Thorens TD280 MkII Turntable Review

The Thorens TD280 MkII is an inexpensive integrated record player with a two speed belt-driven turntable and a low-mass tonearm. Its 12-inch, dynamically balanced, cast zinc-alloy platter weighs 3 pounds, including the heavy rubber mat. It rests on a smaller inner platter, which is coupled to the motor pulley by a soft rubber belt. The speed of the low -voltage, twenty-four-pole synchronous motor is changed electronically for either 33-1/3- or 45-rpm operation.

The record player is powered from a small remote transformer that plugs directly into a wall socket and connects to the TD280 MkII through a 6-foot cable. It supplies 16 volts AC to the motor-drive circuits. This power-supply system allows the TD280 MkII to be used without modification in any part of the world, since only the external transformer need be changed to accommodate different line voltages and frequencies (or electrical-socket configurations).

The straight tubular tonearm has a nonremovable headshell, which can be rotated through 360 degrees for ease in mounting and adjusting a cartridge. The counterweight is threaded onto the rear of the arm tube and rotated to balance the arm when the cartridge has been properly mounted and aligned. A separate calibrated ring on the front of the weight is set to 0 after balancing the arm, and the entire weight is then rotated to place the desired tracking-force marking opposite an index line on the arm tube. The calibrations cover 0 to 5 grams in 0.5-gram steps. A small antiskating adjustment knob is located on the arm base near the pivots. Its scale is calibrated from 0 to 3 grams in 0.25-gram steps.

A large, pointed bar knob selects the turntable speed, with an off setting in the middle. A button next to it turns on the motor initially, though it need not be used thereafter. Another bar knob operates the electronic arm lift, which will not lower the pickup unless the turntable is running (the lift can be held in its lowered position but will not latch there without a powered platter). The arm must be slid out of its retaining post manually, but it can then be placed over the desired part of the record and lowered slowly and smoothly by the lift mechanism. At the end of the record, the arm lifts automatically, and the motor shuts off. The arm must be returned manually to its rest position in the retaining post.

The turntable and arm are mounted rigidly to the wooden base. The entire record player is supported on four damped, spring-mounted feet, which isolate it from external vibration. A clear-plastic dust cover, hinged to remain open at any angle up to 90 degrees, is furnished with the player. The wooden base and motorboard, like the arm and record mat, are finished in black The overall dimensions of the TD280 MkII are 17-1/4 inches wide, 14 inches deep, and 5-1/4 inches high (with the cover closed). It weighs 16ft pounds. Price: $275.

Lab Tests

We installed a Shure V-15 Type V-MR cartridge in the Thorens tonearm for our tests. The setup was no more difficult than any cartridge installation; in fact, the nonremovable headshell simplified the process a bit since the arm served as a support jig for the rotatable shell during mounting and alignment. The arm is supplied with fine color-coded wires fitted with clips for connecting the cartridge pins to the corresponding pins at the end of the arm tube (we strongly recommend connecting the wires to the arm first, since space can be tight after a cartridge is in place).

In general, the setup adjustments of the TD280 MkII were straightforward but because the entire unit— base, controls and tonearm—is finished in black, and the markings on the tracking-force scale are also black, it is well-nigh impossible to set the tracking force without a strong light source. We also wonder why, when the tracking-force scale is calibrated every 0.5 gram, the much less significant antiskating scale has 0.25-gram calibration intervals. The reverse would seem more logical.

The measured arm mass was 12.5 grams, exactly as rated. The tracking error was less than the rated 0.5 degree per inch of radius over most of the record surface (typically near zero), and the tracking-force calibrations were accurate within better than 0.1 gram.

The highly compliant Shure cartridge resonated at about 7 to 8 Hz in the Thorens arm. Though this is close to the minimum desirable resonant frequency, we had no problems playing warped records (tracking was aided by the cartridge's Dynamic Stabilizer brush). The turntable speed was fast by 0.3 percent at 33 rpm and by 0.4 percent at 45 rpm. The wow-and-flutter reading was 0.06 percent NAB-weighted RMS and ±0.08 percent DIN-weighted peak. Rumble, which is rated as —48 dB unweighted and - 70 dB with DIN weighting, measured — 67 dB DIN-weighted. A spectrum analysis of the rumble showed that most of it was in the range between 10 and 20 Hz.

The isolation of the player from its mounting surface was good, with the transmission peaks through the compliant feet occurring at 18, 30, and 90 Hz. The arm-wiring capacitance, rated at 150 pF, measured 200 pF.

Comments

The performance of the Thorens TD280 MkII was good in all important respects, and within the limits of measurement error it met all pertinent manufacturer's specifications. Furthermore, one is not likely to find better performance in most players at or below its modest price (or, for that matter at the same price in the pre-CD days of several years ago).

A component’s appearance is, of course, a personal consideration. With almost all electronic components now being made in a black finish, the all-black TD280 MkII certainly would not be out of place in any contemporary music system. Although I happen to be getting a little tired of all-black audio (and video) components, I cannot quibble about Thorens's choice of color—but I do question the use of invisible tracking-force markings on the counterweight dial, which makes adjustment trickier than it should be. Aside from that relatively trivial matter, the TD280 MkII certainly offers good value in an affordable record player (cheaper than most CD players) from one of the most respected manufacturers in audio.

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