- Thorens GmbH presented a particularly exciting product at High End 2025: the Coturn by Thorens.
Admittedly, the Coturn, a portable record player, is not entirely new. It was developed by Bonn-based industrial designer Benjamin Großjohann, who subsequently produced it in small batches and offered it for sale via his web shop. Now, however, a true giant of the vinyl scene is taking on this exciting project, none other than Thorens GmbH.
The Schwäbisch Gmünd-based company presented the Coturn by Thorens for the first time at High End 2025 in Munich and will be launching it under its own brand in the coming months.
Coturn – The Compact Turntable
The word Coturn is simply an abbreviation of ‘compact turntable’ and perfectly describes what the Coturn by Thorens is all about: the concept is to create a particularly slim, mobile, extremely elegant and flexible solution that can be used anywhere in the home but can also be taken along to a friend’s house for a relaxed evening of music.
Particularly compact, yet very robust and elegant
From the outset, the Coturn by Thorens was not intended to be larger than a vinyl cover, which ultimately resulted in an elongated shape.
And with good reason, because at first glance, the Coturn by Thorens does not look like a record player at all. The solid aluminium housing measures 31,75 cm in width, 12,7 cm in depth and only 2,54 cm in height.
While it is immediately obvious where the record goes, the tone arm is not visible at first glance. It is gently pushed out of the housing when pressure is applied. Here, too, the focus is on robustness: like the housing, the tone arm is made of aluminium.
An Audio-Technica AT3600 MM cartridge system is pre-mounted on the tone arm ex works, and the drive has an integrated phono preamplifier so that it can be used immediately. What’s more, an A/D converter is also on board, enabling wireless connection to any audio system via an integrated Bluetooth module, which supports SBC and AAC as well as the aptX codec, achieving “CD quality” – strange as it may sound. Of course, an analogue output is also included, in the form of a line out and a headphone jack. These are designed as 3,5 mm stereo mini jacks, and a USB-C port is used to charge the integrated battery. This should give the Coturn by Thorens a playing time of up to 16 hours.
It couldn’t be easier to use: illuminated touch sensors allow you to set the speed, control the volume and establish the Bluetooth connection.
Prices and availability
The Coturn by Thorens is expected to be available in the coming months at a price of around € 450,-. It should be emphasised that, as a genuine lifestyle product, this solution will of course be available in a range of designs.
Getting to the point
Thorens GmbH will be launching the Coturn by Thorens, a small, extremely elegant portable record player, in the coming months. This solution, originally developed by Bonn-based industrial designer Benjamin Großjohann, has now been taken up by Gunter Kürten, who is scaling up production from individual units to a larger scale under the umbrella of his company, as he sees immense potential in this flexible lifestyle device – and rightly so. There is no doubt that it will appeal to a very broad customer base across all age groups.
| Product | Coturn by Thorens |
|---|---|
| Price | expected cost of around €450 |
| Brand | Thorens GmbH |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Thorens GmbH |
| Distribution | Thorens GmbH |
| More about this manufacturer at HiFi BLOG |
