In creating the TD 1600, Thorens has essentially erected a monument to itself: The modern Thorens TD 1600 is not only outwardly inspired by the almost 50-year-old classic TD 160 – it also adheres to its technological principles. Just like the original, this high-end turntable combines a belt-drive with a free-swinging sub-chassis, a feature that was groundbreaking at the time. For the TD 1600, Thorens has included the TP 92, the company's flagship tonearm, designed by Helmut Thiele – this decision alone accounts for a significant fraction of this turntable's price. Equally, though, this Black on Black version – as the name rather wittily hints at – comes pre-fitted with a very high-end phono cartridge, the Ortofon 2M Black, making this deluxe deck something of a bargain. Visually, too, the Thorens TD 1600 Black generally makes an exceptionally refined impression, nestled neatly in its real-wood, black-veneer plinth.
The sub-chassis is a fully decoupled assembly mounted on a honeycomb-structured aluminium base, which itself rests on three adjustable springs inside the cabinet. This design effectively isolates the platter and tonearm from footfall, vibrations, and resonance. The sub-chassis is free to oscillate within the plinth, while a foam-damped steel thread compensates for the motor's startup torque and effectively prevents the sub-chassis from wobbling. The outputs of the TD 1600 are provided as both RCA and balanced XLR sockets, for full redundancy. Its external power supply was developed by Walter Fuchs, who also engineered the unit's sophisticated motor control.
The Thorens TD 1600 is a reference-grade deck for listeners unwilling to make any compromises. It pairs a charmingly retro exterior with some thoroughly hi-tech inner workings, combining to deliver truly unadulterated musical pleasure: The modern reimagining of the classic Thorens sub-chassis achieves an impressive degree of decoupling. The TD 1600 is the purist's choice in the Thorens lineup, offering fully manual operation, while the TD 1601 adds a motorised tonearm lift and automatic end-of-side shutoff. The 1600's minimalist setup is complemented perfectly by the high-end moving magnet pickup included here, the Ortofon 2M Black, which has a Shibata-cut diamond stylus for unparalleled sound quality.
Thorens, founded in Switzerland in 1883, is one of the world's oldest manufacturers of record players, looking back on over a hundred years of tradition. Particularly during the second half of the last century, Thorens earned a very respectable reputation with the continuous improvements to its top-of-the-line turntables. Even today, the company, now based in Bergisch Gladbach in Germany, continues to delight its loyal customer base with cutting-edge innovations and attention to detail. Thorens continues to focus on high-quality, high-end turntables aimed at audiophiles and hi-fi enthusiasts all of the world.
The Thorens TD 1600 stands in a class of its own. The heritage manufacturer has proven once again that it is anything but stuck in the past: Despite its nods to classic designs, the TD 1600 is unmistakably a modern phono turntable. The decoupled sub-chassis and precisely controlled motor deliver remarkable smoothness, and the Thorens TP 92 tonearm remains one of the finest in the world. Combined with the premium Ortofon cartridge selected and calibrated by the experts at Thorens, the TD 1600 Black on Black can achieve a level of sonic refinement that would be difficult to match with any other setup, and certainly not at this price. That's not to say it's a budget option, exactly – in the world of analogue hi-fi, true quality has never come for free – but this combination is a genuinely great deal for audiophiles of every kind.