THORENS® revives an old idea: the Swiss analogue specialists introduce a new references series of suspended sub-chassis turntables.
Giebenach, May 2015. From the foundation of a rich heritage, THORENS® take a huge step toward the future by re-thinking a complex design: the suspended sub-chassis turntable. The launch comprises three new models: TD 903, TD 905 and TD 907, all of which share the three-spring sub-chassis design that is so highly regarded among vinyl lovers. The new models are a deliberate reminiscence of legendary models such as the TD 150 and TD 160, top-selling turntables in their day. „However, we put an enormous effort into modernising the design,“ says Heinz Rohrer, CEO and owner of THORENS®. „The demand for a sub-chassis turntables was huge, we couldn’t ignore it. We made a point of taking our time, though, as we wanted to to create a new reference range in the process.“
The THORENS® engineers painstakingly fine-tuned each of the three sub-chassis designs. Carefully applied weights allow the three springs to be distributed evenly, with the same tension for each spring, thus ensuring true pistonic movement of the sub-chassis. This efficiently isolates the turntable from footfall and other sources of vibrations.
The designs are user-friendly, too: in order to adjust the spring tension, one needn’t access the springs from inside the plinth as with older turntables or many other products. The new THORENS® models can be adjusted from above – even while a record is spinning.
The turntables feature further design elements to increase sound quality. The high-quality, high-rigidity plinth, for example, is damped with a composite top plate made from alternating layers of aluminium and polyethylene. The same composite is used for the base plate and, in double thickness, for the sub-chassis itself. The motor assembly is decoupled by means of vibration dampers and a support bracket made from POM thermoplastic.
The TD 903 is the entry-point to the new THORENS® reference range. The next model up is the TD 905, which features a heavily braced plinth with an advanced damping architecture. Both of these models come with the TP 92 nine-inch tonearm. The flagship of the range, the TD 907, comes with the TP 88 ten-inch uni-pivot tonearm and a more sophisticated internal structure: its sub-chassis is damped my means of a conical membrane (similar to a speaker cone). Vent holes in the base plate allow the user to adjust the damping level.
Heinz Rohrer, CEO THORENS®: „The new 900 series is a mark of respect both to our heritage and to lovers of sub-chassis designs.“
Available from: October 2015