Statement At A Glance

• Reference-tier pivoted tonearm with Tetragon tracking geometry
• Maximum tracking error of 0.006° across the record surface
• Effective mass 25 g, compatible cartridge weight 7–20 g
• High-strength aluminum alloy construction with noble-metal and DLC coatings
• Integrated fine-pitch threaded mechanisms for VTA and azimuth with scale
• Lift mechanism with gear-reduction direct coupling for controlled stylus lowering
• Mounting distance 230 mm
• Available in Silver, Black, or Gold finish
• 5-pin DIN signal output standard; direct-wire option available
• Designed and manufactured by Thales in Winterthur, Switzerland

The Statement is the ultimate expression of the work Micha Huber began in 2005. It is the tonearm Thales builds when the question is no longer how to make a pivoted arm track better — that question is settled — but how far the Tetragon idea can be taken when no trade-off is necessary. The result is a Reference-class tonearm with a maximum tracking error of 0.006° across the record surface, a figure no conventional pivoted geometry can approach, in an arm that ages like a piece of watchmaking rather than a piece of audio gear.

Tetragon geometry, taken to its limit. Conventional pivoted tonearms can hold the stylus perfectly tangent to the groove at only two points across the record; everywhere else, the cartridge sits at a small angle to the groove, and that angle creates distortion and phase error the customer hears as a loss of clarity in inner-groove passages. The Tetragon is Thales's patented answer: a four-sided linkage that continuously rotates the headshell as the arm sweeps across the record, holding the cartridge almost exactly tangent to the groove from lead-in to lead-out. In the Statement, that geometry is refined to 0.006° maximum tracking error — the lowest figure in any production pivoted tonearm.

Built to a Swiss watchmaker's standard. The arm is machined from high-strength aluminum alloy and finished with noble-metal and DLC coatings chosen for the dual job of acoustic damping and surface durability. Hundreds of individual parts are assembled by hand. The integrated VTA and azimuth mechanisms work on fine-pitch threads with calibrated scales, so the setup the customer dials in by ear is reproducible and stable across years. The lift mechanism is gear-reduced and direct-coupled, so the stylus descends at exactly the speed and angle the linkage intends — no lateral drift onto the lead-in, no shock at touch-down.

Effective mass tuned for the Reference turntable. At 25 g effective mass and a 7–20 g cartridge weight window, the Statement is the partner Thales designed for the Reference turntable and for any high-mass, gimbal-bearing platform of comparable resolution. It accepts the Thales Xquisite Titanium-body cartridges as a natural match and welcomes any high-end cartridge in the weight window. Mounting distance is 230 mm.

Finishes and outputs. Available in Silver, Black, and Gold finishes. Signal output is via a 5-pin DIN connector as standard; the customer who wants the cartridge connected to the phono stage without an intermediate plug can specify a direct-wired RCA or XLR cable from the arm pillar.

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