Thorens TD 404 DD Review

Precision, Pairings, and the Pursuit of Vinyl Perfection

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Thorens TD 404 DD

Turntable reviews are very subjective. Most of us see the product design and hear the music differently. However, after spending some time with the Thorens TD 404 DD turntable, I believe that there will be more about this turntable that audiophiles will agree on than arguing about.

I’ve lived with this turntable for a while now, and I will say that this is a thoughtful, serious turntable that rewards equally thoughtful system-building. Spending time with the TD 404 DD in various configurations forced me to confront a few truths about my own listening habits. The right components don’t just reproduce music, they reveal it. But to unlock its full potential, you need to think critically about how and with what you pair it. This isn’t a plug-and-play affair. It’s a turntable that rewards patience, knowledge, and a willingness to experiment.

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Thorens TD 404 DD Review. The Engineering Behind the Experience

The TD 404 DD is a study in intentional design. Thorens, a brand with a storied history in belt-drive turntables, has taken a bold step with this direct-drive model, and the results are fascinating.

The motor. The TD 404 DD shares the same high-torque direct-drive motor as Thorens' flagship TD 124 DD, a deck that retails at €7 999 in Europe and around $11 995 in the United States. That motor is genuinely excellent. It is ultra-quiet, it delivers very low wow and flutter, and it provides the kind of speed stability that makes direct-drive compelling in the first place. Getting that motor in a package that costs roughly half the price of the TD 124 DD is worth registering. It is actually the whole argument for this turntable in a single sentence.

The chassis. The chassis is a sandwich construction with a 5mm aluminium top plate. Three height-adjustable, spring-loaded feet handle isolation. The platter weighs around 3.2 to 3.7 kilograms depending on the configuration, and it incorporates an anti-resonance rubber compound layer. There is an integrated stroboscope with a pitch control potentiometer, and the deck supports 33⅓, 45, and 78 RPM, that last being a welcome inclusion for some. At the rear, you get both gold-plated RCA outputs and balanced XLR connections, which immediately broadens the range of phono stages and preamplifiers you can sensibly pair it with. An optional linear power supply, the TPN 124, is available as an upgrade, and I would suggest taking it seriously.

The tonearm. Although I am a great fan of 12” tonearms, I admit that the 9” (232,8 mm) J-shaped design from German engineer Helmut Thiele mounted on the TD 404 is outstanding. It rides on a knife-edge bearing and has an effective mass of around 18 grams. This is on the higher end for a modern tonearm. It is also an important consideration for cartridge matching, which I will address shortly. It accepts an SME-pattern headshell, which is genuinely useful, as it gives you the flexibility to swap cartridges without losing your alignment references. VTA and azimuth adjustments are both available. The anti-skating uses a spring mechanism with a dedicated thumb wheel.

One thing worth flagging: the e-Lift motorized tonearm mechanism, which is designed to auto-return at the end of a record, is audible. It is a small but persistent irritant, particularly on quiet openings. It is not the end of the world, and I suspect most experienced users will simply bypass it and lower the needle by hand. But it is worth knowing before you hear it the first time and wonder whether something is wrong.

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Cartridge matching is the 18-gram question

The TP 160's effective mass of 18 grams is the most important number in the whole system-building exercise. A high-mass tonearm wants a low-compliance cartridge, and ideally a moving coil design to achieve a resonant frequency in the 8–12 Hz range that keeps things musically clean and mechanically safe. Get this wrong and you introduce a set of problems that no amount of downstream equipment can fix.

Thorens pairs the TD 404 DD with their own TAS 1600 moving coil in some markets, and it is a credible combination. The TAS 1600 is a low-compliance MC that sits comfortably in this arm's preferred load, and together they produce a sound that is well organised and tonally even. If you are looking for a simple, sensible starting point, there are worse places to be. But I think there is more to explore here.

For those willing to go further, the Lyra Delos at around €2 150 is an exceptional match. It is a low-compliance MC that tracks beautifully in a high-mass arm, and its retrieval of leading-edge transients and inner detail is genuinely striking. Paired with the TD 404 DD and TPN 124 power supply, it gives you a combination that punches considerably above its weight class. The Lyra Kleos, at roughly €3 800, takes everything the Delos does and adds a larger, more dimensional soundstage. Obviously, if your phono stage is up to the task. These Lyra cartridges are designed to strict specifications and respond meaningfully to careful setup, so precise VTA and azimuth alignment on the TP 160's micrometric adjustments is not optional.

