD-124, but they did.
I had mentioned to audio pal Yazaki-san the dramatic transformation of my Thorens TD-124's performance with the addition of the SPEC AP-UD1 Analog Disc Sheet and Chris' platter adapter, which Yazaki-san relayed to Shuzo Ishimi, the president of SPEC Corporation, who then sent me a SPEC AP-UD1 Analog Disc Sheet to use for my Thorens TD124 hot-rod project!
A big "Thank you!" to Ishimi-san for sending me a SPEC AP-UD1 Analog Disc Sheet to use for this article about hot-rodding my Thorens TD124—you're the best!
It never ceases to amaze me how much of an improvement can result from doing a few simple accessory upgrades, and I now consider Chris' platter adapter and the SPEC AP-UD1 Analog Disc Sheet as an absolute necessity for my Thorens TD-124 turntable to get the best performance out of it.
I was expecting an improvement from the addition of the accessories, but I wasn't expecting such a dramatic improvement in my TD-124's musical & sonic performance, and it's put me back on my heels a bit.
Everything, and I mean everything of musical & sonic significance, was improved, and not subtly, but dramatically. I'm still marveling about it.
The SPEC AP-UD1 Analog Disc Sheet is $350 USD and is available from Jonathan Halpern at Tone Imports in North America.
Hanze Hifi Thorens TD-124 Motor Decoupling Spring Kit (€39 Euros)
The third important piece of this trinity of TD-124 hot-rod modifications is the Hanze Hifi Thorens TD-124 Motor Decoupling Spring Kit, which you can see in the photo below.
The kit consists of three suspension springs, washers, and circlips that replace the stock suspension rubbers and circlips, and is an affordable €39 Euros.
Most of you who are into Thorens TD-124's have heard of Jaap Pees of Hanze HiFi, as Jaap is well known around the world for his superb technical work with all kinds of turntables, and Jaap is likely the best guy on Planet Earth for getting the most performance out of a Thorens TD-124 turntable.
Like Chris Harban, Jaap had read my post on Facebook saying that my TD-124 was no match for my CTC Garrard 301, and he sent me a message and asked me if I would like to try the Hanze Hifi Thorens TD-124 Motor Decoupling Spring Kit, which of course I was very glad to do as part of my search for improving my TD-124's performance - thanks Jaap!
Jaap told me that the Hanze Hifi Thorens TD-124 Motor Decoupling Spring Kit they developed was a dramatic improvement over any other decoupling solution for the TD-124's motor. You can see the measured results of their comparisons HERE.
It turned out that my Artisan FidelityThorens TD-124 Statement turntable still had the old-style MKI version of the motor rods, so to be able to use the Hanze HiFi TD-124 motor decoupling spring kit, I had to remove the MKI suspension rods and install an AudioSilente MKII suspension rods upgrade kit first (€60 Euros), HERE.
The E50 motor in my Thorens TD-124 was suspended by three MKI rods that need to be replaced with the Audiosilente MKII rods, and two came out easy. The third MKI rod was press fit into a bracket on the E50 motor, with a slight lip around the top of the rod to hold it in place, which means it couldn't just be easily unscrewed and removed like the other two.
In order to remove the third suspension rod I had to use my electric drill to drill away the lip holding the rod in place in the bracket, and I was then able to remove the rod with a pair of pliers. It was easier than it sounds. Then I replaced the third suspension rod with the AudioSilenteMKII rod, which is the one in the center in the photo above.
Chances are that your Thorens TD-124 already has the MKII suspension rods in it, so you'll be able to skip this step, but if not, then you'll need to do what I did and change out the MKI rods with an AudioSilente MKII rod kit.
With the new MKII-style AudioSilente suspension rods in place it was time to put the Hanze HiFi spring suspension in place.
Normally all you would have to do to mount the Hanze HiFi motor isolation spring kit is—one by one—remove the circlips and stock Thorens isolation rubbers and replace them with the springs, washers, and circlips provided in the Hanze HiFi kit. Easy peasy.
In the Hanze HiFi video above Jaap demonstrates putting the springs in place to suspend the E50 Thorens TD-124 motor.
