Thorens 309 Turntable Cartridges etc

That record player's a looker.

K9 -------> Bin

Shure, not my taste.

Roksan Chorus Black, could be very good but new stylus essential imo, or failing that new Goldring 1042 stylus etc, assuming they fit.

I like the Dynavector 10x5 into the Stageline N. But the AT95e is capable and could give you good sounds into your Stageline. Why rush it? Just see how it goes and enjoy the journey.

Given the siting near speakers, I'd pay attention to support, more so than any cartridge considerations tbh. Others will tell you differently.

Chris

What do people think of the Ortofon 2M Black? I went MC, but I wish I had considered the 2M Black before! For example, with MC one has to dispose the cartridge, once the stylus is worn out (trivial, I know now, but didn't initially).

S.

The black seems to be well regarded, often quoted as amongst the Best MM carts you can buy, It's circa £450 I think. 

Seems like a good idea - but As pointed out, lets see what the AT cart is like.

A bit of a shock was that a new stylus for the Corus Black (from goldring) is about £200 which sort of blows things out of the water a bit.

I don't think the tip is worn, sounds ok on my Planar 3, but it was secondhand to me and I have no idea of usage.

The Corus Black was an excellent cartridge, certainly one of the best MMs of its day, so £200 for a replacement stylus isn't out of order by any means.

The AT95E is an excellent low cost MM cartridge, and one that gets better with better arms and turntables. It gets the fundamentals right, however, the Corus Black is appreciably superior in most areas.  

Oh, and yes, the 1042 stylus fits the Corus Black (but not the other way around).

What might be interesting is trying the AT95E stylus on the K9 body.  The K9 was an uprated AT cart where the big improvement was the alloy mount. Although K9 styli are long unavailable, I've heard of people fitting AT95E styli with good results.

The Shure V15 TypeIII is smooth and a good tracker but not the most fun or dynamic cartridge.  It does have the advantage of plenty of NOS and aftermarket styli to choose from.  It works well in a sympathetic system - think SME3009 and a vintage Thorens.  It's a safe choice and can sound quite refined and sweet. They still fetch good money secondhand, so maybe sell and put the proceeds towards something else.

You'll be surprised how good the AT95E is - I tried on for someone on a Planar 3 and it sounded superb. The AT150MLX is much better, though - in fact I prefer it, musically and information-wise, to the older DV10x5 (haven't heard the new improved one).

Richard Dane posted:

What might be interesting is trying the AT95E stylus on the K9 body.  The K9 was an uprated AT cart where the big improvement was the alloy mount. Although K9 styli are long unavailable, I've heard of people fitting AT95E styli with good results.

Pretty hardcore though, Richard! The visual thing surely counts for something if the chap's bought the Thorens.

C.

I was always told that the K9 was so named because it was a bit of a dog!

Yes the looks did make the decision easier. It will be much more popular with my other half than an enormous plywood plinth with Garrard 401.

The 309 seems to be well reviewed and awarded, and it's nice to get something a little different - the suspended nature of it certainly swung the deal.

The Rega RP6 etc is probably very good, but it looks to all intents and purposed just like my 15 year old Planar 3 - a slab of light fibreboard and very similar design.

What are you going to do then, cartridge-wise? And what about the support for the Thorens?

C.

So, TT arrived last night.

Despite being "pre set" it took a fair time to set up properly.

I didn't give it much of a chance, but I found the sound a bit bland with the AT cartridge.

Overall I felt the sound was less impressive than Planar 3 with Corus Black. 

After about an hour of play or so I swapped on the Roksan Corus black to the Thorens.

The sound was just miles better.

Suddenly the drive, pace and detail were absolutely in a different league. 

So, quite happy with the sound so far but having some doubts as to whether the Thorens was the right choice - maybe I should have gone for a Rega RP6/8 instead.

It looks beautiful and is great in operation - but if the planar sounded that good with the corus before, maybe a more expensive Rega would be veen better.

The Thorens it certainly better in pitch stability etc, which is one of the things I wanted.

So, tempted to just buy a new Goldring 1042 Stylus for the Corus black for £180 and be done with it.

Have ordered some stylus cleaning bits to try and clean the current stylus, which I think may be ok, sounding pretty good, but perhaps with a bit more noise than the Audio TEchnica had.

Does sound like 1042 stylus is your best bet. A shame to be disappointed though with the new deck as a whole.

C.

Not sure if dissapointed yet, I'm not really of the original TT generation (30 years old) so I have to accept that it won't sound good without some tinkering.

I like the sound now, just always those nagging doubts about whether something else for a bit more £ would have given the wow effect.

I'm still considering a new cart, the 2M black being the obvious, but I see the Goldring 2500SL can be had for £400 or so, and seems to be described as warmer and at the same time a bit more lively/less clinical.

£200 VS £400.... Temping to try a new cart!

sprintgtvgus posted:

Not sure if dissapointed yet, I'm not really of the original TT generation (30 years old) so I have to accept that it won't sound good without some tinkering.

Ok, it just for that money, I'd need it to sound good. (But this isn't about me).

You still haven't mentioned what it's standing on....

C.

Hi fi racks podium rack - top shelf, all levelled up.

Wall barckets are a WAF no...

sprintgtvgus posted:

Wall barckets are a WAF no...

I sense you were anticipating my next question  ;-)

C.

And the V15 III with new Jico Stylus sounds best of all!

Lovely warm punchy yet quite neutral sound, turn it up!

Had to alter VTA a lot and get the right mounting hardware to try it, but very happy so far

I've had a Thorens TD160HD for a few years now and found the 2M Black to be an excellent match for the deck.

If the price is right for you, I'd certainly recommend giving it a try.

Nigel

May I suggest you try another ps with the 309. I may be wrong but the last time I saw one it didn't come with the smps it was originally specced with, and I know the ps made quite a difference. 

I have been thinking about the 2M black.... But the V15 just sounds "right" at the moment.

It came with a wall wart power supply, a little disappointing to be honest.

I see that Teddy make generic 12V power supplies, could be worth a go.

I've been thinking about the "M Black, but the V15 does just sound "right" at the moment.

It came with a wall wart power supply, a little disappointing somehow, but does the job.

I see that Teddy do generic 12V supplies, might be worth a go...