The record player itself was fine for a budget model to begin with, and with a stylus upgrade to Ortofon 40 it was very good. After a few years of light use it began playing slow. This was not a belt or power supply issue as I replaced both, so presumably was the motor wearing out. After correspondence with a Thorens representative (who recommended checking belt and power supply) he stopped replying to me e-mails when I requested a recommendation for a servicing company, and given that I was out of warranty and willing to pay for repairs was not a good sign that it was worth it! It's cheap but not worth it if you ultimately need to replace it more regularly than the stylus.

When it played, the sound was fine and not underpowered, as in another turntable I had purchased.

The turntable is unreliable, lasting less than a year, and the Ortofon stylus supplied often rubbed against the record regardless of tracking or adjustments to the screws of the cartridge.

I bought this phonograph to try to obtain a long-lasting replacement for my Garard 42M, which was durable (30 years) but which was plagued by a persistent low buzzing noise (wow) that occurred while playing records.
Unfortunately, this is not the phonograph to get. The styus, an Ortofon (I had success with this in my Garard), always played very low to the record in spite of every possible variation in adjustments to the cartridge and tracking. Then, after about a year of use, it suddenly stopped playing, and when I managed to get it to start, it played at such a slow speed that I could not play any records. Now it does not play at all. I have no idea why it has stopped playing, as the belt seems fine.
At this point, I am going to hook up an old Technics or Dual deck that I have been given by friends. I heard good things about Thorens, but in my case this player has been a disaster.
The only unusual thing I can think of is that the player was kept in the attic, where it sometimes gets below 60 degrees, but the Garard had also been there for decades without being affected.

Customer Service

I have not tried customer service, but it is out of warranty, so it would likely cost me a bundle, and who knows how long it would work before it breaks down again.

Similar Products Used:

Garard 42M
Technics SL-B2