What is the best cartridge for Thorens TD 160? Well, we found and reviewed the top 4 cartridges you can use with your turntable with excellent results.
Thorens TD-160, a legend among turntables, was introduced in the year 1972, and the model went on to become the Swiss firm’s highest-selling turntable. Until today, TD-160 is the preferred deck of turntable fans and devout audiophiles who staunchly believe that the vintage sound of turntables is inimitable.
The TD-160 not only performs exceptionally well in its OEM setup but is also very amenable to adjustment, modification, or improvement substantiating the TT’s versatility.
Many turntable enthusiasts carry out a very common adaptation: replacing or upgrading between styli or cartridge headshells. So if you’re looking for a slightly different – or better sound dynamic, you can swap out the stock cartridge with a new mono-, moving-coil, or moving-magnet cartridge.
The 4 Best Cartridges for Thorens TD 160
| Image | Model | Price |
|---|---|---|
 | Denon DL-103R (Top Pick) | Check Price |
 | Denon DL-301MK2 | Check Price |
 | Nagaoka MP-110 (Best on a Budget) | Check Price |
| Denon DL-110 | Check Price |
Denon DL-103 R (Editor’s Choice)
The Denon DL-103R is a versatile and performance-driven moving coil cartridge that suits most turntables or record players. An upgraded and improved variant of the prized Denon DL -103, the DL-103R offers excellent returns on your investments. The 6N copper coils wounded with meticulous care to the cantilever shaft go a long way in boosting the quality of sound.
With a recommended tracking force of 2.5g (+/-0.3g), the DL-103R will help your turntable belt out natural sound provided you install the cartridge correctly. Appropriately setting up this cartridge is crucial if you want to enjoy a deeper, broader, and more open soundstage with the sounds of every instrument reproduced cleanly. The DL-103R is your best bet if you’re passionate about an analog soundstage.
The DL-103R, in sharp contrast to some other cartridges produced by Denon, features a relatively low output (0.25mV) and a conical-style stylus. These design fine-tunings make the DL-103 supremely compatible for fitting in the majority of modern-day tonearms. In addition, the DL-103R has a balanced tonality with tones inclining towards warmth which offers your old LPs a new lease of life.
Pros
- Upgraded and advanced version of DL-103: Holds on to the historic design and traditional sound with an added layer of insight across the frequency band
- Precision-wound 6N copper coils help in belting out the better sound with greater clarity and depth
- Excels in reproducing analog and vintage audio of vinyl and styrene discs
Cons
- This low-compliance MC cartridge weighing 8.5g and with an output impedance of14ῼ will not work with most tonearms
Denon DL-301MK2
An improved and fine-tuned edition of the universally popular DL-301, the Denon DL-301MK2, guarantees a more detail-driven response wowing audiophiles. In addition, the Denon DL-301MK2, a refined avatar of DL-301, features a more compact and gorgeous bodywork and furnishes an output that is a tad higher than most MC cartridges.
These design tweaks contribute significantly towards enabling the DL-301MK2 to put out a more dynamic and well-rounded response with lots of punch.
Replicating most of the features of its precursor, the DL-301MK2 boasts o robust metallic body for ensuring boosted structural rigidity and a substantially tapered lightweight cantilever shaft. In addition, the cartridge’s vibrating system that plays a crucial role in establishing its performance comprises a cruciform armature, a petite solid diamond stylus, and a double-layered tapered cantilever.
The employment of a lightweight and rock-solid vibrating mechanism causes appropriate damping, soft tracking force, beefy sound, and excellent tracing capability.
The DL-301MK2’s innovative engineering and practical design guarantee that you keep on listening to classic sounds while protecting your LPs. The cartridge’s framework has been reinforced with high-tensile and heavy-duty resin for integrating the terminal pins and magnet for doing away with unwarranted timbre.
On the other hand, incorporating a mild-alloy precision-engineered holder adds to the chassis’s overall robustness, which eventually helps deliver topnotch sound with incredible brightness.
To say last but not least, the application of the proprietary 2-way dumping system of Denon help restrain tonal disparities resulting from room temperature variation.
Pros
- It lets you enjoy well-balanced bass and treble and focused midrange
- Tracks excellently, including the innermost grooves without producing noticeable hiss or surface noise
- Clear and smooth differentiation of sounds of various instruments with realistic resonance
- Rigid, lightweight conical cantilever coupled with metal bodywork betters sonic clarity
Cons
- You’ll need a step-up transformer to make the most of this cartridge (in case you have a vintage turntable preamp that lacks an MC stage or a modern integrated amp that lacks a MM phono input)
Nagaoka MP-110 (Best on a Budget)
There are moving magnet cartridges out there, and there is the MP-110 MM cartridge from Nagaoka. Unfortunately, more often than not, listening to music on a record player regularly breeds monotony as the audio sounds a bit hackneyed. So you think of swapping out your existing turntable with a brand new one, but the replacement can prove expensive.
