New THORENS Vinyl - A Tribute to a Legend TD 124 DD


 

 

Date: 2021-12-07

 

I very much hope that this album with 13 of my personal favourite tracks will bring you a lot of listening pleasure. The choice of tracks is very personal – they have accompanied me over long periods of my private and professional life. Recordings from the 70s, 80s and 90s, but also very recent productions, because an interest in and enthusiasm for music doesn’t just stop at some point. Especially not if you can enjoy it with the very best hi-fi technology.

This album is intended to celebrate music reproduction in general – and one record player in particular: the TD-124 is, for me, the epitome of everything that makes Thorens so unique, admirable and desirable. For me, it was the start of a decades-long passion that culminated a few years ago in my taking the brand completely into my own hands.

Many of the tracks on this album are ones you may never have heard before. And not all of them meet the most modern recording standards. Put aside your hi-fi expectations for a moment and let me take you on a journey through my record collection. Discover the sonic peculiarities and moods that await discovery from track to track. Because what really good players do best is not to imprint a certain sound on all CD’s – no matter how pleasant it may be. What distinguishes top drives is their ability to magnify contrasts, to allow each recording to be individual and to underscore this.

You’ll discover great test tracks: we’ve emphasised authentic timbres and the greatest possible dynamics during mastering, and not every one of the 13 tracks will sound equally optimal on every player. What you can expect is exciting music, lots of variety – even if the basic genre is “jazz” in the broadest sense – and always a bit of a technical as well as a musical challenge. Possibly followed by another exciting undertaking: all 13 tracks, of course, are taken from complete original albums which still exist. Not all of them are easy to find (or cheap) – but all are worthwhile!

The best player in the world is worth nothing without good music. I’d be hugely pleased if this album could spark a new growth spurt in your record collection.

Gunter Kurten