Since I had to put new AudioSilente MKII suspension rod kit in, I had already removed the stock suspension rubbers, and so I then added the Hanze HiFi springs, washers, and circlips all at once.
Below is a top view of what mine looked like when I was finished.
Side view.
After getting the spring kit installed I put everything back together to get ready to do a little listening to the results of the fruits of my labors.
Listening Impressions With the Three Thorens TD-124 Hot-Rod Modifications
First up for listening was David Rawlings Poor David's Almanack, and I wasn't disappointed, the magnitude of improvement from these three hot-rod mod's taken together were a dramatic improvement.
My first revelation—prior to putting in the motor isolation spring kit—was how bad the stock Thorens mat was compared to the SPEC AP-UD1 Analog Disc Sheet. Ditch the stock Thorens mat as fast as you can, it sucks.
The Woodsong Audio platter adapter opened up a whole new world of performance for my Thorens TD-124 by allowing the addition of the SPEC AP-UD1 Analog Disc Sheet, and I found it rather amazing how much the stock Thorens mat held back the performance of my TD-124.
The addition of the Hanze HiFi TD-124 motor decoupling spring kit provided a similar magnitude of improvement—big—to my Thorens TD-124 as the combination of the Woodsong Audio adapter and SPEC AP-UD1 Analog Disc Sheet did.
These three modifications together have transformed my Artisan Fidelity Thorens TD-124 Statement Long-Base turntable to a level of performance that I really didn't think it was capable of, but I am delighted to have been proven wrong about that!
Poor David's Almanack was transformed musically and sonically by the addition of these three modifications to my TD-124, and was brimming full of musical nuance, gorgeous timbral realism, and superb rhythm and melodies.
The overall effect of these three simple accessories was to instill a sense of live-like musical energy and excitement that was wonderful to hear coming from my Thorens TD-124.
Simply everything from a performance standpoint was better, musically and sonically, but such a large degree I'm still marveling over it.
Next up for a listen was my Gillian Welch & David Rawlings album The Harrow & The Harvest, which I've been enjoying ever since it came out.
As soon as the stylus of the Soundsmith Carmen Mk II phono cartridge touched down I was treated to a vivid and rich presentation of Gillian & David's music the likes of which are a completely new experience with my Thorens TD-124.
I found myself easily drawn into this deeply dark and melancholy music, which was mesmerizing in its musical intensity and live-like performance emotional-feel.
My AV system is in a relatively small spare bedroom, so everything is up close and intimate with the giant vintage Altec A5 Voice of the Theatre loudspeakers providing a completely immersive experience whether I'm listening vinyl or watching a film.
Album after album has been an exciting listening experience with my my Artisan Fidelity Thorens TD-124 Statement turntable, and I've never heard it offer up such superb transparency, resolution, soundstaging, a voluminous sense of ambient 'space' in a recording, and imaging, as I have with the Woodsong Audio platter adapter, SPEC AP-UD1 Analog Disc Sheet, and Hanze HiFi spring motor isolation kit in place.
In like fashion, from a musicality perspective, the live-like timbral realism, the resolution of tone color, engaging melody, harmony, rhythm, beat, tempo, dynamics, and the ability to play naturally at live-like levels appropriate to a given piece of music, are significantly improved with the Woodsong Audio platter adapter, SPEC AP-UD1 Analog Disc Sheet, and Hanze HiFi spring motor isolation kit in place.
I enthusiastically recommend the Woodsong Audio platter adapter, SPEC AP-UD1 Analog Disc Sheet, and Hanze HiFi spring motor isolation kit for getting "next level" performance from my Artisan Fidelity Thorens TD-124 Statement turntable, and the fact that it was so easy to do, and affordable, is icing on the cake.
I would like to thank Chris Harban (Woodsong Audio), Yazaki-san and Ishimi-san (SPEC Corporation), and Jaap Pees (Hanze HiFi) for opening my eyes to the level of performance that is possible from a classic Thorens TD-124 like mine with the addition of a few simple and cost-effective accessories.
As always, thanks for stopping by Positive Feedback to read this article, and may the tone be with you in your listening adventures!
