The Idler

摘要

Indoctrinated as we are to worship belt-drive turntables above all others, it's hard for many to accept that - even today - there are idler-drive decks that can match the best of the later, succeeding formats. In the early years of hi-fi, before the belt-drive conquered all, the primary drive method was an idler wheel rubbing against the inside rim of the platter. With hindsight, all we can imagine is rumble and motor-noise being transmitted through the system. But, as Garrard 301/401 owners know, it ain't necessarily so. Garrard, however, didn't have it all its own way. In 1957, the Swiss firm Thorens launched a turntable that, to this day, is the classic Garrard's main rival among collectors. What makes the Thorens TD124 doubly important is that it was a harbinger of things to come.