Turntables, Arms & Cartridges

Calling Thorens a storied brand might be one of the biggest understatements in hi-fi history. Founded in 1882, it was most recently acquired by former ELAC director Gunter Kürten in 2018, since when it’s been inventing modernised versions of Thorens classics. The TD 404 DD seen here doesn’t have an immediately recognisable ancestor, as was the case with the TD 1600 – which is a modern retread of the iconic TD 160. That said, it does leverage a fair bit of technology from the flagship TD 124 DD [HFN Jul ’21] while also adopting a user-friendly auto arm-lift mechanism.

This new turntable joins the TD 402 DD and TD 403 DD in the manufacturer’s top-tier direct-drive line. It’s fitted with several upgrades, including a motor borrowed from the aforementioned TD 124 DD, plus a tonearm originally launched as an enhancement for the TD 1600. Among other improvements, this explains why the TD 404 DD is priced £4500, a significant step up from Thorens’ £1399 TD 403 DD.

A hint of retro

Generally, Thorens designs very attractive turntables, albeit with an aesthetic often heavy on nostalgia. This model sports a minimalistic look, reminiscent of B&O designs from the 1970s. Notably, this is the case in the new-for-Thorens matt oak finish – the two other options, a high gloss black [pictured] or a glossy reddish tinted wood veneer, are more customary for the brand. There’s also a dust cover which can be mounted or left in the box.

The TD 404 DD’s hefty MDF plinth is topped with a smart-looking, 6mm-thick brushed aluminium plate. The five pushbuttons fit the look perfectly, two of them used to select 33.3 or 45rpm operation (and you can depress both if you still have shellac 78s lying around).

Above: The 3.8kg CNC-machined alloy platter has a pattern of silicone rubber LP supports on its surface and a 5mm-thick damping ring underneath. Speed is selected via pushbuttons and the TP 160 arm includes an electronic lift

The lift button will see regular use too, as you use this to carefully lower and raise the tonearm. This is a key feature of the TD 404 DD with, by way of bonus, the automatic levitation of the arm at the end of a record, saving wear and tear on the stylus. Consider it a blessing for absent-minded vinyl devotees, or for those moments you must attend to some urgent household crisis, forgetting about the LP spinning away in the listening room. And to assuage audiophile qualms, Kürten stresses the mechanism is disengaged during playback.

The TD 404 DD’s platter is a thing of beauty, with rubber damping arranged in an orderly motif around the centre to create a piece of geometric art. No additional mat is required even though LPs are not uniformly supported [see PM's Lab Report]. Note also that there’s no rubber material in the centre of the aluminium platter, creating a space for an LP’s label in the middle. On the underside of the 3.8kg platter there’s a further 5mm-thick ring of damping material, making for a very inert disc.

Lift and locate

The platter features a chamfered edge and rotates recessed in the top plate. It’s a seamless look, reminiscent of earlier Japanese DJ decks – or the more recent DNP-3000NE from Denon [HFN Mar 24] – though it does require two threaded finger hoists to lift the platter into place. That’s the most arduous part of the TD 404 DD’s setup, as mounting the counterweight and adjusting anti-skating via a dial is easy. Three adjustable feet allow for stress-free levelling of the deck during installation.

Even though Pro-Ject is championing balanced connections [HFN Jan ’25], XLR outputs have been a feature on Thorens’ top-end turntables for longer still. The TD 404 DD has them, next to standard RCA outs – useful if you opt for a moving-coil cartridge and, downstream, your phono preamplifier is fitted with balanced inputs.

Above: The direct-drive motor utilises a 12-pole laminated steel core and control via an optical sensor

There’s a bundled wall-wart to power the TD 404 DD, but Thorens also offers a power supply upgrade. This is the £499 TPN 124 linear PSU, which connects via a separate 4-pin umbilical and offers a regulated 12V for the drive and 5V for the lift mechanism. While the ‘High Precision’ motor from the TD 124 DD earns its name by utilising a 12-pole laminated steel core and control via an optical sensor with ‘900rpm resolution’, the tonearm on this model is Thorens’ recent TP 160. Designed by Helmut Thiele, this 9in alloy arm features an ingenious magnetically stabilised vertical knife bearing combined with a more conventional ball-race for smooth horizontal movement.

The TP 160 falls into the medium-to-heavy effective mass class, especially when combined with the bundled headshell. This makes it suitable for lower compliance cartridges, including Thorens’ own Japan-sourced TAS 1600 at £1200, or (suggests the manufacturer) the Ortofon SPU [HFN Jul ’21]. When listening with a Pro-Ject Pick it MC9 [HFN Jul ’24] or Ortofon’s Quintet Bronze – two cartridges I use regularly – selecting a lighter headshell proved wise. Changing this is a doddle, as the TP 160 sports an SME-style locking connector.

