Premiere Design

Thorens TD 209 Turntable

Bob Ankosko  |  May 14, 2014

Spinning With Style
You don’t come across many companies that have been in business for 100 years. Founded in 1883 as a manufacturer of musical boxes and clocks, Thorens started building Edison-type cylinder phonographs in 1903 and has been making turntables ever since. Although the company branched out into audio electronics in the ’90s, it remains a steadfast bearer of fine turntables. Its latest specimen is the ultra-modern TD 209, which borrows design cues from its higher-end sibling, the TD 309.

514premdesgn.arm.jpg

This belt-driven beauty comes with a pre-installed TP 90 rolled-aluminum tonearm, featuring precision Japanese bearings and a moving-magnet cartridge, making it ready for action within minutes of being unboxed. The triangular plinth is cut from a single piece of acoustically inert MDF and supported by three adjustable feet (which lack the spring-loaded suspension found on the pricier TD 309). The platter combines layers of aluminum and acrylic with a thin layer of treated paperboard in between for decoupling. The TD 209 uses the same servo-controlled DC motor and drive unit as the TD 309, and belt tension can be adjusted to fine-tune platter speed.

514premdesgn.black.jpg

What separates the TD 209 from other tables in its class? CEO Heinz Rohrer says, “a lot of individual and small unique ideas”—starting with the tonearm, which closely matches the performance of the TP 92 arm used in the TD 309. The design was borne out of research on simple but effective methods for eliminating tonearm/tube vibrations and distortion. “Another important feature is the production method we use to keep friction in the gimbal bearing system to an extreme minimum,” Rohrer adds, noting that a high-quality motor steering unit helps keep dreaded wow and flutter to a minimum.

514premdesgn.white.jpg

If you prefer a more traditional (boring) form factor, Thorens offers the TD 206, which is operationally the same as the TD 209 but with a rectangular base and included dust cover. (A clear acrylic dust cover is available as an option for the TD 209.) Both models are available in red, white, or black and sell for $1,500.

Thorens
(604) 542-0904
thorens.com

COMMENTS
dommyluc's picture
Submitted by dommyluc on May 15, 2014 - 8:41am

Only $1500? Well, forget about buying that Oppo BDP-105 to play the multi-channel SACDs I have. BTW, please inform me when you have some breaking news about any newly-released products for playing my Edison wax cylinders. Oh, and a new VHS deck. The colors were so much "warmer" on VHS than on Blu-ray.

luka3rd's picture
Submitted by luka3rd on May 15, 2014 - 1:22pm

You've got my thinking axactly! Great comment! So on spot!

vqworks's picture
Submitted by vqworks on May 21, 2014 - 3:01pm

The Thorens TD 209 appears to be a very well-conceived product. The thin, rolled aluminum tonearm keeps effective mass low and the collar's location also reduces the mass. At the price, however, I wish Thorens could include the suspension that is reserved for the TD 309. Of course, the supply may have something to do with this. It would also be good to include the effective mass of the tonearm in the specifications. Likewise, cartridge manufacturers should also publish compliance in their specifications more often.

I find it amusing that audiophiles seem to be either anti-analog or anti-digital. I love my Oppo Blu-Ray player and my home theater system but there's no substitute for the sound of high-end analog equipment (turntable, open-reel, even high-end cassette from the early 80s). This is not just based on preference for colored sound. It's no mystery that one of the most significant reasons that high-resolution digital formats was created was to equal the bandwidth/frequency response of high-end analog formats! Back in the 70s phono cartridges and open-reel machines could produce the resolution. And with noise reduction systems like dbx, the dynamic range of open-reel tape and dbx discs is greater than CD's! In the typical listening room even in an audiophile's home, the noise floor is below the threshold of household noises. When properly engineered, an analog system can be extremely accurate and transparent.

I'm one audiophile that is happy to have both analog and digital equipment. What could be better than a flexible system that plays anything?

X