A worthwhile upgrade for my Thorens TD280 mk2

[Rotellier21]

As a novice on the subject of turntables I was about to upgrade the cartridge on my old 1990´s Thorens TD280 mk2 . The existing cartridge is the cheap Audio Technica ATN91 . I did have some belt slip off issues but cleaned it with achohol which has remedied this for now but have read it can be a problem. As this turntable is from the old Thorens brand/ownership , looking at the present day 2021 turntables what budget would I need to spend to see a marked improvement in the sound quality . Is upgrading the cartridge a worthwile effort short term ? Or is it best sell it on and spend 400-600 quid on a new deck ..yes that´s peanuts for quality turntables but thats the budget I have in mind right now .

I wonder if the Thorens TD280mk2 was in the market place in 2021 how would it fair with the competition and how much would it cost .

 

[Al ears]

For current pricing of your deck best to look on eBay and see what they have actually sold for in the past. About £80, I have just looked.....
certainly a cartridge upgrade would be a very good idea as would a new belt. Get a decent cartridge and it will be better than the standard issue found on decks in the price you mention and can be transferred to a new deck if you get one in the future.

 

[Rotellier21]

I was looking at the Audio Technica VM95ML or VM95SH ...the ML is a bt cheaper and lasts longer they say, but in any case they are 5 or 6 times the price of my current stylus so an improvement must be noticeable .

 

[Al ears]

I was looking at the Audio Technica VM95ML or VM95SH ...the ML is a bt cheaper and lasts longer they say, but in any case they are 5 or 6 times the price of my current stylus so an improvement must be noticeable .

I would think either would be a good step up.

 

[Gray]

I was looking at the Audio Technica VM95ML or VM95SH ...the ML is a bt cheaper and lasts longer they say, but in any case they are 5 or 6 times the price of my current stylus so an improvement must be noticeable .

As an AT95E owner (on an old Thorens TT), I've been looking at that VM95ML too.
You may have already seen these couple of range comparisons, if not you should find them worth reading:

Audio Technica VM95 cartridges

Audio Technica VM95 cartridge review

www.hi-fiworld.co.uk

Audio Technica VM95 Cartridges Review

Turntable not sounding as good as it did? It might be time for a new cartridge and Audio Technica has just launched a whole affordable range of them.

www.avforums.com

 

[plastic penguin]

As a novice on the subject of turntables I was about to upgrade the cartridge on my old 1990´s Thorens TD280 mk2 . The existing cartridge is the cheap Audio Technica ATN91 . I did have some belt slip off issues but cleaned it with achohol which has remedied this for now but have read it can be a problem. As this turntable is from the old Thorens brand/ownership , looking at the present day 2021 turntables what budget would I need to spend to see a marked improvement in the sound quality . Is upgrading the cartridge a worthwile effort short term ? Or is it best sell it on and spend 400-600 quid on a new deck ..yes that´s peanuts for quality turntables but thats the budget I have in mind right now .

I wonder if the Thorens TD280mk2 was in the market place in 2021 how would it fair with the competition and how much would it cost .

Agree with the others, just look at a better cartridge. Might be worth having a look at Goldring as well as Nagaoka MP-110.

 

[Rotellier21]

[For the time being I have purchased the VM95ML Cartridge ..it´s on order and maybe have it in a week or so delivered to my door . Should be interesting to see the results ....although I really wanted a new turntable that was superior to my Thorens TD280 mk2 ..maybe later on .

 

[Gray]

[For the time being I have purchased the VM95ML Cartridge ..it´s on order and maybe have it in a week or so delivered to my door . Should be interesting to see the results ....although I really wanted a new turntable that was superior to my Thorens TD280 mk2 ..maybe later on .

Might well be the best of that range 👍
In your own time, let us know what you think, maybe with a new thread (so we don't miss it on the end of this one).