DETAILS
PRODUCT DS Audio DS 003
ORIGIN Japan
TYPE Optical cartridge
WEIGHT 7.7g
FEATURES
Aluminium cantilever
Line-contact stylus
Aluminium body
DISTRIBUTOR Sound Fowndations Ltd
WEBSITE ds-audio-w.biz soundfowndations. co.uk
Attesting to the firmly held ‘hi-fi truth’ that differing technologies have innate sonic traits – eg, valves versus transistors – comes this latest DS Audio optical cartridge, the £5,000 DS 003 with matching energiser. Replacing the £5,050 DS 002, it even boasts a slight price reduction – which is no bad thing.
DS Audio cartridges certainly possess a family sound. Seasoned audio enthusiasts might agree that all the various types – moving-magnet, low and high-output moving-coil, strain gauge, Decca/ London, moving-iron, moving-flux, and, in this case, optical – all exhibit specific characteristics. Cantilever material and stylus profile offer some additional differentiation within a given range and so it is here, in part, with the new DS 003.
This story is from the November 2021 edition of Hi-Fi Choice.
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This story is from the November 2021 edition of Hi-Fi Choice.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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