Thorens - TD 404 DD Direct Drive Turntable

The same drive motor Thorens puts in the TD 124 DD, in a sandwich-construction frame with a 5mm aluminium top plate, the TP 160 knife-edge arm, 78rpm, balanced XLR out and a touchless auto-stop. No cartridge — you choose.

The TD 404 DD is where the direct-drive range stops being an entry model. The headline, from Thorens’ own manual, is that it uses the same motor that drives the platter of the TD 124 DD — their flagship direct drive. Everything else in the deck is built to justify that.

The platter is 3.2kg of aluminium, more than double the TD 403 DD’s. The frame is a sandwich construction with a 5mm aluminium top plate, standing on three height-adjustable, spring-loaded feet. Published wow and flutter is 0.04% or better, against the TD 403 DD’s 0.15%, and rumble is 78dB to IEC 98A loaded.

The tonearm is the TP 160, the arm Thorens introduced in 2024 as a complete new development. High-precision bearing with magnetic guidance, 232.8mm effective length, 17.8mm overhang, 23.66° offset, 18g effective mass, spring anti-skate, and a detachable SME-standard headshell. Adjustable VTA and azimuth. At 18g it is a medium-to-high mass arm, which suits the stiffer low-compliance moving coils rather than very high-compliance moving magnets — worth knowing before you shop for a cartridge.

Which you will need to do, because unlike the TD 403 DD this deck ships with no cartridge at all. Thorens’ manual says the cartridge is not included in the scope of delivery. Bring us your choice and we will mount and align it.

Three more things the 403 does not have: 78rpm, so shellac plays without an accessory; balanced XLR output alongside RCA, so a balanced phono stage sees the cartridge as the floating differential source it actually is; and a contactless auto-stop that lifts the arm and stops the motor at the end of the side, with manual override.

There is also an upgrade path. Thorens offers the TPN 124 linear power supply as an option for this deck, replacing the standard 24V external supply. It is not included.

Features

• The same drive motor Thorens uses in the flagship TD 124 DD
• 3.2kg aluminium platter
• 33 1/3, 45 and 78rpm
• Thorens TP 160 tonearm, 18g effective mass, detachable SME headshell, spring anti-skate
• Contactless auto-stop that lifts the arm and stops the motor, with manual override
• Balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA outputs
• Sandwich-construction frame with a 5mm aluminium top plate
• Three height-adjustable, spring-loaded feet
• Optional TPN 124 linear power supply upgrade
• No cartridge fitted — we will mount and align whatever you choose

Specifications

• Type: Direct-drive turntable with auto-stop
• Drive: Direct drive. Thorens’ manual states it uses the same motor that drives the platter of the TD 124 DD
• Motor: Direct drive, described by Thorens as Super Silent. No model name, voltage or coreless claim is published
• Speed regulation: Electronic control allowing speed switching without stopping. No quartz-lock or servo terminology is used and no feedback-sensor type is published
• Platter: Aluminium, 3.2kg. Diameter is not published
• Speeds: 33 1/3, 45 and 78rpm
• Start-up time and starting torque: Not published
• Wow and flutter: 0.04% or better. The manual pairs this with the labels IEC and WRMS together, which is an unusual combination — treat the standard designation with caution, as Thorens does not state one cleanly
• Rumble / signal-to-noise: 78dB, cited to IEC 98A loaded
• Tonearm: Thorens TP 160. High-precision bearing with magnetic guidance
• Effective tonearm length: 232.8mm
• Overhang: 17.8mm
• Offset angle: 23.66°
• Effective tonearm mass: 18g
• VTA and azimuth: Both adjustable. No numeric ranges are published
• Anti-skate: Spring mechanism
• Headshell: SME standard, interchangeable
• Cartridge fitted: None. Thorens’ manual states the cartridge is not included in the scope of delivery
• Built-in phono stage: Not published. Thorens makes no phono-stage claim for this model; assume you need an external phono input
• Outputs: Balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA. Whether the cable is detachable is not published
• Automatic functions: Contactless auto-stop that lifts the arm and stops the motor at the end of the side, with manual override
• Frame: Solid sandwich construction with a 5mm aluminium top plate. Full plinth composition is not published
• Feet: Three height-adjustable, spring-loaded feet
• Dust cover: Included, with hinges
• Dimensions: 450 x 155 x 368 mm on Thorens’ product page; 450 x 160 x 370 mm in their manual. A rounding-level disagreement between their own two documents
• Weight: 12.5kg on the product page; 12.3kg in the manual
• Power supply: Standard external 24V supply. Mains input 115V or 230V AC, 50/60Hz, 5W consumption
• Optional power supply upgrade: Thorens TPN 124 — an external linear power supply with a ring-core toroidal transformer and separate 24V and 5V outputs. Note that the transformer type and output voltages come from an authorised German Thorens retailer rather than from a Thorens spec page; Thorens’ own site does not carry a dedicated TPN 124 page. Output current, connector type, dimensions and weight are not published anywhere we could find. Thorens offers it as an option for this turntable; it is not included
• Finishes: Not published
• Country of manufacture: Not published. Thorens prints no country-of-manufacture statement on this product’s page, datasheet or manual — only the company address in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany, which is a registered office and not a factory. Trade press including Stereophile and Darko.audio has reported that Thorens works with a manufacturing partner in Taiwan and that the direct-drive motor is made there; that is third-party reporting, not a Thorens statement, and we are flagging it rather than presenting it either way.