Authorized dealers for Thorens TD 202

Resolution A/V — in-store — New York City, New York, United States (website)
Accessories 4 less — online and in-store — Apopka, Florida, United States (website)
Acoustic Sounds — online and in-store — Salina, Kansas, United States (website)
Addicted to Audio — online and in-store — Epping, Victoria, Australia (website)
AES — in-store — Mitte, Hessen, Germany (website)
Ajasom — online and in-store — Amadora, Lisboa, Portugal (website)
Alen Audio — in-store — Extramurs, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain (website)
All Elite Audio — online and in-store — Perry Hall, Maryland, United States (website)
Alma Music & Audio — online and in-store — San Diego, California, United States (website)
Alpha High End — online and in-store — Brasschaat, Vlaams Gewest, Belgium (website)

and 142 more verified dealers

Thorens TD 202

Name: Thorens TD 202
Brand: Thorens
SKU: td-202
Rating: 84 (9 reviews)

View at Thorens

Specifications 8 reviews & sources

84/100

Nicely Roasted

Sound Quality

85/100

Build Quality

83/100

Features Usability

91/100

Value for Money

78/100

The TD 202 makes vinyl feel immediately inviting, pairing natural vocal presence and a lively rhythmic flow with excellent speed stability and low rumble. Its built-in phono stage and USB output make playback and archiving wonderfully simple, while HiFi News highlights its clean, open character. A compelling, upgrade-friendly gateway to serious record listening.

Pros

Engaging, clean and open presentation with natural vocal texture and energetic rhythm.

Excellent speed stability, very low rumble and secure cartridge tracking inspire confidence for a budget USB turntable.

Built-in phono stage and USB output provide easy connection to line-level systems and convenient vinyl digitisation.

Cons

Standard setup can sound lightweight or cloudy, with limited soundstage openness and bass focus.

Supplied cartridge and rubber mat leave meaningful sonic gains available through upgrades.

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What Reviewers Are Saying

"The new platter mat steadied the ship, added depth to the bass, control to the lead vocal, lowered noise, added reverb to the cymbals and basically offered an all-round improvement."

— The Audiophile Man

"The essence of the TD 202 then is its cheery nature and general good manners."

— HiFi News

"However, the midband is this deck’s core strength."

— Audiophilepure

"The turntable has a rather retro look which I'm sure will appeal to many..."

— The Audiophile Man

"if pure sound quality is your priority and that's all you care about then maybe the TD 202 is not really a design for you"

— The Audiophile Man

SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 85/100

The TD 202 is widely described as an engaging, easy-going listen with a particularly capable midband, natural vocals and lively rhythmic momentum. Its excellent reported speed stability and low rumble support enjoyable playback, although the supplied cartridge, mat and phono stage leave clear room for improvement in refinement, focus and spatial openness.

Overall Sound

84/100

HiFi News found a clean, open and peppy presentation with natural vocal texture, energetic keyboards and music that flows well; it also praised the deck's engaging, insightful character through an external phono stage. Against that, both reviewers heard some cloudiness or shut-in quality, while The Audiophile Man noted strident upper mids, splashy cymbals and less-than-precise bass with the standard setup.

Speed Stability

90/100

HiFi News explicitly reports excellent speed stability and says the deck inspires more confidence than typical budget USB record players. The available reviews do not report pitch wander or speed drift, although one reviewer considered the lightweight platter and basic mat a limitation elsewhere in the design.

Tonearm Performance

80/100

The TP 71 arm is a practical straight-arm design with a locking headshell collet, and HiFi News says the supplied AT-95E tracks securely. However, the same review detected some bearing play during hand cueing, and The Audiophile Man recommends moving beyond the supplied cartridge for a clearly audible improvement.

Noise Isolation

84/100

HiFi News measured or observed very low rumble, a welcome result for a budget belt-drive deck. The Audiophile Man found that a better mat lowered noise further and improved overall control, suggesting the standard platter-and-mat arrangement is competent rather than fully optimized.

Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.

Build Quality

83/100

Reviewers regard the TD 202 as a proper hi-fi turntable rather than a fashion-led plastic player, with a die-cast aluminium platter, supportive rubber mat and an unusually substantial acrylic dustcover for its class. The plinth is described as decent rather than heavyweight, while the light platter and modest overall 3.9kg mass make clear that this is built to a budget.

Features Usability

91/100

The TD 202 combines a built-in phono stage and USB output with an included AT-95E cartridge, making it straightforward to connect to line-level systems, active speakers or a computer. HiFi News calls it easy to set up and sees it as an approachable first serious turntable, though an external phono stage is recommended when sound quality becomes the priority.

Value for Money

78/100

At around £599, HiFi News positions the TD 202 as a feature-equipped alternative to entry-level models such as the Rega Planar 1. The Audiophile Man considers price the principal issue, arguing that buyers focused purely on sound quality should look elsewhere, while those who value the lifestyle features and appearance may find it appealing.

Reviews & Sources

Professional reviews and sources for this product's Watt'n Potatoes analysis.

Forum Mentions

No forum mentions found yet

Specifications

Phono Stage

Built-in ADC

USB Audio

Manufacturer's Description — Thorens

Features

The integrated phono stage includes an additional analogue/digital converter with USB out. So the record played will be automatically digitized and can easily be recorded on a computer using several kinds of recording software that can be downloaded from the web.

New TD 202 completes the new series of manual plug and play turntables. Compared with its “smaller” brother TD 201 it comes with a more massive plinth and a AT 95E cartridge.

Important Note: The TD 202 is not available in North America!

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Authorized dealers for Thorens TD 202

Resolution A/V — in-store — New York City, New York, United States (website)
Accessories 4 less — online and in-store — Apopka, Florida, United States (website)
Acoustic Sounds — online and in-store — Salina, Kansas, United States (website)
Addicted to Audio — online and in-store — Epping, Victoria, Australia (website)
AES — in-store — Mitte, Hessen, Germany (website)
Ajasom — online and in-store — Amadora, Lisboa, Portugal (website)
Alen Audio — in-store — Extramurs, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain (website)
All Elite Audio — online and in-store — Perry Hall, Maryland, United States (website)
Alma Music & Audio — online and in-store — San Diego, California, United States (website)
Alpha High End — online and in-store — Brasschaat, Vlaams Gewest, Belgium (website)

and 142 more verified dealers

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Authorized dealers for Thorens TD 202

Thorens TD 202

Reviews & Sources

Forum Mentions

Specifications

Manufacturer's Description — Thorens

Features

Authorized dealers for Thorens TD 202

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