thorens td 150mk2 cartridge upgrade

C

csh telecaster

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Hi to everyone, have just joined this forum. System consists ,Arcam Alpha 7 amp, B/W DM 10s, and Roksan Kandy cd. I am going to collect a thorens deck when lockdown allows. It has the basic sure cartridge which i shall probably want to upgrade in the future. I am really looking forward to hearing my vinyl records again after so long. The music i listen to is mainly prog, folk, ect
and i like to hear the high end treble ,not just bass. Budget up to 2-250 pounds, what would make a good choice for me.
Also i did once have Linn index speakers which i really liked, these seem quite cheap on ebay, would they make a good upgrade.
Im going to have to learn DIY on HI FI ,i work as a dental tech so quite good with fine detail and have upgrade work on guitars.
Any suggestions welcome. Really looking forward to getting this deck,
 
Depending on what Shure cartridge your new turntable has, it might be an idea just to get a new stylus for it. There are now almost no original Shure replacements available, but if the cartridge should be a Shure M97 or V15, a JICO SAS stylus will be an improvement even on the original Shure.

If it's not one of the higher-end Shure cartridges, then a modern Audio Technica, Ortofon or Goldring MM cartridge would suit the original Thorens arm reasonably well, as it's most suited to the higher compliance of MMs rather than Moving Coils. If the arm isn't the Thorens original, then depending on what it is, there may be wider choices. Your amplifier's phono stage is suitable for MMs and high output MCs only, so that may limit your choice of cartridge.

As to the loudspeakers, I think your DM10s will be far better than the Linn Index, having a much smoother frequency response, but loudspeakers are very personal. The index wouldn't be an upgrade, more a different sound that you might prefer, I wouldn't!

S.
 
The Shure M55E was often fitted to the TD150 arms. If that's what you have, you can still get good quality replacement styli for them. It's actually a cracking cartridge and preferable (imho) to many modern low cost alternatives.

I'd agree with Serge about the speakers.
 
csh telecaster said:
Hi to everyone, have just joined this forum. System consists ,Arcam Alpha 7 amp, B/W DM 10s, and Roksan Kandy cd. I am going to collect a thorens deck when lockdown allows. It has the basic sure cartridge which i shall probably want to upgrade in the future. I am really looking forward to hearing my vinyl records again after so long. The music i listen to is mainly prog, folk, ect
and i like to hear the high end treble ,not just bass. Budget up to 2-250 pounds, what would make a good choice for me.
Also i did once have Linn index speakers which i really liked, these seem quite cheap on ebay, would they make a good upgrade.
Im going to have to learn DIY on HI FI ,i work as a dental tech so quite good with fine detail and have upgrade work on guitars.
Any suggestions welcome. Really looking forward to getting this deck,
Click to expand...
 
If you find that you need to replace the cartridge fitted, rather than just the stylus, I would recommend that you look at the Ortofon range. I've used many cartridges over the last 40 years and Ortofon have always been constantly good.
If you prefer a slightly more lively sound, some of the Audio Technical range are worth considering.
Avoid the stuff aimed at DJs and simply buy the best you can afford. I'm sure there are many more options but I've never had a bad product from either of these manufacturers.
Good luck!
 

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