Thorens TP 160 Tonearm

THORENS TP 160 – PREMIUM TONEARM WITH CUTTING BEARING

The TP 160 is a nine-inch radial arm in the medium weight class. Its balanced mass distribution and high strength make it the ideal carrier for the finest pickups. These can be accommodated in the standard original headshell, which was redesigned together with the arm. Alternatively, the TP 160 can also accommodate any other headshell with SME bayonet or integrated tone cans such as the Ortofon SPU. Since the effective lengths of different tone cans can vary slightly, an axial adjustment of the arm tube has been integrated to ensure a perfect overhang at all times.

PERFECTED CUTTING BEARING BY HELMUT THIELE

Thorens designer Helmut Thiele has given the TP 160 a powerful, clear shape that looks impressive on both old and new drives. For horizontal movement, the arm is equipped with high-precision Japanese ball bearings that are adjusted for perfect smooth running and freedom from play and retain these properties even in tough everyday use. Vertically, the arm tube moves in a completely newly developed cutting bearing. Gravity, magnetism and precision mechanics work together here and enable play-free, defined mobility without breakaway torque. The bearing is self-centering, friction-free, maintenance-free and robust.

In the Thorens cutting bearing, a hardened steel edge meets a two-part bearing shell, which enables practically linear contact and has no axial play. A traditional weakness of cutting bearings is their mostly undefined lateral limitation. The new magnetic side guide solves this problem and keeps the cutting bearing exactly in the middle of its shell without contact and friction. World-class MCs feel this precisely defined, force-free centering and thank you with increased tracking ability and a relaxed, stress-free performance.

EXTENSIVE, PRACTICAL ADJUSTMENT OPTIONS

The TP 160 offers extensive and reproducible adjustment options. The VTA adjustment is carried out safely and precisely using a lockable fine thread on the tonearm base. The skating force is compensated with a closed, calibrated, continuously adjustable spring mechanism. The headshell can be rotated for azimuth adjustment. It is pre-adjusted to an exact parallel position at the factory, so that no correction is normally necessary with high-quality systems. The tracking force is traditionally created by static balance. Thanks to its two-part counterweight, the arm copes equally well with both heavy and light scanners and headshells.

With the standard headshell made of solid aluminum, the TP 160 belongs to the medium to heavy weight class. The effective mass can be increased or reduced as required using suitable headshells. The enormous strength of its large-caliber, resonance-optimized arm tube and the energy-dissipating bearing construction enable the TP 160 to perform outstandingly even with hard, mechanically demanding MCs.