New chassis for a Thorens TD-150

[gattu marrudu]

Hello there,
I bought a Thorens TD-150 in pretty good conditions, and while I want to rewire it, I don't want to cut RCA outlet holes into the original chassis. So I thought I would build a new chassis and possibly improve the sound.

I have read the excellent article on 79209 which mentions preferring MDF over solid wood because of better bass response. However there is no way I would work with MDF: while I go over the effort to rebuild the plinth, it may as well be nice wood.


I have a couple of questions about the plinth. I see custom plinths of different shapes and weights out there and I wonder if I should be look for any particular parameters:

- Hard / soft wood (Please don't tell me that MDF is REALLY the way to go)
- Frame thickness and height
- Overall weight

If I had no constraints, I would attempt to use some bulky (2x5 in) reclaimed oak I have from an older project. The finished chassis weight should be about 5.5Kg. I also temporarily replaced the Thorens' rubber feet with half wine corks that I may reuse for my plinth (2015 Bordeaux, apparently a good year for turntable feet).

Any pointers will be highly appreciated.
gm

 

[Bare]

Could sand/refinish the OEM veneer on the particleboard plinth ? And then fit in a 3/4" or 1" thick piece of MDF OR baltic birch ply.. replacing that hardboard dust excluder that's there now.
Best of both worlds: A restored OEM look AND the mass you wish to add.
No advantage in adding RCA's .....Just another crap signal interruption / contact point, where none existed previously.

 

[gattu marrudu]

Could sand/refinish the OEM veneer on the particleboard plinth ?

It's actually solid wood, only quite thin (9mm / 3/8").

No advantage in adding RCA's .....Just another crap signal interruption / contact point, where none existed previously.

That's an idea—I don't know how much it would affect the signal if I use good quality connectors and solder, but since I am not planning to change cables often, I could clip the RCA connectors off the Belden and solder the ends to the tonearm signal. I would have to secure the cable to the frame because it's stiffer than the original, so that moving it won't pull the solder points. I DO have to change the OEM signal cable, it's probably 50 years old and the connectors are cheap and awfully oxidized.



I guess my main question is, how do I establish the right dimensions / mass for the plinth? Is it just the more mass, the better? Do hard woods create more unwanted resonance, as well as the frame thickness / height ratio (I am thinking about the resonance chamber of a guitar)?

 

[Impunity]

It's actually solid wood, only quite thin (9mm / 3/8").
I guess my main question is, how do I establish the right dimensions / mass for the plinth? Is it just the more mass, the better? Do hard woods create more unwanted resonance, as well as the frame thickness / height ratio (I am thinking about the resonance chamber of a guitar)?

Gattu, in my opinion the dimensions of a plynth are not important. What I think is important is to maintain the original dimensions between the spindle and tonearm and to have a mass that absorbs resonance. I use Maple and or Walnut on my custom plynths. My main requirement apart from the critical dimensions and the parallel planes, is what it looks like. I have a minimalist preference for my TT's and I treat each one as a piece of furniture or art piece. Most turntables are pretty ho hum visually. Same with loudspeakers on the whole. The TT in the pic is typical of what I like to build. This one has a separate power supply to house the control electronics.

 

[gattu marrudu]

That is a beautiful piece of work and I won't expect to do anything close to that but I share a fondness for nice building materials with you. And as long as those are not an impediment for the sound (or if the difference is negligible), I'd go for a nice chunk of walnut, ash, oak, or maple.

 

[Impunity]

Thank you for your compliment. Of the various woods, I prefer working with maple, However Walnut looks gorgeous but one needs to take measures to prevent accidental chipping at edges. Sharp cutting tools of course and I also use masking tape where possible to stop pull out.
Regards John

 

[Hikari1]

Hello there,
I bought a Thorens TD-150 in pretty good conditions, and while I want to rewire it, I don't want to cut RCA outlet holes into the original chassis. So I thought I would build a new chassis and possibly improve the sound.

I have read the excellent article on 79209 which mentions preferring MDF over solid wood because of better bass response. However there is no way I would work with MDF: while I go over the effort to rebuild the plinth, it may as well be nice wood.


I have a couple of questions about the plinth. I see custom plinths of different shapes and weights out there and I wonder if I should be look for any particular parameters:

- Hard / soft wood (Please don't tell me that MDF is REALLY the way to go)
- Frame thickness and height
- Overall weight

If I had no constraints, I would attempt to use some bulky (2x5 in) reclaimed oak I have from an older project. The finished chassis weight should be about 5.5Kg. I also temporarily replaced the Thorens' rubber feet with half wine corks that I may reuse for my plinth (2015 Bordeaux, apparently a good year for turntable feet).

Any pointers will be highly appreciated.
gm

I rebuilt a td147 a while ago...mdf heavy bottom plate made the most difference. I kept the original plinth but lined it with lead. I also applied cork to the subchassis and under the top plate.

If I was going to build a new plinth I’d try something heavy.

I the end it sounded much better than stock.

 

[Hikari1]

Hello there,
I bought a Thorens TD-150 in pretty good conditions, and while I want to rewire it, I don't want to cut RCA outlet holes into the original chassis. So I thought I would build a new chassis and possibly improve the sound.

I have read the excellent article on 79209 which mentions preferring MDF over solid wood because of better bass response. However there is no way I would work with MDF: while I go over the effort to rebuild the plinth, it may as well be nice wood.


I have a couple of questions about the plinth. I see custom plinths of different shapes and weights out there and I wonder if I should be look for any particular parameters:

- Hard / soft wood (Please don't tell me that MDF is REALLY the way to go)
- Frame thickness and height
- Overall weight

If I had no constraints, I would attempt to use some bulky (2x5 in) reclaimed oak I have from an older project. The finished chassis weight should be about 5.5Kg. I also temporarily replaced the Thorens' rubber feet with half wine corks that I may reuse for my plinth (2015 Bordeaux, apparently a good year for turntable feet).

Any pointers will be highly appreciated.
gm

I rebuilt a td147 a while ago...mdf heavy bottom plate made the most difference. I kept the original plinth but lined it with lead. I also applied cork to the subchassis and under the top plate.

If I was going to build a new plinth I’d try something heavy.

I the end it sounded much better than stock.