Thorens – since 1883 the name synonymous with record players

In 1903, just two decades after the company was founded, Thorens took its first steps into the market for “proper” sound recording equipment by manufacturing the first Edison-type phonograph. This device used a cylinder engraved with wax to record and play back sound, which was revolutionary at the time. Soon after, Thorens also introduced its first gramophones, which played discs instead of cylinders. They offered better sound quality and durability than earlier phonograph cylinders.

In 1928, Thorens introduced the first gramophone powered by an electric motor, which was a significant step forward in the development of record players. The electric motor enabled a smoother and more precise rotation speed of the records, which further improved the sound quality. The following year, 1929, Thorens developed the first “electric” sound cartridge, based on a moving magnet (MM). This innovation represented a major technological breakthrough at the time, as it enabled even more precise sound reproduction.

In the 1930s, the range expanded in cooperation with the German company Strassfurt-Imperial with radio receivers and music cables that included built-in record players. The company also gained fame in the 1940s, producing audio record cutting/grinding machines and other radio equipment on a global scale.