The Thorens TAB 1600 is an absorption base designed to significantly improve your turntable’s performance. This product uses a sandwich construction combining MDF, fabric, and acoustic foam to effectively decouple your turntable from its support, thus reducing unwanted vibrations and acoustic feedback.
Ingenious design for pure sound
The Thorens TAB 1600 is not just a simple board placed under your turntable. Its three-layer design is the result of in-depth consideration of how vibrations propagate. The MDF base provides structural stability, while the fabric layer acts as a first damper. The centerpiece is unquestionably the acoustic foam, cleverly integrated into a sandwich construction.
This multi-material approach effectively attenuates vibrations across a wide frequency spectrum. Low frequencies, which often pose problems in hi-fi setups, are particularly well controlled. The result is an almost total decoupling between your precious turntable and the cabinet or surface on which it rests.
Decoupling: a crucial principle for audiophiles
The principle of decoupling lies at the heart of many innovations in the world of high fidelity. To understand its importance, remember that sound is a mechanical wave. Your turntable, however well designed, can be disturbed by environmental vibrations: footsteps on the floor, room resonances, or even the sound waves emitted by your speakers.
The TAB 1600 acts as a sophisticated mechanical filter. It absorbs these parasitic vibrations before they reach your turntable and interfere with the delicate reading of the record groove. In doing so, it allows your cartridge to track the information engraved in the vinyl with increased precision.
Unlike spike-based decoupling systems, which are often used but can sometimes create vibrational coupling with the floor, the TAB 1600 offers more complete and more consistent isolation across the entire audible spectrum.
Welcome versatility
Although initially developed for the Thorens TD 1600 and TD 1601 turntables, the TAB 1600 proves to be a valuable ally for a wide variety of record players. Its generous surface area and high load capacity allow it to accommodate both compact models and more imposing turntables.
This broad compatibility makes it a sound investment, even if you are considering changing turntables in the future. It is important to note that the TAB 1600 does not interfere with the built-in anti-vibration systems found on some high-end turntables, but rather complements their action.
Audible benefits for your listening
Using the TAB 1600 results in subtle yet significant sonic improvements. The first thing you will probably notice is a reduction in acoustic feedback. This phenomenon, which often manifests as humming or sound coloration at high volume, is considerably reduced.
Beyond this obvious improvement, the entire sonic presentation gains in clarity and precision. The soundstage appears more stable and better defined. Fine details, often masked by micro-vibrations, emerge more naturally. The bass in particular benefits from better definition and increased control.
It is important to note that these improvements will be all the more noticeable if your system is of high quality and your listening room is properly treated acoustically.
Frequently asked questions
Is the TAB 1600 compatible with all turntables?
Although originally designed for Thorens turntables, the TAB 1600 is compatible with the vast majority of record players on the market, whatever the brand. Its generous surface area and high load capacity allow it to accommodate models of various sizes and weights.
How exactly does the decoupling principle work?
Decoupling consists in mechanically isolating the turntable from surrounding vibrations. The TAB 1600 achieves this thanks to its multi-layer structure, which absorbs and dissipates vibrations before they reach the turntable. This enables the cartridge to read the groove more accurately.
What kind of sonic improvement can be expected from using the TAB 1600?
The most notable improvements are a reduction in acoustic feedback, better definition of the soundstage, and more accurate reproduction of detail. The bass in particular gains in control and definition. The extent of these improvements will depend on the quality of your system and your listening environment.
