Tax Posted October 7, 2020 Share Posted October 7, 2020 I would appreciate some advice from members who have either owned, own or have experienced the Garrard 301 (Schedule 2) and the Thorens TD-124 (Mk1) first hand. If both units are stock (unmodified) and in good working order and cosmetic shape................ Is there one that is more desirable? Better sounding? Easier to keep running? Less expensive to get set up to a desirable standard? I am being offered a pick of either of these TT's as a part sale/swap on my Altecs. If I do proceed with accepting either of these, I will be looking at a new plinth for the one I do not need a another turntable as I am already up to my neck in my Garrard 401 project but have been asked to consider this part swap offer so I am. Appreciate any advice/thoughts etc either here or via PM. Thanks Tax Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal beat Posted October 7, 2020 Share Posted October 7, 2020 I would like to know this as well 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miss-blenehassit Posted October 7, 2020 Share Posted October 7, 2020 I have had both and have stuck with the Thorens TD-124. ...as for stock /unmodified, imo they both need to be in hard wood plinths in order to dampen any extraneous sound. Thats the only change I have made to either. Both sound great. Your choice of tonearm, cartridge & stylus..thats up to you. Similarly your power amp & preamp and speakers also input the sound . All those things are up to you Costs is really irrelevant ...to some extent you get what you pay for....there is no end of tinkering you can do to "improve" your deck but ultimately whatever sounds good to you is what you like and its purely subjective. good luck either way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tax Posted October 7, 2020 Author Share Posted October 7, 2020 3 minutes ago, miss-blenehassit said: I have had both and have stuck with the Thorens TD-124. ...as for stock /unmodified, imo they both need to be in hard wood plinths in order to dampen any extraneous sound. Thats the only change I have made to either. Both sound great. Your choice of tonearm, cartridge & stylus..thats up to you. Similarly your power amp & preamp and speakers also input the sound . All those things are up to you Costs is really irrelevant ...to some extent you get what you pay for....there is no end of tinkering you can do to "improve" your deck but ultimately whatever sounds good to you is what you like and its purely subjective. good luck either way Thank you for this advice. I would definitely be looking at a hardwood plinth. For my current 401 project I am going with a combination of Blackwood and Redgum. I have a couple of 9 inch arms, SME 3009, DV507 Mk11 and FR64s. I also have a 12 inch FR66S and intend to get an Ikeda 407. In relation to carts, I am undecided. I have an Audio Technica AT155LC, a couple of FR1Mk3F stock and Boron, an FR7f , A Lyra Helikon, a SPU Meister Silver and 90th Anniversary. I have high efficiency horn speakers and bespoke valve amplification. Are you able to share why you ended up choosing the 124 over the 301 as you owned both? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miss-blenehassit Posted October 7, 2020 Share Posted October 7, 2020 I am running the TD-124 with a SME 12" arm ......I like the look of the Thorens more than the Garrard. Simple as that.Both are pretty much bullet proof and easy to service Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tax Posted October 7, 2020 Author Share Posted October 7, 2020 23 minutes ago, miss-blenehassit said: I am running the TD-124 with a SME 12" arm ......I like the look of the Thorens more than the Garrard. Simple as that.Both are pretty much bullet proof and easy to service Great! I like this simplicity and concur with your approach re the aesthetic of the Thorens. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Igotmearecord Posted October 7, 2020 Share Posted October 7, 2020 This must be a bug I never caught. I inherited a 301 which I swapped for a pair of Orpheus 3.3 and Orpheus centre speaker and I currently have a TD124 with 9" SME in my possession which I will be selling on behalf of a close friend. I haven't been tempted to keep either of them. I do appreciate both of them for their engineering and I did cut my dj-ing teeth on a pair of 401s back in the mid 70s doing student radio. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gandra Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 (edited) Perhaps this idea is suited to its own thread, but I've concluded that the following breakdown applies in terms of impact on SQ: Cartridge and phonostage 65 to 70% Tonearm 20% T'table 10 to 15% In other words, I would be very surprised if you could tell the difference between those two, all other things being equal. Edited October 16, 2020 by Gandra Mistake 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyr Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 24 minutes ago, Gandra said: Perhaps this idea is suited to its own thread, but I've concluded that the following breakdown applies in terms of impact on SQ: Cartridge and phonostage 65 to 70% Tonearm 20% T'table 10 to 15% In other words, I would be very surprised if you could tell the difference between those two, all other things being equal. Wonderful conclusions, G - but I suggest, to be taken seriously ... you need to lay out your data that led you to this conclusion. My own, just as valid conclusion ... is that it's more like: T'table 40% Cartridge and phonostage 40% Tonearm 20%. Andy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter_F Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 I’d take the precision of the superb TD124 over most turntables, and most particularly over any Garrard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gandra Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 1 hour ago, andyr said: Wonderful conclusions, G - but I suggest, to be taken seriously ... you need to lay out your data that led you to this conclusion. My own, just as valid conclusion ... is that it's more like: T'table 40% Cartridge and phonostage 40% Tonearm 20%. Andy I'm sure you've got the data to back it up, A, so no argument here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tax Posted October 17, 2020 Author Share Posted October 17, 2020 15 hours ago, Peter_F said: I’d take the precision of the superb TD124 over most turntables, and most particularly over any Garrard. Thanks @Peter_F Are you using a TD124? Which arm are you using with it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPete9 Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 Not sure about sound, but the 401 smokes them all in term of looks (IMO) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiofeline Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 1 hour ago, JPete9 said: Not sure about sound, but the 401 smokes them all in term of looks (IMO) Whereas although acknowledging the 401 as excellent industrial design for it's time, I've always been more attracted to the 301's design, which is why I would always choose it over the 401. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter_F Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 4 hours ago, Tax said: Thanks @Peter_F Are you using a TD124? Which arm are you using with it? When I owned it it had a superb and very rare ZETA tonearm. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tax Posted October 17, 2020 Author Share Posted October 17, 2020 4 hours ago, Peter_F said: When I owned it it had a superb and very rare ZETA tonearm. Very nice! I am leaning towards the TD124 over the 301 as I already have the 401 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sktn77a Posted October 27, 2020 Share Posted October 27, 2020 On 16/10/2020 at 5:59 AM, Gandra said: Perhaps this idea is suited to its own thread, but I've concluded that the following breakdown applies in terms of impact on SQ: Cartridge and phonostage 65 to 70% Tonearm 20% T'table 10 to 15% In other words, I would be very surprised if you could tell the difference between those two, all other things being equal. This kinda flies in the face of traditional thought on the matter (aka "source first"), originally promulgated by Linn, which is more like: Turntable 70% Arm 20% cartridge 10% Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gandra Posted October 27, 2020 Share Posted October 27, 2020 I'm pretty sure that in the Linn context, the 'turntable' included the arm and the cartridge. And from experience, I still stand by my comment. YMMV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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