Last Day for Free Shipping at Vinyl Nirvana

I just spoke with Dave Archambault of Vinyl Nirvana, and he told me that for the first time in a long time he actually has quite a bit of stock on hand. (It's the slow time of the year for everyone.) In order to clear out room for future products, Dave has been offering free shipping--but it ends tonight, February 17, at midnight. If you've been thinking of buying one of Dave's beautifully restored vintage turntables from Thorens, AR and more, today is the day.

You might think that free shipping isn't a big deal, but as someone who ships high-end audio for a living I can tell you that Dave's offering a significant discount. No one is better than Vinyl Nirvana when it comes to safely shipping these somewhat delicate machines, so this is a very valuable service Dave is giving away.

Dave has plenty of amazing turntables on hand for sale. First, he has another one of his Thorens TD-125 long base turntables with 12" SME arm, which you can see at the top of this page. Dave builds a handful of these amazing TTs each year, and this one is still available at $2995. Dave even offers this turntable in a variety of exotic wood plinths, so you can customize it to your heart's content. If you're looking for a great, classic turntable that none of your audiophile buddies also have, this is the one.

The second photo is of an old-fashioned AR XA turntable--one of the best-selling turntables of all time--it was the king throughout the '60s and '70s. I owned one for a while in the late '90s, but it was terribly beat up and I never got it working perfectly. I should have sent it to Dave! If you're looking for a solid, beautiful vintage 'table that doesn't cost a lot of money, you should look into the AR XA. This one is just $695, and that includes a Rega RB-250 arm. This is an AR that was modded by Steve Frosten, and it even has a Linn power supply.

Finally we have a beautiful Thorens TD-160 Super with a custom zebrawood plinth and a new SME M2-9 arm for just $1995. Dave is also a dealer for Ortofon, Dynavector and Grado cartridges, which means you have great plenty of great choices for any AR, Merrill or Thorens 'table Dave restores. Plus, Dave will mount the cartridge for free when you buy one of his turntables!

Once again, the free shipping deal ends today, so visit the Vinyl Nirvana website for more information!

Another Beautiful Long Base Thorens TD-125 at Vinyl Nirvana

Dave Archambault at Vinyl Nirvana has just finished another one of his custom long-base Thorens TD-125 turntables--this one with an utterly gorgeous morado (Bolivian rosewood) plinth. The morado isn't just a veneer; it's made from 3/4" solid wood all around with several coats of tung oil used to bring out the beauty of the grain. Dave only makes three of these each year, so they're definitely one-of-a-kind.



The long base design allows for 12" tonearms to be used on the TD-125. Dave has included the SME M2-12R tonearm, which is a new version of the classic 3012 arm. What's amazing about this turntable package is that the arm itself retails for $2000. That means you're getting this custom, fully restored Thorens TD-125 for less than $1500--an insanely low price.



When you buy one of Dave's fully restored vintage turntables, it's almost like getting one brand new out of the box. In most cases, it might actually be better! This TD-125, for example, comes with a top plate that has been sandblasted and refinished to look better than new. All the caps and resistors in the speed control unit have been replaced, and both the armboard and the metal faceplate is brand new. Once everything is completed, Dave ensures that the performance is fully up to spec--just like the day it was made.



The cost of this table and arm is $3495 plus shipping. As Dave says, the TD-125's performance is good enough to warrant any modern $500 to $2000 cartridge. Again, this is a turntable I would love to own. It's definitely unique in every way, and rivals or even exceeds the performance of modern turntables in its price range. For more information, check out the Vinyl Nirvana website.

A Very Special Thorens from Vinyl Nirvana

David of Vinyl Nirvana has a very special Thorens ready for a lucky vinyl lover--this "long base" TD-125! Designed for 12-inch tonearms (which are becoming more and more popular these days), this one comes with an SME M2-12R already mounted. As you can see, this beautiful turntable comes with a rare African mahogany plinth that David has installed himself.

As David himself says: "In the back of my mind I knew that there was a Thorens TD-125 turntable that accommodated a 12 inch tonearm, however, it wasn’t until a faithful customer named Scott D started talking about the “Long Base” model that I realized it was something that Thorens actually produced themselves, direct from the factory. At first, I spent a few weeks trying to search out a TD-125 Long Base that Scott could purchase. There were various owners who had pictures of their prized possession on various forums and websites. One long base model even came up for sale on eBay, but it turned out to be just a chassis, with no plinth.

"In my research, I began to realize that there was very little difference between the stock TD – 125 in the Long Base model: 1) larger plinth; 2) larger armboard; 3) larger aluminum switch/fascia plate. The first two differences were very minor, a matter of woodworking. However, the larger switch/fascia plate was going to take some planning to implement. First there was the actual manufacturer of the plate, and then there was the reproduction of the silk-screening. After three months, working with a variety of companies getting estimates and discussing various plans for implementation, the switch/facia plates were done and looked fantastic.

"While that process carried onward, I had extended plinths made and a series of extended armboards. The plinths were three-quarter inch mahogany, African mahogany, and black walnut. The armboards were three-eighths birch plywood painted satin black. As a final touch, because I have always hated the battleship gray/green color of the 125’s top plate, I had the tops sandblasted and then powder coated in what’s called 'Grey Sparkle.'"

David plans on restoring more of these, but on a very limited basis. This one is just $3395 shipped, which is a great price considering that cosmetically it is nearly perfect. David, who grades very, very tough, ranks it as a 9.5 on a scale of 10. He plans on building just one more this year, so contact him now if you're interested.

You can find out more about the Thorens TD-125 Long Base here.