I bought a Thorens TD160B in 1986. It replaced a Garrard SP25.
It came with an ADC ALT-1 arm. When my children came along it survived my daughter but my son was a little more interested and managed to break the tone arm and the hinges. I replaced the tonearm with a Linn LVX (that I couldn’t afford) and a Nagoaka something cartridge- my son swiftly broke the stylus.
I admitted defeat and put it away.
A house move later I put it up again and used it happily for a few years, then moving to CD just left it.
A few more years, another house move and I had enough room to put a hifi together for ‘me’. I recommissioned the Thorens and with time replaced it with a Gyrodec. Before it was replaced I changed the arm for an Audiomods one and replaced the black plinth with oak.
Fast forward another decade or so and I got a text from my son; the one that broke the arm, cartridge and hinges over 30 years ago… ‘Dad, I’m thinking of getting a record deck, any suggestions…’
The Thorens is packed up and off to my son’s flat later today
Having just turned 70 and loving my equipment I’ve began to think about who do I bequeath these things too? Our children never experienced stereo stores and record stores the way that we were able to. Our thoughts of the past and it’s nostalgia really do have an effect on a lot of us. Thank you for your story and I hope your son enjoys his fathers turntable.
If I can offer the perspective of someone to whom hifi was bequeathed to and was never the same again.
When I was young, my father passed away and left an array of hifi. Maybe not everyone’s cup of tea but a classic JVC receiver, Akai tape deck, Technics turntable, and Bose 901 speakers.
Like your son, I was probably too young initially to grasp the value or care requirements. Things got abused. Not everything survived the exuberance of yoof, But a couple things did just as I was realising via experimentation, that properly set up up (“oh so that’s where the active crossover goes!”) this stuff sounded rather good. I suddenly got very careful. One day I walked into a hifi shop when my JVC receiver played up and walked out with an A&R Combridge A60 (my first hifi with my own money) but it was the passed down hifi from my father that put me on this path.
As for kids, they are all different. There is no way to know or predict. I ruined things out of ignorance, not carelessness (yes turntables arms and cartridges were involved too). My kids are 8 and 6, They were born into a house of hifi sitting right there is their play areas since birth. When my youngest was about 6 months I had to coach him not to crawl over to the 250 and power it off and that the button was not a toy. Took about 1 day.
Not a broken arm, stylus, poked in drive unit on any of my hifis. I know other friends who have little terrors who stabbed the tweeters with a pencil. You just can’t predict. Your grandkids might be different.
Glad it’s staying in the family! I sold my old Systemdek yesterday, owned from new for 30 years. So many hours of listening pleasure. Took me a year after buying its replacement to pluck up the courage to sell it on. Apart from the Lego my son now plays with, it was my oldest possession. (sniff)
My kids became Naim owners early. When then were 2 and 0, I put Qbs in their rooms. Book at bedtime and nightlight and even the alarm clock function works over multiroom so it gets them up in the morning too with something they simply can’t sleep through.
Over the years it got a fair amount of ‘fettling’. It got a good going over when I replaced the plinth and arm about 8 or so years ago. The motor was replaced with a DC one (not sure if that was a good or bad move to be honest) so I think it’s in pretty good condition (for a 40-50 year old deck)
I hear ya! I have a Linn LP12 Select Plus turntable, Naim NDX2, 252/SC/250 and Harbeth M30 speakers. Fifty grands’ worth if purchase today! None of my three kids are interested in HiFi music reproduction. Not judging them, they like their iPhones and little bluetooth speakers.
Given my age (72) and age-related decline in hearing, I’m thinking of just selling the lot (keeping all my music on a thumb drive). Trouble is I would only get about a quarter of its worth. So maybe I’ll just keep it and let “the heirs” worry about it all when I go t_ts up!
I think you’ll still enjoy it. I’m hoping that as my ears fall off it’ll be gradual - like a tweeter that needs replacing but you don’t realise that until you do it.
Our children never experienced stereo stores and record stores the way that we were able to.
It won’t be the same, but I took my daughter to HMV a few years back and she loved it. She wants to go to record stores with her friends. She wants to buy old vinyl. It might be that it’s cool and fashionable but maybe it always has been.
Keep it and enjoy it. I have a CB set-up in my livingroom and Olive in my Den.
Unfortunately my best friend’s are gone and COVID has put a damper on visitors and dinner parties. Luckily for me music has been a major part of my life.
