{"id":44192,"date":"2026-10-23T21:58:48","date_gmt":"2026-10-23T19:58:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hifi-advice.com\/blog\/?p=44192"},"modified":"2026-10-23T22:00:24","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T20:00:24","slug":"thiele-tt01-zero-tracking-error-turntable-with-ta01-rm01-dw01-and-db","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hifi-advice.com\/blog\/turntable-and-accessories-reviews\/turntable-reviews\/thiele-tt01-zero-tracking-error-turntable-with-ta01-rm01-dw01-and-db\/","title":{"rendered":"Thiele TT01 Zero Tracking Error Turntable with TA01, RM01, DW01, and DB"},"content":{"rendered":"

Review organized by Marc Loubeau \/ Prestige Audio Diffusion<\/a>
\nReview samples supplied by Rhapsody<\/a>
\n<\/a><\/h4>\n

Retail prices in France & Monaco & Benelux, including VAT:
\nThiele TT01 Zero Tracking Error Turntable (incl. standard TA01 arm with silver aluminum parts and RM01 mat): \u20ac27.450
\nThiele TT01 Zero Tracking Error Turntable (incl. matte gold-plated TA01\/X arm with bronze parts and RM01 mat): \u20ac31.000
\nThiele RM01 Recordmat: \u20ac225
\nThiele DW01 Damping Weight: \u20ac1.020
\nThiele DB Damping Base: \u20ac7.500
\nAnalog Relax EX500 MC Cartridge: \u20ac4.990<\/h4>\n

Finishes available for the TT01 Zero Tracking Error Turntable:
\nStandard colors:\u00a0 black silk matte or anthracite silk matte
\nAny RAL color on special order<\/h4>\n

Crap! was my first thought when I heard the Thiele TT01 with the TA01 Zero Tracking Error Tonearm in my system. Not because it sounded crap, mind you, but because it instantly<\/em> demoted my current turntables, and I knew I would not be happy with them anymore. What stood out even more was that, during my first listening session, I quickly realized I had never experienced this level of performance from any other turntable before.<\/p>\n

I don’t normally provide the conclusion at the start, but there it is. I just could not contain my enthusiasm and decided to deviate from my usual routine of laying everything out first and providing structured, step-by-step assessments before reaching a conclusion. This turntable’s excellence is so clear-cut that I might as well stop here. But of course, I won’t. I couldn’t write a short review if my life depended on it.<\/p>\n

In this review, I will divulge my experiences with the Thiele TT01 Zero Tracking Error Turntable fitted with the TA01 Zero Tracking Error Tonearm, and additionally, I will include assessments of the influence of the RM01 Recordmat, DW01 Damping Weight, and DB Damping Base.<\/p>\n

Finishes<\/h3>\n

The TT01 version provided for review is not the basic version, but the TT01\/X with a matte gold-plated tonearm, bronze parts, and a striking custom orange\/red RAL color (instead of the standard silver\/aluminum arm and standard finish). I’m not sure if there is a surplus for the RAL color, but the version TT01\/X turntable with bronce\/matte gold-plated tonearm can be ordered for an additional 3.550 Euro.<\/p>\n

About Helmut Thiele<\/h3>\n

As I am based in the Netherlands, Helmut asked Dutch distributor Rhapsody to deliver the turntable to me for review, and they kindly agreed. Like many audiophiles, I’ve often visited Rhapsody and have known Harry and Michael for a long time. I have a lot more to write about Rhapsody and Michael’s impressive calibration skills, but I’ll save that for the separate Rhapsody section further down.<\/p>\n

After Rhapsody delivered the turntable, Helmut visited me for an interview. He is a super kind person, massively enthusiastic, and absolutely bursting with energy. We spent 5 hours discussing all kinds of audio-related matters, yet I completely forgot to take any photos. That’s why I borrowed two photos from Ruud Jonker’s review on Hifi.nl<\/a>. I wholeheartedly recommend clicking that link to read Ruud’s review and learn more about the fascinating theories behind Helmut Thiele’s quest to control resonances.<\/p>\n

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Photo courtesy of Ruud Jonker via Hifi.nl<\/em><\/p>\n

As an industrial designer, Helmut Thiele develops concepts and introduces new technical inventions and principles, and is also involved in prototyping and engineering. Helmut created numerous designs for brands such as Magnat, Heco, Genuin Audio, Thorens, and Audio-Technica.<\/p>\n

In 1980, Helmut came into contact with Thorens’ previous German owner, Heinz Rohrer, who was interested in Helmut’s Unipivot tonearm design. When Helmut later met Thorens’ current owner, Gunter Kuerten, he was asked if he was interested in designing for them. Starting in 2017, Helmut designed the TD309 turntable for Thorens, and he has designed all subsequent Thorens turntables.<\/p>\n

