Thorens TD 101 A Turntable, Matte Black

The Thorens TD 101 A is a fully automatic belt-drive turntable with a switchable phono preamp and a pre-mounted Audio-Technica AT3600 cartridge.

In plain terms: you unbox it, set it up, plug it in — and drop the needle. No adjusting the tonearm with nail scissors, no alignment odyssey on YouTube. Press start, the arm lifts, finds the groove, lowers. At the end it lifts again and goes home. Sounds trivial. But it's exactly why, for a lot of people, the record actually gets played instead of gathering dust on the shelf.

Why the TD 101 A?

Because Thorens hasn't simply bolted an automatic mechanism onto a budget deck. The mechanics are newly developed and designed for minimal friction, and the belt runs on the inside — keeping the top clean and the speed steady. The motor is electronically controlled, and speed is switched with a button, not by moving the belt by hand.

Plus the switchable phono preamp: your amplifier has no phono input? No problem, you connect directly to a line input or to active speakers. Does it have one? Then you switch off the internal stage and use the better one instead. Either way works — you don't have to decide today.

What you hear

A clean, unfussy sound with decent quiet in the background. The 12-inch die-cast aluminum platter brings mass, and mass in a turntable isn't marketing, it's physics: it keeps the speed steady. The Audio-Technica AT3600 is an honest MM cartridge — not the last word in resolution, but forgiving, well-tracking and fuss-free.

The nice part: the tonearm accepts cartridges in the 1/2-inch standard. If the upgrade bug bites in two years, you swap the cartridge and get noticeably more out of it, without touching the turntable itself.

Who is the TD 101 A for? (and who isn't it for)

Plainly put: the TD 101 A is for anyone who wants to listen to vinyl instead of operating vinyl. Beginners, returning enthusiasts, people with an inherited record collection — and honestly, more than a few audiophiles who just want music in the evening, not a tinkering session.

It's not for you if you're chasing the last ounce of resolution, enjoy tweaking VTA and tracking force, or want a subchassis turntable with an upgrade path in every direction. In that case, look at the TD 1500 or the 1600 series — that's where the other league begins, and it's priced accordingly.

Our verdict

Honestly: the best turntable is the one that actually gets used. That's exactly where the TD 101 A plays its strength — it makes putting on a record so easy that you still do it in the evening after a long day. You get a well thought-out fully automatic turntable with a genuine Thorens name behind it, not just a badge stuck on. For us at HD Zürisee in Wädenswil, it's the obvious answer to "What should I buy first?"

Technical Data

• Type: fully automatic turntable
• Drive: flat belt, internal
• Motor: electronically controlled DC motor
• Speeds: 33 1/3 and 45 rpm, electronically switchable
• Platter: 12" die-cast aluminum
• Tonearm: aluminum, newly developed, 1/2" cartridge mount
• Cartridge: Audio-Technica AT3600 (MM), pre-mounted
• Phono preamp: built-in, switchable (MM)
• End-of-record shutoff: automatic
• Output: RCA with ground terminal
• Power supply: external plug-in power supply
• Color: Matte Black
• Dimensions (W × H × D): 420 × 135 × 360 mm
• Weight: 5.4 kg
• Included: turntable, plug-in power supply, acrylic dust cover, RCA cable, instruction manual

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need an additional phono preamp for the Thorens TD 101 A?

No. The phono preamp is built in and switchable, so you can connect the TD 101 A directly to a regular line input or to active speakers. If your amplifier already has a phono input, you simply switch off the internal stage and use the external one instead.

Is the TD 101 A really fully automatic?

Yes, in both directions. At the push of a button, the tonearm lifts, moves over the lead-in groove and lowers. At the end of the record, it lifts back up on its own and returns to its rest, and the motor stops. You don't need to intervene by hand either at the start or at the end.

Can I replace the cartridge later?

Yes. The tonearm accepts cartridges in the common 1/2-inch standard, so the included AT3600 can be replaced. A better MM cartridge brings audibly more resolution and finer detail, without needing to change anything on the turntable itself. We're happy to help you figure out which one fits.

Does the TD 101 A also work for an inherited record collection?

Very well, actually. The AT3600 is a forgiving, well-tracking cartridge that handles older, not-perfectly-preserved records cleanly. It's not made for 78 rpm shellac records, though — it only plays 33 1/3 and 45 rpm.

Why buy the Thorens TD 101 A at HD Zürisee?

Because we don't just sell turntables, we set them up. We look with you at whether it fits your amplifier and speakers, where it should sit in the room, and whether a different cartridge would make sense. Our technician Mauri takes care of setup and adjustment if you'd like. Call us or drop us a message — even if you're not buying yet.

Goes well with

• Audio-Technica AT-N3600L – the matching replacement stylus for the pre-mounted AT3600
• Cartridges – upgrade cartridges and replacement styli from Audio-Technica, matching the pre-mounted AT3600
• Turntables – if you're still torn between automatic and manual operation
• Thorens – the whole range, from the TD 101 A to the 1600 series