Lenco L78 vs Thorens TD 280

Side-by-side specifications and a plain-English account of the recorded differences. Full profiles: Lenco L78 · Thorens TD 280.

Comparison of Lenco L78 and Thorens TD 280
Specification Lenco
L78
Thorens
TD 280
Price£120 (used)Highlighted difference. £100 (used)
CategoryVintageVintage
Statusdiscontinueddiscontinued
Years1970–?1985–?
Driveidler drivebelt drive
SpeedsHighlighted difference. 16/33/45/78 rpm33/45 rpm
Operationsemi-automaticsemi-automatic
Cartridge suppliedNoneNone
Phono stageNoNo
USB outputNoNo
BluetoothNoNo
Platterdynamically balanced zinc alloy, approx 4 kg
TonearmLenco knife-edge bearing arm
Wow & flutter

Practical differences

Highlighted cells show a lower reference price, support for more listed speeds, or the presence of a convenience feature. They are not an overall score.

There's a real gap here: £20 separates them, with the Lenco L78 the pricier of the two.

The mechanics differ too: the Lenco L78 is idler-drive, the Thorens TD 280 is belt-drive.

Bottom line: £20 separates these reference prices. That difference is factual; this specification comparison does not assign an overall winner.

Merchant searches

2 UK merchants handle used or discontinued decks like this — each outbound link searches the deck on that merchant’s site.

Merchants selling Lenco L78
MerchantTypeDeliveryProduct search
eBay UK used marketplace Varies by seller Search at eBay UK ↗
Vinyl Revival music retail UK delivery Search at Vinyl Revival ↗

Merchant searches

2 UK merchants handle used or discontinued decks like this — each outbound link searches the deck on that merchant’s site.

Merchants selling Thorens TD 280
MerchantTypeDeliveryProduct search
eBay UK used marketplace Varies by seller Search at eBay UK ↗
Vinyl Revival music retail UK delivery Search at Vinyl Revival ↗

Compare two different decks →