Тонармы — Thuono Thuono tonearm 12"

The 12-inch Thuono tonearm is the longest of three lengths in which Thuono Audio SRL builds its only pickup arm, the others being 10 and 9.5 inches. The company is based in Thiene in the province of Vicenza, Italy, where it designs and assembles its turntables by hand, and it spent more than five years on study and prototypes before the TH series appeared in early 2023. The arm carries a list price of EUR 7,800 including VAT in every length, and it also ships as standard with each Thuono turntable.

Key specs that matter

This version measures 368 mm overall. The distance from the pivot to the stylus is 309 mm and from the pivot to the platter spindle 296 mm, which gives an overhang of 13 mm at an offset angle of 17.6 degrees. It weighs 1000 g, the most of the three lengths. Height can be moved through a 55 mm VTA range, the base needs a 30 mm mounting hole, and bias is countered by a weight rather than a spring or magnet. The signal leaves through a DIN plug.

Engineering and use context

Thuono avoids cast soft alloys for the arm. Its tube is layered - carbon fibre on the outside to control resonance, an aluminium sleeve beneath it for stiffness and a precision titanium tube at the core for strength and energy transfer. The company argues that any flexing between stylus and pivot lets the cartridge signal degrade. A titanium headshell is offered as an option in place of the standard duralumin part, chosen because it resists micro-deformation better where the cartridge is bolted on. Both the horizontal and the vertical joints turn on ceramic ball bearings that are inspected by hand and seated in housings held to tight tolerances, so they sit without play or preload, and ceramic parts were picked partly for their resistance to wear. Damping material is placed at chosen points along the arm, brass parts are built in, and the counterweight combines several materials to absorb vibration while fitting closely on the rear stub.

Pairing

Thuono states that the arm reaches its best results on Thuono turntables, and a universal mounting system lets it be fitted to other decks as well. Internal wiring is ultra-flexible pure silver. At the headshell the azimuth can be trimmed and the overhang moved slightly, and together with the height adjustment this lets the arm be set up for different cartridge profiles, including the Magic Wood moving-coil model Thuono developed with Sublima Audio Research.

Alternatives

The 10-inch Thuono tonearm is the same design at 254 mm pivot to stylus and 960 g for decks with a shorter mounting distance.