The Ortofon Cadenza Bronze is another worthwhile consideration. It is slightly richer in the midrange than the Lyras, with a warmer low-frequency character that some listeners will prefer and others will find slightly soft. At approximately €2 200, it is a proven performer in high-mass arms, and its output level of 0.4mV is accommodating of a broader range of phono stages. The Cadenza Black, if budget allows, is more resolving but also more demanding of everything downstream.

For those who lean toward moving magnet designs, and there are good reasons to, the Audio-Technica VM760SLC at around €500 is worth a conversation. Its compliance is well-suited to this arm's mass, and the Shibata-line contact stylus extracts fine groove detail with a level of performance that defies its price. It is not a statement cartridge, but it is remarkably honest.

What I would steer clear of are the very high-compliance, low-mass MCs or budget MM designs that were engineered for lightweight Japanese arms from the 1970s. The physics simply do not work in the TP 160's favour with those.

No matter which cartridge you choose, proper setup is critical. The TD 404 DD’s tonearm is forgiving, but it’s not magic. I’d recommend using a high-quality protractor—like the Dynavector or Dr. Feickert—to ensure optimal alignment. A digital scale is also essential for setting the tracking force with precision. And don’t overlook the importance of a good anti-static brush and a high-quality record clamp. These small details can make a big difference in the overall performance.

Ortofon Cadenza Bronze

Building the system around it

The TD 404 DD's balanced XLR output is an invitation to use a phono stage that appreciates a properly balanced signal path, and I would take that invitation. The Pass Labs XP-17, at approximately €3 400, is the obvious benchmark in this territory. It is quiet, transparent, and with enough gain flexibility to accommodate virtually any MC cartridge you might mount on this deck. It does not colour the signal; it simply gets out of the way, which is exactly what you want when the motor and arm are doing their jobs properly.

If that feels like more than you want to spend on a phono stage, the Manley Chinook (€2 000) offers a tube-based alternative that adds a quality of harmonic density and midrange bloom that many find irresistible. It is not quite as neutral as the Pass, but it is extraordinarily musical, and it pairs particularly well with the Cadenza Bronze's character. The EAR 834P, John Wright's updated version of the classic Tim de Paravicini design, sits in a similar camp. It is warmer, slightly rounder, but with an authority in the lower midrange that solid-state designs sometimes struggle to match.

For a more modern, technically rigorous option at a lower price, the Parasound JC3+ (€1 400) does almost everything right. It is dead quiet, it has enough loading flexibility for virtually any MC, and it does not compress dynamics the way some budget-to-mid phono stages tend to. At its price, it is exceptional value, and it would not embarrass itself in a significantly more expensive chain.

From the phono stage, I found the TD 404 DD most at home with amplification that shares its own character. That is controlled, composed, detailed without being clinical. The Hegel H390 integrated amplifier (around €5 000) is a natural companion. Its DAC section is irrelevant here, but its amplifier section is among the best in its class, with a musicality that keeps strings convincing and rhythmic passages properly organized. The Luxman L-505uXII sits in a similar bracket and brings a slightly warmer presentation, particularly in the lower registers. For those who want to go separates, the Pass Labs INT-25 is technically an integrated, but behaving more like a Class A amplifier. It brings a naturalness to acoustic material that is difficult to achieve otherwise.

Speakers are, as always, where the subjectivity becomes most acute, and I will offer only what I know from my own direct experience. The Dynaudio Confidence 50 floor standing speakers are exceptional partners. Their balanced, non-fatiguing character complements the TD 404 DD's precision without stripping the music of warmth. For those who prefer a more dynamic, forward presentation, the ProAc Response D30RS rewards the kind of transient speed that a well-set-up direct-drive deck can deliver.

Hegel H390

Where it stands in its competitive landscape

At approximately €4 300, the TD 404 DD finds itself in a genuinely contested field. The Technics SL-1200G, at around €3 400, is the obvious direct-drive comparison, and it is formidable. The SL-1200G has an extraordinarily well-engineered motor, a dedicated tonearm with characteristics quite different from the TP 160, and the industrial credibility of a machine that has been setting standards since 1972. Where the SL-1200G is tighter and more immediate in its rhythmic presentation, the TD 404 DD feels slightly more relaxed, more European in its pacing. Whether that is a virtue or a compromise depends entirely on what you listen to and how you listen.

