Pro-Ject X8 vs Thorens TD 1500
Side-by-side specifications and a plain-English account of the recorded differences. Full profiles: Pro-Ject X8 · Thorens TD 1500.
| Specification | Pro-Ject X8 |
Thorens TD 1500 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,249 | Highlighted difference. £1,999 |
| Category | Hi-fi | Hi-fi |
| Status | current | current |
| Years | 2022–present | 2022–present |
| Drive | belt drive | belt drive |
| Speeds | 33/45 rpm | 33/45 rpm |
| Operation | manual | manual |
| Cartridge supplied | Ortofon Quintet Blue | Ortofon 2M Bronze |
| Phono stage | No | No |
| USB output | No | No |
| Bluetooth | No | No |
| Platter | aluminium, TPE-damped, magnetically supported inverted bearing | aluminium |
| Tonearm | 9" EVO carbon (9cc) | TP 150 with SME-style headshell |
| 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.
On price alone the Thorens TD 1500 costs less, coming in £250 (about 13%) below the Pro-Ject X8.
Both are belt-drive, so that part of the experience should feel similar on either deck: a motor that's mechanically isolated from the platter by an elastic belt, which is the usual route to a quieter noise floor — the default choice across most of hi-fi.
Bottom line: £250 separates these reference prices. That difference is factual; this specification comparison does not assign an overall winner.
Live merchant offers
Checking current in-stock offers for Pro-Ject X8…
Merchant searches
18 UK merchants stock Pro-Ject — linked directly to the product page where we have one, otherwise to a site search for the deck.
| Merchant | Type | Delivery | Product link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fanthorpes HiFi | hifi independent | Free UK delivery on most hi-fi | View at Fanthorpes HiFi ↗ |
| Peter Tyson | hifi independent | Free UK delivery on most hi-fi; competitive pricing | View at Peter Tyson ↗ |
| Amazon UK | marketplace | Prime next-day on many items | Search at Amazon UK ↗ |
| Analogue Seduction | hifi independent | Free UK delivery on most items; specialist packing | Search at Analogue Seduction ↗ |
| Audio Affair | hifi independent | Free UK delivery over £50 | Search at Audio Affair ↗ |
| Audio T | hifi chain | Free UK delivery on most items; in-store demos | Search at Audio T ↗ |
| Criterion Audio | hifi independent | UK delivery; Cambridge demo rooms | Search at Criterion Audio ↗ |
| Doug Brady HiFi | hifi independent | UK delivery; specialist setup | Search at Doug Brady HiFi ↗ |
| Gear4music | dj music gear | Free UK delivery over £99; fast dispatch | Search at Gear4music ↗ |
| Grahams Hi-Fi | hifi independent | UK delivery; London demo rooms | Search at Grahams Hi-Fi ↗ |
| Hi-Fi Corner | hifi independent | UK delivery; Edinburgh & Falkirk stores | Search at Hi-Fi Corner ↗ |
| HMV | music retail | UK delivery and store collection | Search at HMV ↗ |
| John Lewis | department store | Free UK delivery over £50; click & collect | Search at John Lewis ↗ |
| Richer Sounds | hifi chain | Free UK delivery on most orders; click & collect from stores | Search at Richer Sounds ↗ |
| Sevenoaks Sound & Vision | hifi chain | Free UK delivery over £100; in-store demonstration and setup | Search at Sevenoaks Sound & Vision ↗ |
| Superfi | hifi independent | Free UK delivery over £50 | Search at Superfi ↗ |
| The Audiobarn | hifi independent | UK delivery; demo by appointment | Search at The Audiobarn ↗ |
| Vinyl Revival | music retail | UK delivery | Search at Vinyl Revival ↗ |
Live merchant offers
Checking current in-stock offers for Thorens TD 1500…
Merchant searches
1 UK merchant stock Thorens — each outbound link searches the deck on that merchant’s site.
| Merchant | Type | Delivery | Product search |
|---|---|---|---|
| eBay UK | used marketplace | Varies by seller | Search at eBay UK ↗ |