If all you’re looking for is treating your tympanums to an altogether different kind of music, then you can achieve that by replacing the old cartridge. The Nagaoka MP-110 comes across as a tweaked and bettered variant of MP-11-one of the most reputed phono cartridge from Nagaoka. The MP-110 moving magnet cart punches above its weight delivering dynamic sound, and is a breeze to install.
That MP-110 performs as effectively as any high-end MM cartridge but costs much less relatively speaking, accounts for its extensive popularity. This moving-magnet cartridge comes with a half-inch mount and has an elliptical diamond bond stylus. The immensely powerful moving magnet is made of dual samarium cobalt, enabling it to endure extremely high temperatures and resist corrosion.
The aluminum alloy cantilever shaft and the carbon fiber-equipped plastic shoe keep the cartridge lightweight and flexible. The recommended tracking range varying from1.5-2.0g offers you reasonable leeway for adjustment just in case. The ergonomic design of MP-110 facilitates simple fitting and alignment, which is further simplified by the manageable square casing.
A small screwdriver is included in the package, which comes in handy for mounting the MP-110. Nagaoka has gone to great lengths to ensure that the MP-110 enables vinyl enthusiasts to find their groove. The higher-frequency sounds have a subtle roll-off producing a warm feeling though the bass is somewhat muted. However, it is in the midrange where the MP-110 performs beyond your expectations.
Pros
- Very budget-friendly yet doesn’t compromise on sound quality and construction
- Better quality of music with detailed refinement
- Amenable to customizations
- The well-balanced sound across the frequency band
Cons
- Extremely sensitive to VTA (vertical tracking angle)
- You’ve to carry out a lot of trial and error in adjusting the elevation of your turntable’s tonearm (with this cart)
Denon DL-110
The DL-110 is a performance-grade voltage moving coil cartridge from Denon stacked to the hilt with functional and versatile features. For a start, the DL-110 comes with a unique elliptical solid diamond stylus along with double-construction cantilever tracking force, single-point suspension mode, and lightweight armature assembly.
No wonder the Denon DL-110 works well with a wide variety of vintage turntables and vinyl players, including Thorens.
The DL-110’s output is considerably higher than traditional moving-coil cartridges, and the cartridge also works with MM phono-stage. So you can do away with setting up a discrete MC phono-stage. Talking about the sound quality, the trebles are crisp and clear with a lot of detail, rich extension, and plenty of airiness.
Bass’s delivery is excellently marked by a commendable level of profoundness and beefiness, eventually according to character to the overall sonic. The midrange is noticeably and conspicuously open, peppered with lots of detail though vocals have less presence than many other cartridges. That the DL-110 integrates the highs, lows, and midrange in a balanced manner makes this phono cartridge a cut above the rest.
With a recommended tracking force range of 1.5-2.1 g (and a typical value of 1.8g), it is an amazingly smooth tracker without any perceptible sibilance issues.
Pros
- Packaged and delivered in a sturdy transparent transportation case
- Embedded metal weight for balancing the lightweight 4.8g cartridge on specific tonearms
- The frequency response of this Denon cartridge (20Hz-45 kHz) is higher compared to standard cartridges
- Flip-down stylus guard
- Aluminum cantilever
- Specialized elliptical solid diamond stylus
Cons
- The stylus is not replaceable
- The stylus does not seem to treat styrene records nicely (causes shredding)
Why Are Turntable Cartridges So Expensive?
Turntable cartridges, especially the high-end brands that are compatible with various vintage record player models, tend to be expensive. Of the two distinct cartridge types-moving-coil and moving-magnet-the former, by and large, commands a higher price than the latter. That said, there is a wide variance in the prices of cartridges used in vinyl players; some models cost as low as US$20 while the most expensive ones can set you lighter by at least $2,000.
Given that the cartridge is a tiny component, many vinyl audiophiles just can’t help wondering why this turntable part is so costly. The cartridge is undoubtedly a tiny component in a record player, but the part plays an indispensable role. Using a turntable without a cartridge is akin to driving a car without wheels-an an exercise in futility.
Cartridges, both moving coils and magnet versions, are incredibly delicate components that require high precision during manufacturing. Since a cartridge makes a massive impact on the quality of reproduced sound, it does not emphasize that the component needs to be engineered precisely. It is the diamond-tipped stylus in top-of-the-line models that contributes to their high price.
Another reason is that cartridges are manufactured by hand in very low quantities as their demand is very low.
So, the Best Cartridge to Pair with Thorens TD-160 Is…
The Thorens TD-160 continues to be as popular as it was when the turntable was launched about four decades. So if you own a TD-160 (TP16, TP16mkIV, TP16 mkIII, or TP90) and looking to change the old worn-out stock cartridge, then the above models will do fine.
The Denon cartridges, both moving-coil and moving-magnet options work well with the TD-160 because of their quality components and solid construction.
But if you’re on a budget, go for Nagaoka MP-110, and you bet you’ll not regret your purchase.