Sansui SR-222 vs Thorens TD 280
Side-by-side specifications and a plain-English account of the recorded differences. Full profiles: Sansui SR-222 · Thorens TD 280.
| Specification | Sansui SR-222 |
Thorens TD 280 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £110 (used) | Highlighted difference. £100 (used) |
| Category | Vintage | Vintage |
| Status | discontinued | discontinued |
| Years | 1977–? | 1985–? |
| Drive | belt drive | belt drive |
| Speeds | 33/45 rpm | 33/45 rpm |
| Operation | manual | semi-automatic |
| Cartridge supplied | None | None |
| Phono stage | No | No |
| USB output | No | No |
| Bluetooth | No | No |
| Platter | aluminium | — |
| Tonearm | S-shaped arm with detachable 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.
The Thorens TD 280 undercuts the Sansui SR-222 by £10 — £100 against £110.
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.
Operation differs: the Sansui SR-222 is manual, the Thorens TD 280 is semi-automatic.
Bottom line: the Thorens TD 280 has the lower reference price; the table shows which documented features change with the £10 gap.
Merchant searches
2 UK merchants handle used or discontinued decks like this — 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 ↗ |
| 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.
| Merchant | Type | Delivery | Product search |
|---|---|---|---|
| eBay UK | used marketplace | Varies by seller | Search at eBay UK ↗ |
| Vinyl Revival | music retail | UK delivery | Search at Vinyl Revival ↗ |