Swiss Made in the Sixties, heavy platter sturdy and reliable mechanic also for a broadcast use. The tonearm is a 9 inch version, with the same geometry of the SME 3009, the counterweight is dinamically controlled by 2 springs. BBC mounted the Arm on the Thorens TD 124 The speed can be continuosly varied thanks to a clever conical axis. On the picture the same arm on a famous abum from the Status Quo (probabilly branded Goldring for certain Countries).
Claiming the Swiss Precision, the TD 150 followed the most popular idler wheel / belt TD 124. Very compact in dimensions but elegant with a real european walnut veneer frame, heavy 30 cm platter and freedom to install different tonearms, makes this gear a fantastic and simple combination. SME 3009 I and a classical Stanton 681 EEE fits very well in my unit , updated with a new motor and an external AC 16 Volts power supply. An High Gloss black Arcylic top finishes is completing the picture.
This is one of the most classical Vinyl set up from the very best British Hi Fi age. My 401, arrived safely with an original Garrard Box directly from the place where it was built and I’ve been told that the first owner was a passionate engineer working at BBC. This late versions has a 16 watt motor and it runs very smoothly. For a living room set up it stinks, but for an hi fi freak this smell is better than a Chanel #5. Technlogywise is more close to a tractor rather than a Quartz driven machine, it takes almost 20 minutes to reach the speed stability but this are the “core” ff the appeal of such professional and iconic tool of the best Era in the Audio World. Doing the plint by myself I have opted for the Skeleton Concept: 2 layers of Black MDF, coped with a Sorbothane mat in order to add mass avoiding internal vibration and eventual external feedback; easy and effective. This method allows also easy and painfree …
This is a fantastic find and a great surprise in terms of sound quality and peculiar construction techniques. Design is funny and clever, bended Plywood , cherry finishing adds warmth to the picture. After a good restoring for old capacitor and a quick check for the Tubes wear, contact cleanings, the tuner is supplying a smooth and not fatiguing sound with astonihing tuning stability thanks to the Variable Permeabilty technique rather than the most used capacitor.
