Thorens - TD 1600 Sub-Chassis Turntable with TP 160 Tonearm

A 4.2kg two-part aluminium platter on a stabilised sub-chassis, driven by an electronically regulated AC synchronous motor from an outboard linear supply, with true balanced output and Thorens’ new knife-edge TP 160 tonearm.

The TD 1600 is the classic Thorens formula executed without compromise for the money. Three conical springs carry a stabilised sub-chassis, and the springs are anchored at the bottom by a steel thread and pin arrangement specifically to stop lateral movement — a sprung sub-chassis that can sway sideways is doing half a job.

The motor is an AC synchronous type, fully electronically regulated and stabilised, fed from an external linear power supply Thorens calls the TPN 1600, which delivers 2 x 16V through a toroidal transformer. Keeping the transformer out of the plinth keeps its field away from the cartridge. Belt tension is adjustable, and the belt runs internally to an aluminium sub-platter rather than around the main platter’s rim, which keeps the belt’s pull symmetrical and out of sight.

The platter is two-part machined aluminium, 12 inches and 4.2kg, with a thick rubber mat.

The tonearm is the TP 160, which Thorens introduced around 2024 as a complete new development and, in their own words, a huge upgrade on the TP 92 it replaced. The bearing is the interesting part: a hardened steel knife edge sitting in a two-part shell, held centred by magnetic lateral guidance rather than by friction, with Japanese ball bearings taking the horizontal axis. The headshell detaches on an SME bayonet and rotates for azimuth, so it will take an Ortofon SPU or any other SME-fitting headshell.

Outputs are true balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA. No cartridge is fitted — bring us yours and we will mount and align it, or ask us about the Thorens TAS 1600, which Thorens developed specifically for this deck.

The TD 1601 is the same turntable with a patented electric tonearm lift and a touchless auto shut-off added. If you want the deck to look after itself at the end of a side, that is the one.

Features

• Stabilised sub-chassis on three conical springs, anchored against lateral movement
• Electronically regulated and stabilised AC synchronous motor
• External TPN 1600 linear power supply with a toroidal transformer, 2 x 16V
• Two-part machined aluminium platter, 12 inches, 4.2kg, with a thick rubber mat
• Internal flat belt to an aluminium sub-platter, with adjustable belt tension
• Thorens TP 160 knife-edge tonearm with magnetic lateral guidance and a detachable SME headshell
• True balanced XLR output as well as RCA
• Real-wood plinth in high-gloss black or high-gloss walnut
• Acrylic dust cover included

Specifications

• Type: Belt-driven manual turntable with a suspended sub-chassis
• Drive: Belt drive. Internal flat belt to an aluminium sub-platter, with adjustable belt tension
• Motor: AC synchronous, fully electronically regulated and stabilised
• Sub-chassis: Stabilised sub-chassis on three conical springs. The springs are mounted at the bottom with a steel thread and pin connection specifically to prevent lateral movement
• Platter: Two-part machined aluminium, 12″, 4.2kg, with a thick rubber mat
• Speeds: 33 1/3 and 45rpm. No 78rpm capability is published
• Wow and flutter: Less than or equal to 0.06%. Thorens cites no measurement standard for this figure
• Rumble / signal-to-noise: Not published in any Thorens document
• Tonearm: Thorens TP 160. Nine-inch J-shaped arm with a large-calibre aluminium tube. The bearing is a newly developed knife-edge design — a hardened steel edge sitting in a two-part bearing shell, with magnetic lateral guidance keeping it centred without friction, and Japanese ball bearings on the horizontal axis. Effective length 232.8mm, overhang 17.8mm, offset angle 23.66°, mounting distance 215mm. Effective mass 16g per Thorens’ own 2024 datasheet, though the German review site LowBeats measured and reported 14g — we are giving you both. Detachable headshell on an SME bayonet, rotatable for azimuth. VTA by a lockable fine thread at the arm base. Anti-skate by a closed, calibrated, continuously adjustable spring. Baerwald / Löfgren A geometry with null points at 66.0mm and 120.9mm and a maximum distortion of 0.63% between them. Five-pole DIN output. Total arm weight 560g with headshell and counterweight
• A note on the tonearm: Thorens’ own website currently hosts two live pages for this chassis — one headed TD 1600 showing the older TP 92, and one headed TD 1600 TP 160 showing the current arm. That is Thorens contradicting itself, not us. This listing is the TP 160 version, which is the current fitment and the one shown in Thorens’ current brochure
• Cartridge fitted: None. Thorens publishes no bundled cartridge for this model
• Outputs: True balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA. Whether the cable is detachable is not published
• Automatic functions: None. This is a fully manual turntable. The TD 1601 is the version with an electric lift and auto shut-off
• Plinth: Real wood, in high-gloss black or high-gloss walnut
• Feet: Not published
• Dust cover: Acrylic dust cover included
• Dimensions: 454 x 180 x 369 mm (W x H x D)
• Weight: 11kg on the current product page; 10.9kg on Thorens’ older German spec sheet
• Power supply: External TPN 1600 linear power supply with a toroidal transformer, delivering 2 x 16V to the drive system. Mains input 115–230V, 50–60Hz depending on version
• Country of manufacture: Not published. Thorens prints no country-of-manufacture statement on this product’s page, datasheet or manual — only the company address in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany, which is a registered office and not a factory. Trade press has reported Taiwanese manufacturing involvement across parts of the Thorens range; that is third-party reporting, not a Thorens statement, and we are not going to present it as one.