Author Topic: Turntable power supply - Thorens TD150 MkII  (Read 1913 times)

WaterDog

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Re: Turntable power supply - Thorens TD150 MkII
« Reply #15 on: September 05, 2010, 01:01:17 am »
Then of course there's the Origin Live power supply and motor kit... if you really want an upgrade - there's even a choice of kits... ;D

Hi-Phibian

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Re: Turntable power supply - Thorens TD150 MkII
« Reply #16 on: September 05, 2010, 06:27:14 am »
"Then of course there's the Origin Live power supply and motor kit... if you really want an upgrade"

The upgrade part is debateable imo as they are not speed stable in my experience, not even their best. The cheap one, which is still dearer then Hercules, is so poor they even admit it is not stable. If one has a peep inside those ally boxes one is shocked. Total rip off. Never mind more then a 100 quid for a block transformer in a plastic clamshell they sell as an upgrade for a mere GBP195.  Hundred and something pounds for a model upgrade that entails 4 high speed diodes a film cap or two and a few bits worth maybe 15 quid total. They are just taking the piss.

WaterDog

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Re: Turntable power supply - Thorens TD150 MkII
« Reply #17 on: September 05, 2010, 12:38:32 pm »
"Then of course there's the Origin Live power supply and motor kit... if you really want an upgrade"

The upgrade part is debateable imo as they are not speed stable in my experience, not even their best. The cheap one, which is still dearer then Hercules, is so poor they even admit it is not stable. If one has a peep inside those ally boxes one is shocked. Total rip off. Never mind more then a 100 quid for a block transformer in a plastic clamshell they sell as an upgrade for a mere GBP195.  Hundred and something pounds for a model upgrade that entails 4 high speed diodes a film cap or two and a few bits worth maybe 15 quid total. They are just taking the piss.

Your LP12 upgrade, the "The Funk Firm LP12 Vector Link" looks very interesting. Seeing that the decks have interchangeable parts, would that not be adaptable to the TD150? Even if just for the motor and power supply, without the sub-chassis and 3-point pulley system?


Rendlan

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Re: Turntable power supply - Thorens TD150 MkII
« Reply #18 on: September 05, 2010, 12:57:43 pm »
Your LP12 upgrade, the "The Funk Firm LP12 Vector Link" looks very interesting. Seeing that the decks have interchangeable parts, would that not be adaptable to the TD150? Even if just for the motor and power supply, without the sub-chassis and 3-point pulley system?



If you have a look at Funk Firm's website, you will see that they initially just changed the motor mounting position by rotating it 90degrees anti-clockwise. That makes sense to me, since there should be a reduction in vibration caused by the belt running at 90degrees to the tonearm... Shouldn't be too difficult to DIY that.

The idea of using carbon fibre as a chassis material made me think of using something like "polyphenolic" sheeting in conjunction with aluminium in constained layer fasion. Any thoughts?

BTW: The Mose/Hercules combo - what does Mose do? I get images of Charlton Heston with my oupa's kierie, if you know what I mean... ???
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Hi-Phibian

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Re: Turntable power supply - Thorens TD150 MkII
« Reply #19 on: September 05, 2010, 01:31:38 pm »
yes, there is no real reason why Funk K Drive or V Drive could not be implemented on a Thorens.
it is of course dearer then hercules.

Mose is a ****, I mean, an enclosure, in which hercules fits with a filtered IEC inlet. easy enough to diy or make locally.

Ampdog

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Re: Turntable power supply - Thorens TD150 MkII
« Reply #20 on: September 05, 2010, 02:37:04 pm »
@ ampdog. Have a listen to the different powersources driving the exact same motor, same turbtable, same arm, same cartridge, same phono, same cables in the previously mentioned thread. If you can not hear any difference then good audio is wasted on your ears.

... or you will blame my 'limited' amplifier for being incapable of letting through the more subtle nuances. The above experiment regrettably not practically possible for me. "Wasted on my ears" - ah well, the ravages of age despite experience (die koolkop is deur die kerk). But I still enjoy listeneing to the JPO in the Linder Auditorium, so ....

Quote
Sorry, music genre is light, not your usual strykgoed.

Well, I did get that impression after >60 years' fiddling with matters audible. And my hearing was not always compromised. (At varsity I could detect 21kHz on an audiometer test.)

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Mose is a ****, I mean, an enclosure, in which ....

 ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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Rendlan

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Re: Turntable power supply - Thorens TD150 MkII
« Reply #21 on: September 05, 2010, 02:40:28 pm »
So 'n... bokker!  ;)

What are your thoughts on mounting Herklasie under the TT as i've seen? Will that cause trouble like hum etc. ?

What exactly is "less dear"?

Thanks,

R.
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alternativeroute

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Re: Turntable power supply - Thorens TD150 MkII
« Reply #22 on: September 05, 2010, 02:58:15 pm »
Quote
But I still enjoy listeneing to the JPO in the Linder Auditorium

Been fortunate enough myself to get the CPO at City Hall this year... It's kinda made me question this whole audio reproduction thing... I have listened to few systems in my day (nothing really really high end - say 100k+) and nothing comes close to the live rendition...

