This Thorens turnable could have been my last turntable until I had failed to...

Ki Choi

Member Sponsor

May 13, 2010

764

29

1,590

Seattle WA area

• Dec 12, 2011

• #1

count the last zero in the price...

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?anlgtabl&1328371219&/Thorens-Reference-TurntableRar

Is it that good or is it one of those got to have collector's item with no sonic merits?

 

microstrip

VIP/Donor

May 30, 2010

20,807

4,700

2,790

Portugal

• Dec 12, 2011

• #2

Ki Choi said:

count the last zero in the price...

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?anlgtabl&1328371219&/Thorens-Reference-TurntableRar

Is it that good or is it one of those got to have collector's item with no sonic merits?

Click to expand...

As far as I know it is mainly a collector item. I can accept easily that it sounds good - see it at

http://www.thorens-info.de/html/thorens_reference.html or using the google translator

http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=de&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thorens-info.de%2Fhtml%2Fthorens_reference.html

Anyone going to buy such units should be very careful - I have seen adds at eBay of custom made copies of this turntable model at around one third this price.

 

J

jdza

Well-Known Member

May 3, 2010

294

255

1,513

• Dec 12, 2011

• #3

Yes It is that good. I have number 92.It is the last turntable i'll ever own. If I were in the market for a turntable and had $45k to spend that is what I'll buy again. It uses mechanisms that is only now being appreciated.i.e the 3 phase motor and power supply,the compartments in the chassis filled with iron filings. Turn the platter over and observe it filled with grey superhard plywood now so in fashion on Audiogon.There is the bearing that was the quietest that Thorens could design. At the time Thorens belonged to EMT and the Reference combined the joint expertise of the 2 giants.

The copies I have seen on ebay does not resemble the original at all.

BTW I thought Ki may get a kick out of this. The motor on the left is that of aThorens Reference and on the right is the mechanical counter from an early Studer A80

This is mine

 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator

Mar 31, 2010

45,920

19,018

7,105

Coto De Caza, California, south golf course

www.whatsbestforum.com

• Dec 12, 2011

• #4

so how can one be certain that the Audiogon listing represents an original and not a copy as microstrip says exists

 

J

jdza

Well-Known Member

May 3, 2010

294

255

1,513

• Dec 12, 2011

• #5

The intricacies of the table can be seen here:
http://www.theanalogdept.com/restoring_a_thorens_reference_mk1.htm

If someone is producing copies that is as accurate as the one in the Audiogon ad and then go to the trouble of aging it (the one in the ad appears to be as old as it should be) ,he probably deserves the price he is asking! As can be seen in the restoration thread it is a very labour intensive piece to manufacture.

 

Last edited: Dec 12, 2011

microstrip

VIP/Donor

May 30, 2010

20,807

4,700

2,790

Portugal

• Dec 12, 2011

• #6

This one was reported in german forum as being a copy:

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Thorens-Reference-re-edition-/00/$%28KGrHqR,!lQE3HG8S%29H4BOIHnQ3uQ!~~_3.JPG

 

FrantzM

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member

Apr 20, 2010

6,455

29

405

• Dec 12, 2011

• #7

Puzzling ... How would a copy sound compared to the original?

 

c1ferrari

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member

May 15, 2010

2,162

51

1,770

• Dec 12, 2011

• #8

Trade

Ki Choi said:

count the last zero in the price...

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?anlgtabl&1328371219&/Thorens-Reference-TurntableRar

Is it that good or is it one of those got to have collector's item with no sonic merits?

Click to expand...

a couple of R2R decks for it, Ki

 

J

jdza

Well-Known Member

May 3, 2010

294

255

1,513

• Dec 12, 2011

• #9

microstrip said:

This one was reported in german forum as being a copy:

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Thorens-Reference-re-edition-/00/$%28KGrHqR,!lQE3HG8S%29H4BOIHnQ3uQ!~~_3.JPG

Click to expand...

I saw that ad on eBay at the time .I assume the Germans know more about the Reference than I. However the eBay photo was "borrowed " from a well documented restoration project in the U.S. It shows the meticulous restoration of a machine (number 34) found in an extremely poor state in a New York garage.

http://www.theanalogdept.com/reference_no_34.htm

The only copy I have seen is this one. It is a Chinese DIY effort that was never passed of as the real thing : From Holger Barske's site

 

Last edited: Dec 12, 2011