Don’t stop me now
Even some age-related surface noise when playing my venerable copy of the Herbert von Karajan/Berliner Philharmoniker recording of Dvorák’s Symphony No 9 [Deutsche Grammophon 138 922] couldn’t stop the TD 404 DD impressing with its quietness. Neither did it stop me savouring the orchestra playing at full bore through a pair of DALI Epikore 3 standmounts, driven by a Primare PRE35 and A35.8 pre/power combo [HFN May ’22]. Thorens’ turntable showed itself eminently suited to this Romantic work, which veers between high drama and soft passages.

The mighty dynamics of the horn section were handled with ease, and it was during the second movement’s quieter melancholic passages that the deck’s super-low rumble created a pitch-black background from which the finest details emerged – the TD 404 DD really is a very quiet drive. Spinning without a record there’s nary a sound to be heard, even if you bring your ear very close, and just after the subdued ending of the Satz Largo, with its far-off horns, there was only the soft sound of the turntable’s lift mechanism. This is a polite indication that it’s time to stand up and turn over the LP…

While the interaction between the world of music and movies is well-known, there’s a slew of composers far outside of the limelight. Austin Wintory’s Journey [IAM8bit 8BIT-8002] is a fine example of spellbinding game music, in this case created for the eponymous PlayStation title from 2012, which featured an anonymous figure traversing a ruin-filled desert. Even without the visuals at hand – except for those on the rather difficult-to-find picture disc edition – that was exactly the atmosphere evoked by the TD 404 DD. Wintory’s slow, dreamy tracks are built around elongated synthesiser notes, plus stringed instruments – including cello played by Hans Zimmer collaborator Tina Guo – adding an Eastern touch.

Above: The rear of the plinth carries a 24V input [centre] for the supplied plug-top PSU and a 4-pin DIN [right] for connection to Thorens’ optional TPN 124 linear PSU [HFN Jul ’21]. Tonearm outputs are on both RCAs and balanced XLRs [left]

It’s all quite subtle and expansive, none of which was lost to the TD 404 DD, used here with a Musical Fidelity M8x Vinyl phono stage [HFN Mar ’25]. The quivering violin on ‘The Call’ was rendered with finesse, as was a distant-sounding flute. None of the spatial cues enabling the track’s pensive mood were missing, a testament to how the TD 404 DD’s solid pitch was keeping the soundstage in tight focus.

Live and kicking

Radiohead’s Hail To The Thief (Live Recordings 2003-2009) [XL Recordings XL1563LPE] is not only a refresher course on a noughties landmark album, it also skilfully stitches together its multiple live recordings, from four different cities, into a seamless listening experience – it’s hard to believe there are six years between the oldest and latest performances. These are masterful live takes, allowing Thorens’ TD 404 DD to lift minor details out from the band’s distorted guitars or the reverb of the venue.

Small taps on a hi-hat during ‘Sit Down. Stand Up’, or the backing vocals mirroring Thom Yorke’s falsetto singing, were not recessed – I’ve certainly heard these details disappear into the background on other decks. The transition to the chorus of ‘Raindrops’ was also notable, the pace and definition of the bassline remaining true even as the cacophony of the song grew.

Yes, it took some self-calibration to get into the habit of pressing a button to lower the tonearm, instead of moving a lever. But this gifts you an extra second or two to stroll back over to the listening seat, so it was in a relaxed mood that I enjoyed the TD 404 DD’s brilliantly detailed yet delicate rendition of Jef Neve’s One [Universal Music Belgium 470.367-9]. A highlight of this album of solo works, partly recorded at Abbey Road, is Side 2’s ‘Solitude’, where every nuance of Neve’s quick-fingered piano playing was exposed.

Drama class

Thorens’ TAS 1600 cartridge is a dab hand at portraying fine high-frequency detail without taking it too far, offering a fine sense of balance that suits the TD 404 DD. That said, the deck retains a pronounced clarity of its own, and not only in the upper octaves. The control over the platter’s speed exerted by the direct-drive mechanics – together with the TD 404 DD’s well-damped platter – also ensured this album’s dramatic low notes preserved their impact.

The combination of deck and cartridge delivered One’s cover of Joni Mitchell’s ‘A Case Of You’ in such an immersive, open way it was easy to believe in the illusion of Jef Neve and the listener being in the same room. An ambient, unobscured experience is essential for getting lost in this kind of introspective music, and Thorens’ new TD 404 DD turntable offers exactly that.

Hi-Fi News Verdict

The TD 404 DD attempts to wed two things that are rarely in concert: audiophile-worthy sound quality and a user-friendly vinyl experience. Tricky as it is, a design built around a first-rate drive unit and a superb tonearm delivers the goods. Offering rich detail and rock-solid speed performance, music is a blast to savour on this Thorens deck – which happens to be one of the most beautiful turntables around.

Sound Quality: 87%