Quote
What exactly is "less dear"?

The golden question...

Your LP12 upgrade, the "The Funk Firm LP12 Vector Link" looks very interesting. Seeing that the decks have interchangeable parts, would that not be adaptable to the TD150? Even if just for the motor and power supply, without the sub-chassis and 3-point pulley system?



Shew. After doing the whole hog Funk Firm upgrades to your LP12 all you left with is the original dust cover and hinges...

well OK - slight hyberbole - you also keep the platter...  ::)

Rendlan

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Re: Turntable power supply - Thorens TD150 MkII
« Reply #23 on: September 05, 2010, 03:20:50 pm »
Shew. After doing the whole hog Funk Firm upgrades to your LP12 all you left with is the original dust cover and hinges...


But then you can also get one of those sexy new clear design dustcovers made...
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Hi-Phibian

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Re: Turntable power supply - Thorens TD150 MkII
« Reply #24 on: September 05, 2010, 03:40:20 pm »
Shew. After doing the whole hog Funk Firm upgrades to your LP12 all you left with is the original dust cover and hinges...

well OK - slight hyberbole - you also keep the platter...  ::)

You keep the kiln dried solid timber plinth, the special alloy platter and precision bearing actually. The good parts IOW. The clunky sheet metal and teeny wee woodscrew attached armboard goes and so does the AC motor and ringing top plate.

For less then the cost of Linn's Keel you bring your early 80s LP12 (that according to Linn would almost involve ditching EVERYTHING to get up to date) right bang up to date to a level of involvement and resolution that stands back for nought out there. The way it involves and has PRAT I find more enjoyable then a few 100K decks I have heard.

Hi-Phibian

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Re: Turntable power supply - Thorens TD150 MkII
« Reply #25 on: September 05, 2010, 03:44:54 pm »
... or you will blame my 'limited' amplifier for being incapable of letting through the more subtle nuances. The above experiment regrettably not practically possible for me.
Why not possible? The difference is not subtle actually.

Hi-Phibian

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Re: Turntable power supply - Thorens TD150 MkII
« Reply #26 on: September 05, 2010, 03:52:28 pm »
Hercules, like the Valhalla was designed to live in the plinth. The design is directly connected to mains, there is no transformer thus no more hum inducing then the std 2 capacitor Basik ac mains PSU arrangement. There is of course that crystal and the circuitry used to bring that freq down to 50hz.
This circuitry could in theory I suppose have some EMI/RFI so for neurotics, separate box is the way to go.
Nobody ever complained about noise from valhalla or hercules BUT some have said they hear an improvement from removing either from the plinth.

Hi-Phibian

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Re: Turntable power supply - Thorens TD150 MkII
« Reply #27 on: September 05, 2010, 03:54:31 pm »
Less dear = send e mail.
I don't typically post prices on the forum exept when selling used stuff.

Ampdog

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Re: Turntable power supply - Thorens TD150 MkII
« Reply #28 on: September 07, 2010, 12:15:24 am »
Why not possible? The difference is not subtle actually.

No OK Hi-Phibian. I meant literally, since I do not own a Thorens 150 or Linn. But you meant in general, even with my turntable - I get that. That would be comparatively easy for me by constructing my own crystal controlled 220V 12W power module. But would it prove anything? I can vouch that I have watched turntable spead with a stroboscope - it keeps rock steady for much of the time (a strobe would show up a 2% variation easily). Any frequency variations in the mains are long term here.

Regarding other claims of 'music character improvements' .... the result can only be that should I not experience that, you would/could blame either my amplifier or my hearing, and nothing would have been achieved by such a subjective exercise. For my amplifier I can modestly vouch (just for the record) that it out-performs anything in its class (some 80+80W output), and as for my hearing, I have already admitted that it is sadly limited to about 5kHz bandwidth for the right ear and 7,5kHz for the left ear, also with a varying 7 dB loudness discrepancy. You did in the past compliment me on that even I would experience the alluded difference in sound quality, but I dont really think so. There are enough practical examples out there to support this. NOT particularly directed at you, Hi-Phibian, but I respectfully think many members should read more about hearing characteristics and the massive acousto-medical research done in that field to bring them down to earth a little - I have mentioned that before. But that is another topic.
Judging a person does not define who he is; it only defines who you are. (Anon)

Hi-Phibian

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Re: Turntable power supply - Thorens TD150 MkII
« Reply #29 on: September 07, 2010, 07:11:08 am »
If none are so blind as those who will not see, then I suppose there are none so deaf as those who will not hear...  My wife would agree I know for sure LOL.

No need to build anything amp, done it all for you. http://www.avforums.co.za/index.php?PHPSESSID=3c306ab395829fdb96e6e951527fc273&topic=4543.msg54492

If you are bandwidth constrained I said previously I am happy to post you a CD of same in 16bit 44.1. One track, recorded several times from the same turntable. Same motor, cartridge, arm etc, done in close succession. The only change being the circuit "driving" the motor.
Some passive Cap resistor solutions, some crystal driven and some transformer based ones.