Thorens TD 1500 manual turntable

The Thorens TD 1500 turntable is the worthy heir of the turntables designed by Thorens since 1965, including the famous Thorens TD 150. It was the first equipped with a suspended sub-chassis with springs. The principle proved very effective and found many imitators in the years that followed, and still today with Linn's LP12, for example...

THORENS TD 1500: PLINTH AND CHASSIS

The plinth is made of lacquered medium or veneered in varnished walnut. The top is brushed aluminum, and the tonearm board is also lacquered medium in black. Like its famous predecessors from the 1970s and 1980s, the Thorens TD 1500 has a sub-chassis that decouples the turntable and tonearm from the motor and chassis. This suspension is achieved using three conical springs, but they are no longer mounted on the top panel, but on the bottom of the chassis. A small but sturdy steel thread connects the sub-chassis to a steel pin on the bottom and prevents the sub-chassis from swaying, allowing only vertical movement. The springs can be adjusted from the top of the turntable through housings under the platter.

The TD 1500 comes with a smoked acrylic cover.

THORENS TD 1500: DRIVE AND PLATTER

The platter is made of die-cast aluminum. It has a mass of 1.4 kg and a thickness of 22 mm. It is paired with a vintage-style rubber mat ensuring excellent inertia while absorbing vibrations and ensuring a very good coupling between the record and the platter. This platter is driven by a traditional flat belt.

The speed of the DC motor is electronically controlled by an incremental encoder, and deviations are automatically corrected. This also allows very low wow and flutter values. The speed is electronically controlled, thus allowing easy switching from 33 to 45 rpm via the selector on the left side of the turntable.

THORENS TD 1500: TONEARM AND CARTRIDGE

The new TP 150 tonearm is similar to the TP 124 found on the brand's flagship, the new Thorens TD 124 DD. This tonearm has an effective mass of 14 grams and allows height and azimuth adjustment.

The cartridge mount is SME standard, allowing the connection of any standardized cartridge mount and thus easy cartridge swapping.

Anti-skating is applied by a sliding weight in the base of the arm via a nylon thread guided on a ruby bearing.

As standard, the TD 1500 comes with an Ortofon 2M Bronze cartridge. This high-quality MM cartridge also allows for an upgrade to a 2M Black with a stylus change.

The Thorens TD 1500 has XLR outputs in addition to the traditional RCA output. This output allows for true balanced use if your phono preamp offers this option.

THORENS TD 1500: TESTING AND LISTENING

The Thorens TD 1500 offers a wide, transparent, and sparkling sound!

The percussion, drums, and bass are very clear and dynamic. This turntable provides a lot of space and precision between the various instruments.

The TD 1500 allows for perfect immersion in the music through its rhythm and realism. It significantly favors the "life" and swing, allowing the listener to focus on the music rather than the details. However, it offers a detailed and very transparent reproduction of instruments. This is perfectly audible in the upper spectrum and in room ambiance and reverberation.

The soundstage is also very successful, extending well beyond the speakers.

The timbres are rich, and the balance is also very successful.

The Thorens TD 1500 is an excellent surprise... It deviates from the trend of hyper-analytical turntables and chooses the path of smoothness, balance, and fluidity. In these respects, it can be compared to a famous turntable of Scottish origin.

Highly recommended +++