Thorens TD 201 Manual Belt-Drive Turntable

Thorens Reference and Prestige

In 1980, Thorens decided, regardless of cost, to develop and market an ultimative turntable. The result was called Thorens Reference, weighed 90 kg, was designed for up to three tonearms and had a tunable sub-chassis! Externally, the Reference looked like any kind of mass drive, in which simply a heavy platter is placed on an even heavier framework and smoothness is generated solely by mass. But the Reference was different, the design was much smarter. Simply, that it had a sub-chassis and the platter weighed only 6 kg, makes it unique. The model was made on request in an official edition of 100 pieces, customers could choose individual color combinations and order individual tonearms.

In 1983, for the 100th anniversary of the company, another large model entered the market: the Thorens Prestige. Qualitatively equivalent to the Reference, with sub-chassis and electrical lifts for two tonearms. A super drive also by today's standards and unique because of its sub-chassis.