Testimonials from Previous Buyers
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“Now that I’ve spent some time with the TT (Thorens TD-150 Mod and Upgrade), I thought I’d give you some of my listening impressions: First of all, the deck now has depth or image that it lacked before. Instead of the music being very linear and flat against the wall, it comes out from the middle of the room and approaches the listener. Secondly, it has incredibly good stereo separation, although I suspect with the properly set up VTA, all that kinda stuff came online. Way back in the day it did have great stereo separation. Third thing I noticed were instruments, voices and other musical artifacts that I never heard before. And these are from albums that I’ve had since the late 60’s- 70’s. That to me, was worth he price of admission.;-) In conclusion, the musicality of the TT is excellent. I’m assuming that to beat it, I would literally have to spend thousands for a newer TT & cart. For now, it’s a beautiful sounding deck and I hope to have it around far into the future!” Kevin F, Walla Walla, WA
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“I am just floored at how good this setup (Thorens TD-160 Super/SME 3009 Series II) sounds. The turntable runs extremely smoothly. The motor keeps excellent speed and there is virtually no noticble signs of wear on any of the moving parts. Just beautiful. Especially considering its age! The Benz Glider is everything I hoped for and more. This cartridge has been expertly set up, and you can clearly tell that an extremely steady hand was necessary throughout the process. I have never heard better tracking than with this cartridge. It is dead quiet, too. Even my oldest LP’s have a much lower level of noise than ever before. Rhythm tempo and pace flow out of the open body with a ease that allows the music to feel and sound so real. Feel free to use any of my comments on your website. You deserve all the praise in the world for helping people like me really enjoy the benefits of vintage analog. I can’t thank you enough!” Dave B, CT
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“I wanted to tell you how very well pleased I am with my new/old turntable. In a world of disappointments I certainly am happy with this product. The Thorens TD125 and SME arm are the classic combination I would have bought back when I bought my TD150 had money not been an issue. The 150 has been a reliable performer through almost 40 years and many other components but it was always noisy, especially prone to feedback. There is a certain irony that as I age and my hearing deteriorates my audio system improves due to more comfortable financial means. The audible difference with the new ‘player, however, blew my mind. The whole combination works stunningly well and your restoration work is beautiful. The strong, solid build quality of the TD 125 and the precision of the old SME arm will probably last me the rest of my days and give me something to pass along to my now 30 year old son. Thank you so much for a really high quality product and an obvious love for your hobby/craft.” Gene H. Logandale, NV
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“I received the co-polymer pulley and all I can say is “Wow.” It is hard to believe that such a small part can have such a noticeable effect on the resonance from the motor. Thank you. When my budget permits I will definitely be upgrading other parts. Thanks again. Harris, Sayville, NY
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“I am very pleased with the AR “The Turntable” with Rega 250 arm and other upgrades. The cartridge choice was spot on, not too bright and mates well with my current equipment. The packing was overkill (that’s a compliment by the way) and your service is second to none. I have and will continue to recommend you. Thanks again! DK, Park Ridge, IL
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“I recently decided it was time to upgrade to a decent turntable from my introductory one, and quickly discovered Dave’s services as a turntable refurbisher. Impressed with previous customers’ testimonials, I realized it was smarter to purchase from Dave than to risk buying from eBay. I was not disappointed. I found exactly what I was looking for in a classic Thorens 125 MKII. He was very helpful, honest and accomodating during the purchase and went so far as to swap out the tonearm with one I was more interested in. The Thorens 125 arrived in excellent shape due to a professional packaging job and was exactly as depicted in the numerous photos he sent me. I needed a little assistance with setup and indeed he was right there when I called and very friendly/patient with troubleshooting. On top of all that, he offered much advice on other equipment/components for the table. To boot, the price of this particular model was by far lower than any of the other ones I had found online. I would highly recommend Dave to anyone who is looking for a quality turntable!” C.B. Chicago
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“The Thorens TD-160B arrived in great condition. The unit looks and sounds incredible, far beyond my expectations. Thank you for the superb packing job (best I have ever seen) and nice to do business with you. Thanks again.” A.B. Boston
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“Thanks for your help in purchasing the Thorens TD-126. I just got it set up in my system and played some albums. It sounds awesome. Definitely better than the $2000 VPI Scout I heard at Stereo Unlimited the other day. It is smooth and dynamic and very balanced. I never expected it to sound so good. Just wanted something to play my old albums. Bought a 200g copy of Come Away with Me by Norah Jones so I could compare to the CD. I was shocked how much better than the CD. Not even any cracks or pops really.” J.P. CA
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“I just wanted to thank you for the Thorens 147/RB 300. I’m finally settled in my new apartment and have completed a major overhaul of my system… Thorens/Rega, McCormack Phono Drive preamp, Classe CAP101 integrated, Vandersteen 2ce’s, (and, on the side, my old Marantz CD 6000 OSE : ) The turntable sounds amazing. I really can’t get over the quality of the sound, no matter what I throw at it (tonight, Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On,” Furtwangler and the Vienna Philharmic playing Wagner, Steely Dan’s “Aja,” and Springsteen’s “Tunnel of Love.”) Don’t know of anyone who’s actively looking, but I’ve told all my audiophile friends about the great experience I had with you.” T.M. MA
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“Just wanted to let you know I received the 160 Super turntable today. I set it up in about 1 hour with a brand new AT440MLa cartridge. It’s sitting on my Apollo stand and looks beautiful, sounds wonderful, and the cart isn’t even run in yet. Thanks for the chance to buy such a great and unique turntable. It’s the best turntable I’ve owned since I reluctantly parted with a Linn LP12 over 10 years ago. From what I recall, I could give the Linn a good fight.” S.S. FL
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“First and foremost I love what the new [copolymer] pulley does to the sound of the table. I was expecting less noise and more speed stability, but I was not expecting the sound to be improved across the board. The sound seems wholly more dynamic. The sort of change I would expect from a cartridge upgrade not just a pulley. Very impressive.” Kevin, NY
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