Tonearm series/ AbisSA-1.2 SA-1.2B SA-1.2BCS ZA-12 ZA-12B

TA-1 TA-1L

As The Abis brand name was changed to Sorane in 2017 summer,
the products are now called the Sorane tonearm series,
with unchanged model number.

2Version宙音

SA-1.2 SA-1.2B SA-1.2BCS

Fortunate encounter with IT Industry

Youtek feels, from the bottom of the heart, it was fortunate to have encountered Katsuaki
Ishiyama-san, founder of IT Industry, almost 10 years ago. It is thankful to have him fordeveloping Sorane (Meaning Space Sound in Japanese language, “ 宙音 ”). Formerly known
as Abis, production started in late 2013, for Youtek worldwide sales. Abis was the initialbrand name, the name changed to Sorane in spring 2017. These tonearms are export only: nosales are made in Japan. The goal was reasonable cost, with good quality.

All hand made and hand assembled by craftsmen
Since the organization of IT Industry in 1974, Katsuaki Ishiyama-san has amassed anextensive technical knowhow for the design and development of various tonearms, along withother analog equipment. IT Industry tonearms are manufactured and fitted together by hand,with the belief that fine-tuning is only available by craftsmen’s precise and sensitive touch.
Even with the use of modern CNC milling machines, to produce basic parts, their expertise isstill hand assembly by craftsmen. During final assembly, parts must be precisely adjusted for
ideal mechanical surface contact. Even with the very precise nature of CNC machining, final
fitting requires precise grinding and honing, that removes only microns, but leads to muchbetter performance.

Shared Features

SA-1.2BCS

craftsmen. This highly skilled and delicate hand-assembly

g For SA-1.2, SA-1.2B, SA-1.2BCS, (As attached photo) two
sets of fine radial bearings are installed for both horizontal (setBased on the award winning SA1.2 tonearm, the SA1.2BCS adds

tonearms. With standard quality goals, high-volume production

tonearm wand) suspension. This assures audiophiles of smooth

Silver headshell cartridge leads.

a CNC, Machine-tooled and hand-assembled by skilled Japanesedifferentiates Sorane tonearms from mass-produced Japanese

tonearms are manufactured by die-casting and semi-automatic
assembly line processes, to keep production costs low.

b Concerning the reproduced sound from these models: The

designer is confident you will get precise and clean sound,which can only be had from hand-made tonearms, but at a very
reasonable price.

c In particular, the SA-1.2 and ZA-12 will produce rich and tightbass, coming from the extremely rigid rectangular shaped armwand.

d Skilled hand assembly does not simply mean “combining

the constituent parts by hand”. Skilled hand assembly involves
measurement, adjustment and hand-fitting to produce optimal

interface between machined surfaces. Once completed, the fitment
between every part is ideal, satisfying the necessary conditions forchatter-free reproduction of analog sound.

e Most importantly, the key to tonearm quality is highly sensitiveand delicate motion, for which the bearings are the determining
factor.

f Gimbal-bearing designs for excellent bass, dynamic sound andimaging, as well as unconditional azimuth stability (Which is thebiggest problem for conventional uni-pivots bearing).

in the bearing stem column) and vertical (further small bearing at
tonearm function, greater longevity, better consistency, andenhanced ability to track warped vinyl.

(In SA-1.2BCS,negative-balance selection is to follow more
precisely to warped vinyl)(More versatile bearing of “Double Bearing Pivot suspension” isSilver internal wiring for superior signal to noise ratio.

b a l a n c e (c o nve r t i b l e c e n te r of g r av i t y), v i a t wo a l te r n ate
counterweight stems (the first tonearm ever produced with thisfeature in the world).

■ What is “positive balance”? The position of the counterweighth For TA-1 and TA-1L, the same type radial bearing, used in theSA-1.2 for horizontal motion, is used, while a delicate pivot bearing

center of mass below the fulcrum point.

bearing axis end is cone shaped, and requires careful assembly
and adjustment). The right side cone in this photo is inserted into
the miniature bearing inner race.

i For the SA1.2 and ZA-12, lead wires run through separate

aluminum tubes inside the arm, maximizing stereo separation.

j For the ZA-12, the tonearm collet is removed. The effective

length and geometry gives very low tracking error. The stylus tipof the cartridge is maintained as closely to the centerline of thePositive Balance

The SA1.2BCS offers the choice of either positive or negative

applied to ZA-12,as mentioned after.)is employed for vertical movement (this is still a bearing, but theNegative Balance

additional features for the vinyl enthusiast.

shaft is below the centerline of the vertical bearing, moving theThe way to change
Positive/Negative balance in SA-1.2BCS■ W hat is the out s t an din g feature of “ p os iti ve balan c e” ?

As shown in these photos, SA-1.2 BCS is equipped with 2 counter-same resting location.

the product), while the other is “Negative”, which are replaced

Unconditional stability, with the tonearm always returning to theweight shafts, one is “Positive” shaft (Installed, upon delivery of■ What is “negative balance”? The position of the counterweightinterchangeably by your hands with attached Allen key.

shaft is slightly above the centerline of the vertical bearing, moving
the center of mass above the fulcrum point.

■ What is the outstanding feature of “negative balance”? The
tonearm automatically compensates for warps without the aid ofextraneous devices, such as springs, servos, etc..

tonearm as possible. The mass distribution is kept as close toneutral as possible.

k Comes with phono cable (RCA output plug, or optionally as
XLR), screws, washers, wrench and marking pin.
l Antiskating mechanism works favorably, in proportion tocartridge vertical stylus tracking force.

