Тонармы — Thuono Thuono tonearm 10"

The 10-inch Thuono tonearm is the middle length of the single arm design produced by Thuono Audio, an Italian maker located at Via dell'Agricoltura in Thiene, near Vicenza. Alongside it the firm lists 12-inch and 9.5-inch versions, and all three share one price of EUR 7,800 with VAT. Thuono also supplies an arm with every one of its TH300, TH350 and TH400 turntables.

Key specs that matter

Geometry for this length is set by a pivot to stylus distance of 254 mm and a pivot to spindle distance of 238 mm, so the stylus overhangs the spindle by 16 mm and the headshell is offset by 21.4 degrees. From end to end the arm is 313 mm long and it weighs 960 g. Bias compensation works by counterweight. Arm height is variable over 55 mm, and fitting it calls for a 30 mm hole in the armboard.

Engineering and use context

The main theme of this design is the bearing system. Each of the two axes, horizontal and vertical, runs on ultra-high-precision ceramic ball bearings that are selected for smoothness and then checked manually one by one. They sit in machined parts with very close dimensional tolerances, so that the bearings are neither loose nor squeezed, and Thuono cites the low wear of ceramic as a reason the arm keeps its behaviour over a long service life. The counterweight received separate development work, because the maker holds that a poorly designed weight can pass cartridge resonance back into the arm, and it is therefore assembled from a mix of materials that damp vibration and mate closely with the arm barrel, with its mass and size chosen to balance the geometry. The tube itself is a hybrid of an outer carbon fibre skin, an aluminium sleeve and an inner titanium tube, with brass pieces and damping material placed at key points.

Pairing

The company says its arms perform best on Thuono decks, yet it offers a universal mount for other turntables. The output is terminated in a DIN socket and the internal leads are fine pure silver strands, and Thuono also makes its own phono cable and a moving-coil cartridge called Magic Wood, co-developed with Sublima Audio Research. The headshell allows azimuth to be corrected and gives a small range of overhang travel, while the height adjustment lets VTA follow the cartridge profile, and a titanium headshell can replace the duralumin one.

Alternatives

The 9.5-inch Thuono tonearm offers 239 mm pivot to stylus geometry, a 22 degree offset angle and a weight of 950 g.