This is the less common dark gray version of the Swiss-made Thorens TD-160 MK II. You’ll find quite a few of the teak version which most people would probably prefer but the gray version does have a neat minimalist industrial look to it. The TD-160 MK II was a completely manual turntable with a floating sub-chassis and a belt drive. It ran at both 33 1/3 and 45 speeds. It also featured an effective 16 pole synchronous motor. Introduced in 1976, the TD-160 MK II was the later version of the TD-160 which came out in 1972. The MK II also had the TP16 tonearm but the arm had been redesigned since first being used on the earlier TD-160 and was now called the Isotrack TP16 MkII.
Later in 1982 Thorens introduced the TD-160 Super which was similar to the MK II but had a few improvements such as a heavier cabinet, more dampening, a heavier bottom plate and better dust cover hinges. You can find a lot of great info on the TD-160 turntables at TheAnalogDept.com.
While I wouldn’t say that the Thorens TD-160 MK II is difficult to find they are still very popular so prices have slowly moved up. TheTD-160 MKII in excellent condition will sell from $500 to $1350. They are a good sounding table and parts can be fairly easily found for them so they are a good choice for entry level vinyl enthusiasts. Many modifications can be done to them as well which can greatly enhance their sound and performance.
Hi,
I’m based in London, UK and have a Thorens TD – 160 mark 11 in ‘grey’ (gray). It’s actually more black than gray.
I was thinking of using it to transcribe some of my vast vinyl collection onto CDs etc Any hints or recommendations? I’m also thinking of buying a Technics SL 1210 Mk 11 to do the conversions which I’ve heard is an excellent desk – I’ve no idea which would eb the better deck to do the vinyl to CD job? Thanks