Cylinder type base / Option

Positive

Negative宙音

Cylinder type base (photo)Standard for ZA-12

Option for Others

Screw type BaseStandard for TA-1. SA1.2 Option for ZA-12

ZA-12 ZA12-B

Double Bearing Pivot suspension
The key to tonearm quality is the sensitivity and stability in retrieving
delicate signals, for which the bearings are the determining factor. The
ZA12 employs specially designed “Double Bearing Pivot suspension” forvertical suspension, (which supersedes even two sets of fine radial bearings,installed SA-1.2B).
Schematic in this photo is exaggerated Illustration to show you inner
structure of Double Bearing Pivot, extracting inside parts to outside, onpurpose.
Thanks to this ultra-fine precise suspension, you would enjoy extensive
reproduction sound to limit-less high frequency, even from very base lowsound.

Counter weight shaft damping
To damp whole movement of tonearm-wand, counter weight shaft
composes of 2 pipes, brass-pipe inside and Delrin (Dupont-Plastic) pipe out
side, which is connected to ZA-12 main body via outer rubber ring, throughrubber adhesive.
The rectangular arm-wand is machined from a solid aluminum block
having an advantage in rich and tight bass reproduction. As bass sound ismainly recorded in the horizontal plane of the groove, the low resonancefrequency of the ZA12 will give excellent low bass reproduction.
Tonearm wires run through separate aluminum tubes inside the arm so thatstereo separation is maximized.
The geometry of the ZA12 is chosen to give excellent sound for all typesof music, for old classical recordings, and new audiophile recordings. The
curve fits nicely between the Stevenson geometry (good for classical) andLofgren (good for modern audiophile recordings).

Bearing Holder
Bearing
Pipod Bearing

宙音
TA-1 TA-1L

TA-1 and TA-1L Tonearm
The major key to tonearm quality is the sensitivity andstability in retrieving delicate signals, for which thebearings are the determining factor. The TA-l employs aminiature radial bearing for horizontal movement and aminiature pivot bearing for vertical movement. Very highperformance is achieved at a reasonable price.
TA-1LThe body is constructed from a machine-tooled solid
aluminum block.
The hand-assembled arm wand satisfies every vitalcondition necessary for vibration-free and noise-free
reproduction..
Reproduced sound is precise and clean, thanks to handassembly by highly skilled craftsmen.
Comes with detachable headshell, phono cable (RCAoutput plug, or optionally as XLR), screws, washers,
wrench and marking pin.

TA-1

Cylinder type base / Option

SME-Sorane Sliding Base

SA-1.2 SA-1.2B SA-1.2BCS
Specifications

Total Length			

310mm

Stylus to pivot distance

239mm

Spindle center to arm pivot distance
Overhang
Offset Angle

223mm
16mm
22.25°

Cartridge weight

15-45 grams, including headshell

Anti-skating Device
Net weight0-3 grams
750g (with headshell: 767g)

Total Length			Spindle to pivot distance
Stylus to pivot distance
Overhang
Cartridge weight range
Total weight
Anti-skating

TA-1

TA-1L

288mm
216mm
232mm
16mm
15-29 grams with headshell
580 grams (with headshell attached: 597g)
up to 3 grams

380mm
310mm
322mm
12mm
15-24 grams with headshell
610 grams (with headshell attached: 627g)
up to 3 grams

ZA-12 ZA-12B
Whole length
pivot to spindle
effective length
overhang
offset angle
linear offset

iew

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Re

410mm
310mm
322mm
12mm
16.5°
91.453mm

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ReeinazgMa

inner groove
outer groove
inner null pointouter null point
maximum error
maximum distortion
average rms distortionMax. Cartridge weightryntu
Co"the Abis SA-1.2 tonearm deserves my strongest Art Dudley
Stereophile #135
USA
recommendation,for the least amount of money, it
has few competitors."
https://www.stereophile.com/content/listening-135-abis-sa-12#2U7VgPU6Cxpbd85z.99" t h e T A - 1 L i s a w e l l - m a d e a n d d i s t i n c t l y Art Dudley
Stereophile #145
recommendable product: a distinctively welldetailed transcription-length tonearm for a fair
price.
https://www.stereophile.com/content/listening-145-page-2#cDsfQjPjpaYfAoYP.99

USAWell, first and foremost is a clean and quiet Dave Thomas Stereotimes
USAbackdrop that seemed to push
more of the musical performance to the forefront.
https://www.stereophile.com/content/recommended-components-2018-edition-turntablestonearms-cartridges-etc"I'd put the combination of Abis SA-1.2 andDenon DL-103 up against all but their priciest
competitors."

60.325mm
146.05mm
63.531mm
119.375mm
1.4°
0.481%
0.312%
40g

iew'seriewvRev
Re"The Abis tonearm allowed the Miyajima [PremiumBE Mono II] . . . to shine as a detail-retrieval
champ of the first order,"Art Dudley,Herb Rechart"The result is an arm that's an absolute dlight inform,function and perceives sound quality"

Adam Smith

tryunCo

Stereophile
USA
Recommended
Components /Class-B
https://www.stereophile.com/content/recommended-components-2018-edition-turntablestonearms-cartridges-etc
ThomasLP magazines
GermanySchmidth"No other arm I can think of, even others with Geoff
SME headshell mounts, offers quite so much
Husbandflexibility."
http://www.tnt-audio.com/sorgenti/abis_sa12_e.html

StereophileUSA
Recommended
Components /Class-B
https://www.stereophile.com/content/recommended-components-2018-edition-turntablestonearms-cartridges-etc

Distributor & Dealereinazg
Ma

Art Dudley,Herb Rechart

IT INDUSTRY Co., Ltd

4387, Yaho, Kunitachi-city, Tokyo, Japan 186-0011

Exported by Youtek Limited
Mail : ishihara@pc4.so-net.ne.jp

http://www.youtek.jp/Hifi NewsUK

TNT FranceFrance