Fidelity Designs LTD

Upgrades for Thorens turntables.

I will try and detail some of the upgrades that I can offer for Thorens turntables. I will use the TD150 MK2 as an example of what can be done.

Home

Description of Thorens upgrades.

Posted on by Ben Lamb -

We will have a look at some TD150 upgrades here. I thought it would be a good idea to make a kit so that the Thorens platter and sub-platter along with the 16 pole motor could be used with Linn LP12 parts. I have made a couple of versions of a very high quality bearing that can be installed in a Linn LP12 sub-chassis. The bearing matches the Thorens spindle on the sub-platter and runs the sub-platter at the correct height. The bearing has dual Delrin liners and an oil gap in between, it gets excellent lubrication and also supports the top and bottom of the shaft with minimal friction. The first version of the bearing has a large replaceable Delrin thrust plate sealed with an O ring. The body is 6082 alloy and the fittings stainless. A second version of the bearing v2 has a PEEK thrustplate and can be used with the Vahalla type PSUs. Due to the extra depth of the TD150 sub-platter what is needed is an LP12 type top-plate with a cutout for the sub-platter. I make one using my usual Carbon molding process and the Motor is at 7 O'clock to eliminate groove scrub.

The cost of an LP12/TD150 carbon top-plate is £85, fitting kit is £10. The Linn/Thorens bearing is £68 for ver.1 and there is a ver.2 that can be used with Valhalla type psus and the standard plinth brace that costs £65.