Turntables, Arms & Cartridges

In the convoluted history of the belt-drive turntable, much disinformation has clouded the true story of its evolution. Many LP devotees may prefer idler-drive or direct-drive, but there is no doubt that the suspended subchassis belt-drive deck as exemplified by the Thorens TD 150, born in 1965, has dominated for more than half-a-century.

The TD 150 was not the first to deliver that combination in a commercially viable package, however. That honour belongs to the AR XA of 1961, which took the best of turntables from Scott, Weathers, Stromberg-Carlson and others to create an unbelievably inexpensive deck which outperformed anything near its price. But it was basic, and the TD 150 improved on the AR in a number of ways, including build, but most notably by providing the user with the option of fitting alternative tonearms – AR's was not interchangeable until a revision in the 1980s.

In Thorens' own history, too, the TD 150 was a milestone as it was the company's first belt-drive deck, the earlier TD 124 using a belt-and-idler system. But all suspended subchassis belt-drive decks after the TD 150 – especially Linn's LP12 – owe Thorens a massive 'Thanks!'