Rather than resting on his laurels or enjoying a well-deserved vacation, Helmut went full steam ahead and accepted the challenge from Thorens owner Gunter Kuerten to design a new Reference turntable, which led to the acclaimed Thorens New Reference, introduced in 2023.<\/p>\n

Although he could technically retire, Helmut remains fascinated by technical challenges and has spent much of his time developing the ideal tonearm. Prototyping began in 2009, resulting in the first product to proudly carry his own name, the Thiele TA01. Once this revolutionary tonearm was released, the question arose of which turntable to pair it with, which led to the development of the Thiele TT01 turntable.<\/p>\n

The Helmut Thiele interview will appear in a separate article.<\/p>\n

About Rhapsody<\/h3>\n

For as long as I can remember, Rhapsody has been the most influential high-end store in the Netherlands, and anyone in the industry knows the owners, Harry and Michael. Harry is famous for his flamboyant character and unmistakable flair when demonstrating audio equipment or talking about music, while Michael’s knowledge and mastery of audio setup techniques are nothing short of legendary.<\/p>\n

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Rhapsody has been in a villa in Hilversum for more than thirty years, and moved to Overlangel a few years ago.<\/p>\n

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This new location brought the freedom to build a studio fully tailored to music. With separate spaces dubbed The Studio and The Club, this is a place where the focus is not on the store, but on the listening experience.<\/p>\n

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Rhapsody has also had the pleasure of welcoming many special artists to their custom Concert space. Additionally, Rhapsody regularly organizes listening sessions where they introduce new and experienced listeners to the brands they work with, as well as equipment that is sometimes heard for the first time in the Netherlands or even in Europe.<\/p>\n

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Rhapsody kindly provided the Thiele TT01 turntable with the TA01 arm and an Analog Relax EX500 MC cartridge for this review, and Michael delivered and calibrated the turntable in my listening environment. I will expand on Michael and his magnificent calibration skills in the Listening section further down.<\/p>\n

Next: TT01 Turntable Introduction<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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Thiele TT01 Zero Tracking Error Turntable<\/h3>\n

The TT01 is a belt-drive turntable with a synchronous motor. Although the TA01 tonearm is the star of the show, the TT01’s sleek lines and purposeful, deceptively simple appearance hide a three-level construction based on the Constrained Layer Damping principle that gradually isolates the individual components. By choosing different wood materials, each level is optimized for vibration.<\/p>\n

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Above: noticeable noise when measuring the foot. Below: no noise when measuring the tonearm base.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Measurements as done above, and listening tests in my presence using a custom resonance amplification device, showed that disturbances are greatly reduced at each stage, from the drive level to the tonearm level.<\/p>\n

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The bottom level features 3 coned feet that are easily height-adjusted from the top and connect the entire turntable to the stand. The synchronous drive motor is also installed on this level, along with the motor control and the XLR output terminal. The center level, connected to the lower and upper levels by a special adhesive layer, carries the armboard and the tonearm. The platter bearing and the control panel are mounted on the top level.<\/p>\n

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The platter consists of three parts: a sub-platter, acrylic disc, and outer ring, stacked on top of one another. This combination of materials helps dampen and smooth the platter. The platter has a 10 mm hardened-steel axle that rotates within a bronze bushing and rests on a 7 mm ceramic ball that in turn rests on a Delrin disc with a center hole, so the ball runs on a defined circular ring. This creates an even, controlled braking torque that keeps the drive motor constantly running against a small load. This braking torque calms the motor’s mechanical running. This effect is further supported by using grease on the bearing axle instead of oil.<\/p>\n

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The synchronous motor is powered by an external linear power supply. Each motor is individually tested for unwanted noise. Some are too loud and are discarded. Rotational speed can be set to 33 1\/3 rpm and 45 rpm via buttons on top of the unit. Speed stability is specified at \u00b10.07%, and pots on the back provide \u00b15% fine speed control. The<\/span> platter <\/span>is driven by a flat belt with factory-adjusted tension, which can be fine-tuned if necessary<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The tonearm is fixed to the arm board by a central steel ball and four screws arranged in a parallelogram. These 5-point connections isolate resonances between the chassis and tonearm. The circular arm board mounted on the middle level of the chassis also has only 4 point-shaped contact points to the chassis.<\/p>\n

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The basic principle of this drive is to gradually isolate individual components while achieving maximum mechanical strength. From layer to layer, the measured noise is reduced by 10 dB. From the bottom layer to the top layer, this provides a combined attenuation of 20 dB, which makes this turntable so quiet.<\/p>\n

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Balanced XLR outputs are available as standard. This makes sense because, even though the MM or MC signal is often used single-ended in turntables and phono stages alike, a cartridge’s output is inherently balanced. For RCA inputs, you can use an adapter cable or XLR-to-RCA adapters.<\/p>\n

By request, the TT01 can also be configured with other connectors.<\/p>\n

TT01 Main Technical Specifications<\/h6>\n