This particular generation of Thorens are one of my favorites. The newly designed suspension and the removal of the sub-chassis makes it a winner, in my humblest opinion. For one, you can adjust the suspension is easier to adjust and second of all the tonearm and platter share the same platform like the AR The Turntable, the HK T60C and various others. This means it's far easier to swap tonearms, if desired.
These two features and the fact the plinth is better built than the older Thorens makes this table better than the TD-160/165/145/146/147, again, in my opinion. However, there are some added bonuses for the TD-160 but, I don't think majority of people will care e.g. bigger bearing. The ability of having an automatic lift at the end of the record is also a bonus. Oh, and way better hinges than some of the older Thorens.
Now the styling isn't for everything but, I like this cleaner and sleeker look. It's not entirely retro (all wood) and not entirely modern. Though, it looks more modern than retro. This one is black but, I think it came in 2 more colours or so. However, sometimes these tables are overlooked because they're not the TD-160.
Alright, let's get back to the specifications. The TD-318 MKI uses the TP-21 tonearm, which is is an updates TP-11 and it's variants. This one has both anti-skate weights. The headshell is removable but, not as easy for plug and play over the older headshells. The plinth is MDF which is less resonate than the older "box" plinth. The electronic shut off is nice (which also engages the auto-lift) and has a separate power supply unit (aka wall-wart).
Like the TD-280 and TD-165 series, the sub-platter is a resin, which some like and some don't. I think it's perfectly fine. Resin doesn't resonate as much as the aluminum version and it is lighter.
The previous owner has gotten some modification. Out was the old soldered in RCA cables and in was the RCA jack at the rear of the table. This actually has two ground points. The original, which comes from the tonearm, to the spindle well and out and the new one that is directly off the tonearm. This means you can either use the original ground cable with higher end RCA cables or all three.
There is nothing bad I could say about this table in terms of performance. I've equipped this table with a Shure M91 aka Realistic R1000 and put a new aftermarket stylus. A new belt from Germany, a good servicing and quick polishing of the dustcover and it's ready to go!
Additional Link!
http://www.vinylengine.com/library/thorens/td318.shtml
These two features and the fact the plinth is better built than the older Thorens makes this table better than the TD-160/165/145/146/147, again, in my opinion. However, there are some added bonuses for the TD-160 but, I don't think majority of people will care e.g. bigger bearing. The ability of having an automatic lift at the end of the record is also a bonus. Oh, and way better hinges than some of the older Thorens.
Now the styling isn't for everything but, I like this cleaner and sleeker look. It's not entirely retro (all wood) and not entirely modern. Though, it looks more modern than retro. This one is black but, I think it came in 2 more colours or so. However, sometimes these tables are overlooked because they're not the TD-160.
Alright, let's get back to the specifications. The TD-318 MKI uses the TP-21 tonearm, which is is an updates TP-11 and it's variants. This one has both anti-skate weights. The headshell is removable but, not as easy for plug and play over the older headshells. The plinth is MDF which is less resonate than the older "box" plinth. The electronic shut off is nice (which also engages the auto-lift) and has a separate power supply unit (aka wall-wart).
Like the TD-280 and TD-165 series, the sub-platter is a resin, which some like and some don't. I think it's perfectly fine. Resin doesn't resonate as much as the aluminum version and it is lighter.
The previous owner has gotten some modification. Out was the old soldered in RCA cables and in was the RCA jack at the rear of the table. This actually has two ground points. The original, which comes from the tonearm, to the spindle well and out and the new one that is directly off the tonearm. This means you can either use the original ground cable with higher end RCA cables or all three.
There is nothing bad I could say about this table in terms of performance. I've equipped this table with a Shure M91 aka Realistic R1000 and put a new aftermarket stylus. A new belt from Germany, a good servicing and quick polishing of the dustcover and it's ready to go!
Additional Link!
http://www.vinylengine.com/library/thorens/td318.shtml
