A Modern Reinterpretation of a 1957 Icon
Few names in analog playback carry the weight of the Thorens TD 124. When it arrived in 1957 it became one of the defining turntables of its era, a fixture in broadcast studios and serious listening rooms alike. The Thorens TD 124 DD Exclusive is the modern statement version of that heritage, carrying the spirit of the original into a contemporary drive architecture. Thorens has been a Swiss founded turntable specialist since 1883, and this deck is where their history and their present engineering meet.
The Exclusive is not a nostalgia piece. It is a fully realized flagship built to deliver reference level performance while honoring the visual and mechanical character that made the 124 a legend in the first place.
The Design and Technology
Direct Drive at the Core
Where the classic 124 used an idler drive system, the modern TD 124 DD line moves to a direct drive method with an electronically controlled direct drive motor. This is a deliberate design goal. Direct drive couples the platter to the motor for immediate, stable speed with 33 and 45 RPM handled precisely. This is a different philosophy from the sub chassis suspended belt drive found in the Thorens TD 1500, Thorens TD 1600, and Thorens TD 1601. Both approaches are valid within the Thorens catalog, and each is chosen for the sonic and mechanical priorities of its range.
The Exclusive Difference
What sets the Exclusive apart from the standard Thorens TD 124 DD is the level of refinement in its critical signal path. This model arrives with a pre-installed EMT cartridge featuring a ruby cantilever and a Gyger stylus, a genuinely high tier pickup that has been selected and fitted to work with the Thorens tonearm from the outset. This means the deck is delivered as a complete, considered system rather than a platform awaiting a cartridge.
Internally the Exclusive is wired with pure silver, chosen for its conductivity and its ability to preserve fine detail across the signal path. Output is offered as both balanced XLR and RCA, so you can run a fully balanced connection into a suitably equipped phono stage or take the traditional single ended route depending on your system.
Sound and Performance Character
The combination of a stable direct drive foundation, a genuinely resolving EMT cartridge, and pure silver wiring gives the Exclusive a presentation built on speed, detail, and authority. The ruby cantilever and Gyger stylus are capable of retrieving very fine information from the groove, and the balanced XLR path helps carry that resolution to your electronics with low noise. This is a turntable meant to reveal the full weight and nuance of a well pressed record, from the leading edge of transients to the decay of a hall.
Because everything from cartridge to internal wiring to output has been chosen together, the Exclusive rewards careful system matching downstream. It is a deck for the listener who wants the analog front end resolved and settled so attention can turn to the rest of the chain.
Where It Sits in the Range
The Exclusive represents the top of the Thorens direct drive story. Below the 124 DD family sit the more accessible direct drive designs like the Thorens TD 403 DD and the Thorens TD 404 DD, which bring the direct drive method to a more compact and streamlined form. The suspended belt drive TD 1500, TD 1600, and TD 1601 offer a different classical Thorens experience for those drawn to a sub chassis approach, with the higher belt drive models adding balanced XLR output of their own.
Within the 124 DD lineage itself, the Exclusive is the fully appointed expression, arriving with its EMT cartridge, ruby cantilever, Gyger stylus, and pure silver wiring already in place. If you want the reference statement version of the modern 124, this is it.
If you are cross shopping other reference decks in the showroom, you might also consider the Luxman PD-191A, the Yamaha GT-5000, or the MoFi MasterDeck Reference. Each of these is designed around its own philosophy, from mass loaded belt drive to different tonearm geometries, so the choice comes down to the presentation and system fit you prefer rather than any one being superior.
Building the System Around It
Phono Stage
Because the Exclusive offers balanced XLR output alongside RCA, it deserves a phono stage that can honor a low output moving coil and take advantage of that balanced path. The Accuphase C-57 Stereo Phono Amplifier and the Luxman E-07 Phono Preamplifier are both reference class options well suited to a flagship front end. The MoFi MasterPhono MM/MC Phonostage is another flexible and highly configurable choice for the pre installed EMT cartridge.
Amplification
For an integrated centerpiece, the Luxman L-507Z Integrated Amplifier makes a natural partner, pairing refined power delivery with the resolution this turntable provides.
A Note on Cartridges
The Exclusive ships with its EMT cartridge already installed, so no additional pickup is required to enjoy it as delivered. Down the road, if you ever wish to explore an alternate voice, moving coil options such as the Ortofon MC Diamond, the Ortofon MC Verismo, the Ortofon MC Windfeld Ti, and the Accuphase AC-6 represent the caliber of cartridge appropriate to a deck at this level.
Come Listen
All Elite Audio is an authorized Thorens dealer with a showroom in Timonium, Maryland. Our demo units rotate and not every model is always set up at a given moment, so we invite you to contact AEA to arrange a listen to the TD 124 DD Exclusive and hear this flagship for yourself.