the first thing i can say is {wow}. A good quality tt makes a difference.
I just got in today the td 160 mkII, and they say that this is one of the bottom of the thorens. If i heard any better id go broke...quick...this is addictive.
I set it up checked the bounce and cleaned the connectors, and oiled main tt bearing{whatever its called} and gave it a spin. It was dead quiet and I was surprised how much heavier the platter and tt was compared to the dual 1257,sansui 212 , and marantz tt 6200. And the sound was noticable clearer with the same shure m97xe...I dont understand how that could be...but my wife even could obviously notice the difference..Next I tried the stanton 681,and i liked it much better than the shure....It had more bottom and alot more tighter and brighter top...
The table was better than the others on foot fall also.
I am really happy with this table and will probably buy another thorens.
If you guys have any suggestion on any other maintenance that i might need to take care of please let me know...

Congrats on your first Thorens! I was very pleasantly surprised when I went from a mid grade Technics to a TD 150MK2. Of course I couldn't stop there!

Well done! Welcome to the wonderful world of Thorens.

theanalogdept is a great resource for these tables. There is a lot of info there especially on the TD 160 model which is very similar to yours.

The other things that sometimes need checking are making sure the spring assembly "shafts" are tight at the top....making sure the belt is riding in the fattest part of the motor shaft thingy (invert the outer platter to check)...and check to see if there is any freeplay in the TA bearings.

Lee

thanks for the info

do i need to oil the bearings on the tone arm? how?

or the motor?

The tonearms bearings should not need lubrication and, if they must be lubricated, you should use a specified lubricant as regular oil may be too viscous or may thicken over time or even collect dirt, none of which you want in a tonearm bearing.

The motor should be lubricated. I can tell you how but you can get clearer instructions from a service manual. You can download a service manual from theanalogdept or www.vinylengine.com. You must be a registered vinylengine member to download from their site but it's totally free, as are the manuals.

No oil required there

well...maybe the motor

The motor should be lubricated. I can tell you how but you can get clearer instructions from a service manual.

Can you share how you did it? I do not want to take the pulley off the motor unless I have to.

Thanks!

You don't need to remove the pulley. Put a drop of oil on the end of a needle or toothpick or use a syringe oiler. Put two drops of oil on the motor shaft where it exits the motor. It might help if you will grasp the pulley with your fingers and lift the shaft just a bit - it will move only about 1mm - then oil it. Release the pulley and let the oil have several minutes to trickle down before you do anything else. Clean the pulley b4 you use replace the belt.

There is a bearing on the bottom of the motor. Put a drop of oil on the end of the shaft (it looks like the bullseye of a target) and let it sit for several minutes.

Use a high quality oil. I used what is called "Turbine Oil" but you can use any light oil such as that used for Sewing Machines.

This is the same basic procedure outlined in the Thorens service manual. The motor in my new to me TD160 was very noisy when I got it but is now virtually silent. Really bad cases may require a second application of oil to the top bearing. If this doesn't help the motor should be removed and disassembled, cleaned, lubricated, and reassembled. If this doesn't help the motor is worn out and should be replaced.

That's what I thought but was not sure. I have an intermittent WOW in the table and found it a bear getting to the top bearing. I guess I need to try again. I think I got some in there but cannot confirm. Pulley was too close and barely will move. I'll try again and do the bottom bearing as well.
Might as well repeat the new belt installation.
Thank You!

Congratulations! Welcome to the wonderful world of Thorens TTs! There is a lot of useful data here: http://www.vinylengine.com/

All the best

I am excited for you. I just got a TD-145 and a 440mla. Still waiting for the headshell screws from Analogdept. 4 days. Patience I guess. Mine came with a Shure m71. No thanks don't like the sound. I did all the same maintanance. I just can't wait to be listening!
Happy for you Charles! I think we have opened a new door to listening. There are so many happy Thorens people on AK. :yes:

Congrats on a fine turntable and here's wishing you plenty of enjoyment with it over the years.

(...) I just got in today the td 160 mkII, and they say that this is one of the bottom of the thorens. (...)

"They" must be high-enders then. ;)

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

Congrats on your 'new' Thorens; personally, I think the TD-160 is the one to get - though I purposely sought out it's little brother, the -165, to the point of passing over some -160's for the same money. I just love the -165 for sentimental reasons (and I really like the TP-11 Mk. I tonearm). The two models are very close cousins, and the sound quality is excellent.

I also own a pristine Realistic LAB-400, but haven't spun a single record on it since I found the Thorens. If the Thorens dies, it's a decent back-up table. My little analog rig sounds much better than many combinations of amps/tables with superior meaurements, but I overcome the spec deficit by listening sans meters. :)

I hope you enjoy your fine table as much as I do mine, and hello to all you vinylphiles out there - I've been away for awhile.