The new model has been designed to be simple to set up and use, in no small part due to its Tri-Balance design. This uses three feet, and is designed to be in static balance. Adjustment is possible from above using nothing more than a hex-driver, and the design allows for the use of alternative weights to balance different tonearms.
Three suspension systems give maximum vertical freedom with minimal, controlled, horizontal wobble, giving good resistance to footfall problems.
As standard the turntable will be supplied with a Switch Mode Power Supply for the DC motor, with plans to offer a linear power supply in the future as an upgrade.
Speed control is via an electronic feedback system, automatically compensating for record weight and dynamic stylus drag, and the the deck also has adjustable belt tension to deal with belt stretch.
The sub-platter is aluminium, with a single-ring micro-contact area, and the platter itself, massive and oversized, is made from fused silica. That's glass, by the way...
Complementing this will be the standard TP92 tonearm, with an aluminium armtube cold-worked and rolled for strength, and damped with a random contact material. The bearings are source from a Japanese high-precision manufacturer, there's a magnetic ant-skate system for zero stiction and zero friction, and the counterweight, which is decoupled, is made from brass.
The arm-wiring is designed with an extra ground to the lower arm section, and is terminated at two RCA sockets on the rear of the turntable.
Behind the turntable is a design team put together specifically for this project by Thorens head Heinz Rohrer, including Karl-Heinz Fink, best not known(!) for being being some of the most popular speakers on the market, and a consultant to many top hi-fi names, industrial designer Helmut Thiele, electronic engineer Walter Fuchs and British consultant Steve Harris.
The TD309 will be available in black or red.