Thorens TAS 1600 Moving Coil Cartridge at Vinyl Sound Buffalo, NY USA

The Thorens TAS 1600 is a high-performance moving coil phono cartridge from Thorens (Lahr, Germany), manufactured in Japan and available at Vinyl Sound in Buffalo, NY, USA. Developed as the optimal partner for the TD 1600 and TD 1601 turntables in combination with the TP 160 precision tonearm, the TAS 1600 delivers the perfect mechanical and electrical match for the 1600 Series platform. Its 0.28 mm nude boron cantilever and Special Line Contact stylus at 1.5 x 0.28 mil provide exceptional groove tracking with a frequency response extending to 50,000 Hz. PCOCC coil winding from the Ohno Continuous Casting process ensures a clean, low-distortion signal, while a 28 dB channel separation and 0.5 dB channel balance at 1 kHz deliver precise stereo imaging with minimal inter-channel crosstalk.

Special Line Contact Stylus and Nude Boron Cantilever

The TAS 1600 is built around two defining performance components. The cantilever is a 0.28 mm diameter nude boron rod, chosen for boron's exceptional stiffness and low mass ratio, which minimizes self-flexing and transmits groove modulations to the generating coils with near-instantaneous accuracy. The stylus is a Special Line Contact design at 1.5 x 0.28 mil, a geometry that traces finer groove detail than a standard elliptical tip by presenting a narrower contact radius in the direction of groove travel. This is especially significant for inner-groove tracking, where modulation density is highest on a 12-inch LP, and for high-frequency content well above the 20 kHz audible limit. The nude construction, with the diamond shaped directly without adhesive or metal shank bonding, keeps effective tip mass to a minimum for the most linear mechanical response. Together, these two components allow the TAS 1600 to resolve fine musical detail that less capable styli leave buried in the groove.

PCOCC Coil Winding and System Matching

The generating coils of the TAS 1600 are wound with PCOCC wire, produced by the Ohno Continuous Casting process, which grows copper into single-crystal structures by controlled mold temperature management. The resulting wire has far fewer grain boundaries than conventionally cast copper, reducing the micro-distortion that these boundaries introduce at the extremely low signal voltages of an MC cartridge. With a DC resistance of 12 ohms, a recommended load impedance of at least 100 ohms, and a recommended tracking force of 2.0 g within a 1.8 to 2.2 g range, the TAS 1600 is precisely calibrated to the TP 160 tonearm's 14g effective mass, producing a tonearm resonance frequency in the optimal 8 to 12 Hz range. An output voltage of 0.4 mV at 1 kHz is compatible with all standard low-output MC phono stages and quality step-up transformers.

Key Features

• Moving Coil Design: Low-mass generating system optimized for dynamic accuracy and extended high-frequency resolution compared to moving magnet cartridges.
• Nude Boron Cantilever (0.28 mm): Exceptional stiffness-to-mass ratio for instantaneous mechanical response to fine groove modulations.
• Special Line Contact Stylus (1.5 x 0.28 mil): Finer groove contact geometry than standard elliptical styli for superior inner-groove tracking and extended frequency response to 50 kHz.
• PCOCC Coil Winding: Single-crystal copper from the Ohno Continuous Casting process for minimal signal coloration and micro-distortion.
• 0.4 mV Output Voltage: Compatible with standard low-output MC phono stages and quality step-up transformers from 100 ohm minimum load impedance.
• 28 dB Channel Separation: High stereo channel isolation for precise imaging and minimal inter-channel crosstalk.
• 0.5 dB Channel Balance: Tight output matching between left and right channels for accurate stereo soundstage width.
• Optimized for TP 160 Tonearm: Compliance, mass, and tracking force matched to the 14g effective mass of the TP 160 for ideal resonance behavior.
• Aluminum Body: Low-resonance lightweight body minimizes mass contribution to the headshell resonance system.
• Standard 1/2-Inch Mount: Universal mounting dimensions with threaded inserts for compatibility with any SME-connector headshell.

Technical Specifications

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Thorens TAS 1600?

The Thorens TAS 1600 is a moving coil phono cartridge manufactured in Japan for Thorens, designed as the system-matched companion for the TD 1600 and TD 1601 turntables with the TP 160 tonearm. It features a 0.28 mm nude boron cantilever, Special Line Contact nude diamond stylus at 1.5 x 0.28 mil, PCOCC coil winding, 0.4 mV output voltage, 28 dB channel separation, and a frequency response of 20 Hz to 50 kHz. It is available at Vinyl Sound in Buffalo, NY, USA.

How does the Thorens TAS 1600 compare to the TAS 1500 or the Hana SL?

The Thorens TAS 1500 and TAS 1600 are both Japan-manufactured MC cartridges from Thorens with identical nude boron cantilevers and PCOCC coil winding, but they differ in stylus geometry and target tonearm. The TAS 1500 uses a 2.2 x 0.12 mil Microlinear stylus and is matched to the TP 150 tonearm's 14g effective mass, while the TAS 1600 uses a 1.5 x 0.28 mil Special Line Contact stylus matched to the TP 160. The TAS 1600's wider contact ellipse at 0.28 mil provides a slightly more forgiving tracking geometry for worn records while still outperforming a standard elliptical tip. Compared to the Hana SL, also a Japan-made low-output MC with an elliptical stylus and aluminum cantilever, the TAS 1600 offers a more advanced stylus geometry and the stiffness advantage of a nude boron cantilever over Hana's aluminum rod.

What is a Special Line Contact stylus and why does it improve playback?

A Special Line Contact stylus is a precision line-contact type with a narrow front contact radius of 0.28 mil in the groove travel direction and a wider 1.5 mil radius across the groove wall. This elongated contact patch traces a larger area of the groove wall compared to a standard elliptical stylus, distributing stylus pressure more evenly and reducing groove wear while simultaneously tracking finer groove modulations. The narrow front radius enables it to follow high-frequency groove undulations that a standard 0.5 to 0.7 mil elliptical tip would ride over, producing measurably lower tracing distortion and extending usable frequency response well beyond 20 kHz.

Is the TAS 1600 compatible with turntables other than the TD 1600 and TD 1601?

Yes. The TAS 1600 uses standard 1/2-inch mounting with threaded inserts and is compatible with any tonearm that can accommodate an 8.2 g cartridge and accepts the 2.0 g recommended tracking force. Its dynamic compliance of 18 x 10-6 cm/dyne at 100 Hz suits tonearms in the medium-to-heavy effective mass class, typically 10 to 20 grams, which covers a wide range of audiophile tonearms. The TAS 1600 is, however, specifically engineered to partner with the TP 160 tonearm in the TD 1600 and TD 1601 systems.

What phono stage do I need for the Thorens TAS 1600?

The TAS 1600 requires a dedicated moving coil phono preamplifier or a step-up transformer feeding an MM phono stage. Its 12 ohm output impedance and 0.4 mV output at 1 kHz are well-suited to any MC phono stage with a minimum 100 ohm load impedance. For the lowest noise floor when used with the TD 1600 or TD 1601's balanced XLR outputs, a phono stage with balanced XLR inputs is strongly recommended. The Thorens MC 1600 phono preamplifier, with its adjustable MC load impedance from 20 to 1280 ohms in over 60 steps, is an ideal system-matched partner for the TAS 1600.

Where can I buy the Thorens TAS 1600 in Buffalo or the USA?

The Thorens TAS 1600 is available at Vinyl Sound in Buffalo, NY, USA. Vinyl Sound is an authorized Thorens dealer providing expert cartridge mounting, tonearm alignment, and full product support for the complete Thorens catalog across Western New York and the United States.