The Rega Planar 8 with the Neo PSU is a belt-drive design in a different mechanical tradition and offers extraordinary tonearm technology and a lightness of touch that some listeners find more emotionally engaging than anything direct-drive can offer. The Rega is also, meaningfully, lighter on effective tonearm mass (around 11 grams), which opens up a broader palette of compatible cartridges. At approximately €3 000 with the PSU, it is cheaper than the Thorens, though the system implications of the different cartridge compatibility change the real-world cost calculation.

The VPI Prime Signature (around €4 700) brings American engineering sensibility. It is a heavier platter, a unipivot arm design that is divisive but in skilled hands can be spectacular, and a flexibility in tonearm choice that the Thorens cannot quite match. The SME Model 12, at approximately €4 300, has long carried the argument that British precision manufacturing has no peer at this price. Its tonearm geometry is meticulous, its bearing tolerances are tight, and its overall build quality is conspicuous. It is less forgiving of cartridge mismatch than the Thorens, but more rewarding when everything is dialed correctly.

The question that the TD 404 DD has to answer, and convincingly, is why you would choose it over these alternatives. My answer is as follows. The motor. The TD 124 DD's direct-drive motor, accessed here at considerably lower cost, is genuinely one of the best at any price. If what you want is speed stability, a quiet mechanical foundation, and the ability to build a serious system around a long-lived, upgradeable deck, the TD 404 DD earns its asking price.

Technics SL-1200G

A few things to keep in mind

I want to be honest about the e-Lift issue, because the same mechanism on the TD 124 DD has been noted by other listeners as a source of subtle sonic intrusion. In the TD 404 DD's revised implementation it is somewhat better, but the noise remains audible on quiet passages if you use the automated return. It is a convenience feature that may not survive contact with your listening habits.

I would also strongly recommend the TPN 124 linear power supply as part of your initial budget, not an afterthought. The difference it makes to the noise floor and the resolution of fine detail is not subtle. Budget it in.

And finally. This is a turntable that will reveal the character of everything you pair with it. That is a compliment, but it is also a responsibility. A mediocre phono stage will sound mediocre here. A great one will give you a very clear window into what this motor and tonearm are actually capable of, which, as I said at the start, is more than the price tag might initially suggest.

The TD 404 DD is, in the end, a quietly confident machine. It does not make extravagant claims. It simply does the work. And it does it exceptionally well.

I spent an afternoon spinning a few test records—everything from a pristine original pressing of Tago Mago by Can to a well-worn copy of The Dark Side of the Moon—and the differences were striking. On the Tago Mago album, the TD 404 DD revealed layers of nuance in Irmin Schmidt’s keyboard that I’d never noticed before. On the Pink Floyd, it exposed the limitations of the pressing, but also the brilliance of the mix. It’s a turntable that forces you to listen more critically, and that’s a good thing.

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Final Thoughts, Is the TD 404 DD Right for You?

The Thorens TD 404 DD is a turntable that defies easy categorization. It’s not just a direct-drive turntable. It is a statement about what modern vinyl playback can achieve. It is a turntable that demands the best from your system and your records, but in return, it offers a level of performance that’s truly special.

Is it perfect? No. Its revealing nature means that it’s not for everyone, and its price tag puts it out of reach for many. But for those who are serious about vinyl, who are willing to invest in high-quality components and take the time to set them up properly, the TD 404 DD is a revelation.

It’s also a turntable that encourages you to think critically about your system. What cartridge brings out the best in your records? Which phono stage complements your listening preferences? How do your speakers handle the TD 404 DD’s unflinching honesty? These are the kinds of questions that make the hobby endlessly fascinating, and the TD 404 DD is a turntable that forces you to confront them head-on.

In the end, the TD 404 DD is more than just a turntable. It’s a tool for discovery, a catalyst for deeper listening, and a reminder of why we fell in love with vinyl in the first place. And for that, it’s worth every cent.

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The author writes on analogue audio, music, and the economics of physical media. The author has no commercial relationship with Linn Products or any of its distributors. The author has no commercial relationships with any company mentioned in this article. Views expressed are the author's own. Correspondence and disagreement are equally welcome.