Fully Restored Custom Aluminum Plinth New Old Stock SME 3009 MK2 Thorens TD160 MK2 Germany Belt Drive Turntable

The Thorens TD-160B Mk II is one of those turntables that makes sense the moment you understand what Thorens was trying to achieve: mechanical isolation rather than electronic complexity. It uses a suspended sub-chassis, belt drive and a 16-pole two-phase AC synchronous motor, with the motor isolated from the platter through the belt. The 160B version was specifically supplied without a tonearm, giving serious users the freedom to install an arm such as the SME 3009. Its published specifications include 33⅓/45 rpm, approximately 3.2kg dynamically balanced zinc-alloy platter, <0.06% DIN wow/flutter and roughly −65dB weighted rumble.

The real magic is the floating sub-chassis. The platter, bearing and tonearm are mechanically separated from the main plinth by the suspension system, dramatically reducing the transmission of motor and environmental vibration into the cartridge. The TD-160’s bearing uses a precision shaft and bronze bearing arrangement, while the substantial platter provides useful rotational inertia. Properly serviced and correctly suspended, the result is a presentation that can be exceptionally quiet, stable, rhythmically coherent and naturally fluid—exactly the qualities that made the classic Thorens suspended-belt architecture so influential.

Pairing it with an SME 3009 Series II takes the TD-160B into much more serious territory. The classic Series II is a 9-inch precision tonearm, with an effective length around 9 inches and mounting distance of approximately 8.45 inches; the standard version accommodates cartridges around 4–20g and uses the characteristic SME sliding base and detachable headshell arrangement. Its precision bearings, adjustable geometry and beautifully engineered counterweight system give it the mechanical control expected from a professional-grade vintage arm.

There is an important distinction, however: 3009 Series II and 3009 Series II Improved are not the same arm. The earlier/non-improved Series II is roughly a 12g-class effective-mass arm and is consequently more versatile with medium-compliance cartridges. The later Series II Improved is substantially lighter—around 9–9.5g with its detachable headshell configuration—and is particularly well suited to classic high-compliance cartridges such as vintage Shure and Stanton designs. The correct cartridge therefore depends heavily on exactly which 3009 Mk II you have.

The combination is pure classic analogue engineering: Thorens supplies the mass, isolation and beautifully controlled belt-drive foundation, while SME supplies the precision, adjustability and cartridge interface. A properly restored TD-160B Mk II with a genuine SME 3009 Series II is not simply an old turntable—it is a serious modular analogue platform with enormous cartridge-upgrade potential. Give it a good cartridge, accurate suspension adjustment, fresh belt and properly serviced bearings, and it can produce the kind of open, organic, spacious and deeply engaging vinyl presentation that explains why this particular Thorens/SME combination remains highly sought after decades later.