DS Audio Optical Cartridge
Posted: June 12th, 2022, 9:13 am
I have experienced a very interesting vinyl playback experience that was worth sharing.
As a result of my Hi-Fi visit to a friend’s house where I was able to audition a DS Audio 003 optical cartridge, I sprang for a DS Audio cartridge. I obtained the DS Audio DS E1 because I preferred an elliptical stylus and the smaller equalizer that can be upgraded (if desired) because it is based on an integrated-circuit op-amp.
Having lived with my DS Audio DS E1 cartridge now for about a week I initially found that although better than any moving coil cartridge in my experience (keeping in mind that I modify cartridges to optimize their sound) the DS E1 was only marginally better. To improve matters I coated the aluminum pipe cantilever (as I have done with other cartridges) with a semi-flexible polymer to suppress the characteristic metallic “zizz” that pervades the sound of what can be a really good cartridge.
Still after that tweak – I wasn’t experiencing playback that I expected that should be the promise of the optical cartridge. Keep in mind that the polymer cantilever coating is easier to do as a manufacturing step than doing it as I did after assembly. I would also recommend coating the shading plate, which I could not do, (a source of unwanted resonance) and feel that the use of Beryllium used in the 003 model is of no benefit unless the cantilever itself is Beryllium.
I determined that the photodiode cartridge output deserves better than just about any “audiophile” interconnecting cable in existence. I happen to have some seriously high-performance interconnects.
I then decided to fabricate a dedicated interconnect using micro-wave cable rated out to 24-GHz. That should not interfere with photodiode output since any cable mechanical or electronic resonances and reactance are way outside the audible range of frequencies and even the recording cutter-head resonances that can be in the 40-kHz. to 60-kHz. range.
Why not? Either my cable is better or at least no worse. I put on a Chasing the Dragon direct-disc LP and was shocked as to how the sound seemed to leave the speakers and create something along the lines of a sonic hologram. WOW!! Never in my experience have I ever heard vinyl playback like that anywhere. That includes the DS Audio 003 playing through a big-$$$ system. The audio magazines that reviewed DS Audio products I expect also have no clue as to what that product is capable of.
I expect that based on my experience, other current owners have not really heard what that cartridge is capable of. I did not expect that kind of performance from any device that is “dragging a rock through a grove” to playback music. It was to say -- at the very least -- truly remarkable.
By the way – the DS E1 equalizer is remarkably transparent and any plans I had to upgrade it are no longer an issue and could have been a waste of time. Although because of the need to have rock steady DC to bias the photo-diodes I discovered that the equalizer case was enabling acoustic breakthrough so I did have to beef up the case, which was worth the effort.
Finally -- since the cartridge does not have the benefit of some moving-system magnetic damping I found that my Denon's electronic arm damping was very effective at tightening up the sound as I advanced the amount of damping.
As a result of my Hi-Fi visit to a friend’s house where I was able to audition a DS Audio 003 optical cartridge, I sprang for a DS Audio cartridge. I obtained the DS Audio DS E1 because I preferred an elliptical stylus and the smaller equalizer that can be upgraded (if desired) because it is based on an integrated-circuit op-amp.
Having lived with my DS Audio DS E1 cartridge now for about a week I initially found that although better than any moving coil cartridge in my experience (keeping in mind that I modify cartridges to optimize their sound) the DS E1 was only marginally better. To improve matters I coated the aluminum pipe cantilever (as I have done with other cartridges) with a semi-flexible polymer to suppress the characteristic metallic “zizz” that pervades the sound of what can be a really good cartridge.
Still after that tweak – I wasn’t experiencing playback that I expected that should be the promise of the optical cartridge. Keep in mind that the polymer cantilever coating is easier to do as a manufacturing step than doing it as I did after assembly. I would also recommend coating the shading plate, which I could not do, (a source of unwanted resonance) and feel that the use of Beryllium used in the 003 model is of no benefit unless the cantilever itself is Beryllium.
I determined that the photodiode cartridge output deserves better than just about any “audiophile” interconnecting cable in existence. I happen to have some seriously high-performance interconnects.
I then decided to fabricate a dedicated interconnect using micro-wave cable rated out to 24-GHz. That should not interfere with photodiode output since any cable mechanical or electronic resonances and reactance are way outside the audible range of frequencies and even the recording cutter-head resonances that can be in the 40-kHz. to 60-kHz. range.
Why not? Either my cable is better or at least no worse. I put on a Chasing the Dragon direct-disc LP and was shocked as to how the sound seemed to leave the speakers and create something along the lines of a sonic hologram. WOW!! Never in my experience have I ever heard vinyl playback like that anywhere. That includes the DS Audio 003 playing through a big-$$$ system. The audio magazines that reviewed DS Audio products I expect also have no clue as to what that product is capable of.
I expect that based on my experience, other current owners have not really heard what that cartridge is capable of. I did not expect that kind of performance from any device that is “dragging a rock through a grove” to playback music. It was to say -- at the very least -- truly remarkable.
By the way – the DS E1 equalizer is remarkably transparent and any plans I had to upgrade it are no longer an issue and could have been a waste of time. Although because of the need to have rock steady DC to bias the photo-diodes I discovered that the equalizer case was enabling acoustic breakthrough so I did have to beef up the case, which was worth the effort.
Finally -- since the cartridge does not have the benefit of some moving-system magnetic damping I found that my Denon's electronic arm damping was very effective at tightening up the sound as I advanced the amount of damping.