Hi all, I found a new TT at goodwill today: a Thorens TD 160MKII. It has an arm labeled Thorens and a cartridge/needle marked Nagaoka JT555.
The player has a silver/steel color base and the cover is in quite good shape. The only real problem is that one of the hinges is broken. Not an urgent issue.
I hooked it up in my office system, the only one that actually has a phono amplifier. I put it in place of my Dual 1249 after a little cleaning and having a quick look at the settings. Wow! Much better than the Dual! Not sure if it is the TT or the needle or what but this is so much better! I am now listening to some Supertramp. Excellent.
A few questions to those in the know:
- What checks and maintenance should I do? (I took a look at the belt and it seems in reasonable shape)
- I don't really know what shape the needle is in. I found a guy selling new needles for this cartridge for Eur22. Should I go for the replacement/spare? Any obvious alternatives to consider.
- Are there any mods that I should do/consider?
Oh, forgot to mention I paid Euro10 for it!

I'm happy and listening to music.....