Thorens 160 VS Lenco L-75

udii

Active Member
hello :)
sorry for my poor english
my name is udi and i am from israel
I like to listen to trance and rock
i have an option to buy this turntable Thorens 160 or this Lenco L-75
what will you recommend me ?
thx :ntwrthy:
 
Welcome to AK, Udii. I'm positive you will get all kinds of feedback on this question of yours. I personally like the Thorens line of turntables. But, that is all I own and it would not be fair for me to compare the two since I have never heard or owned a Lenco. I can say that the L75 looks like a fine turntable. If you could audition the two side by side then that would be the best situation. Then your ears could help you decide. That is if both are equal in being setup properly and have cartridges that are equal in sound reproduction.

Some others that have way more knowledge than I will more than likely chime in and give you more information on your question.

Enjoy the forums!!
 
Apples and oranges. I've had both and they are so different in concept and construction that I'm not sure it is not more what has features you'd use. I had a L75 years ago and miss it but with 3 turntables I do not see another in my stable any time soon. I have a TD160 and bought it new. It is a reliable very simple table that if not abused outside of a little oil and a belt will keep on going forever. Parts are minimal and readily available. The Lenco is rarer on this side of the pond and parts are hard to find. Not sure if the same over there.

The Lenco does not use a belt, using a puck instead. It is a very solid tables and is continiously variable so it is a 78 rpm lover's dream table, especially collectors of records made in the very early years of wind up players.

Provided the puck is in good condition and the arm is good, I personally would shoot for the Lenco. Yeah, having the 160, you'd think I'd vote the other way but it is easier to find a good Thorens than Lenco and you'll find 2, 3, 4 tables are really needed if into vinyl. Each has a different sound.
 
The Lenco L75 is a great turntable and with a little cleaning and oiling of the motor and the platter bearing will probably last a long long time. The problem with the Lenco is that the original tonearm leaves a lot to be desired. I love my Lenco and listen to it in preference to my rega P3 but that is with a Decca International tonearm in place of the original arm which is a piece of junk as far as I'm concerned. No experience with the Thorens - sorry.
 
Both are possibly fine turntables. The Thorens is probably an easier table to deal with -- maybe. Thorens are common, easy to find parts for, have a quiet belt drive system and a reasonable arm. The suspension system is effective for acoutstic feedback, but in the wrong place in the room, will skip when ever you walk. The Lenco has an arm that probably needs its weird and misconcieved rubber pivot bearings replaced, and the decoupling of the counterweight is prone to catastrophic and unrepairable failure. So the arm probably should be replaced (and maybe already has been). And the suspension is sort of rudimentary. And the idlers can get hard and noisy. If you are willing to replace the arm and mount the table in a high mass plinth,a nd it ahs a good idler, there is something about idler drives and the their pace rhythym and timeing that is pretty compelling. Talk about deep tactile bass...
So the Thorens is a very good reliable table, but the Lenco is potentially a super table, though only if you spend a good deal of time and effort, and possibly a fair amount of money. You would probably be happy with either, but some people will consider one option obvious and the other ridiculous, while other people will come to the opposite conclusion. It depends who you are...
 
thanks
this is the lenco that i have an option to nuy
lencol75fullzs2.jpg


is he have the original arm ?
 
thanks very much :)
i will buy the lenco
this lenco is like new because the owner is an famous elctronics tech
 
That is the original arm. I'd not be worried about it as much as others. I've only see a few that had issues and from the condition of the table as a whole they were more than likely abused versus used. No, the arm in good condition will not work as well with some cartridges as the 160 but will do as well as the 160 on most.
 
If youv'e some money left, try to buy another arm for the Lenco.
The stock arm is not the best.
For example a Decca International tonearm will be a great improvement.

Tony
 
The counterweight looks fine -- the possible problem with them is that they were decoupled with an arrangement that used a rubber section and a wire that was tightened and then clamped off, and that wire is sometimes broken simply from fatigue. But the counterweight would sag if it were broken. So that's good.
The pivot blocks may need work, but they can be replaced easily, and LencoWorld or LencoLovers will give you all the guidance you need.
The turntable looks in very nice shape, but try to listen to it before you buy, since you want to be sure the idler is still supple and round.
 
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