IN STOCK NOW!

DS Audio, from Japan, are making the world's first "optical" phono cartridges.

https://www.ds-audio-w.biz/ds-e1

These use a tiny LED screen within the cartridge and the movement of the stylus is interpreted by light and sent to the dedicated phono Equalizer Box.

This is a completely analogue process and does not use magnets within the cartridge but this completely new light technology.

Up until recently they have been expensive but the recent release of the DS-E1, with a retail price of $4495 (which includes the dedicated phonostage), has brought this innovative phono cartridge system into the reach of many more people.

Sound is crisp and powerful with a very wide dynamic range. Bass is very deep and tight and the treble is airy and extended.

Reviews are stellar!

Ken Kessler awarded the DS-E1 the "Outstanding Product" in his Hi Fi New's review.

https://www.hifinews.com/content/ds-audio-ds-e1-cartridge

He said:".....bless the arrival of a bargain so overwhelming that I think it could be the sixth biggest game-changer in cartridges in three decades. The other five? Its older siblings."

"If the thought of a radical change in technology doesn't scare you, the DS-E1 provides the chance to hear your LPs as you've never imagined. I'm still shaking my head in disbelief."

Ken Redmond at Audio Beatnik says:

"I have not had a better listening experience with any other cartridge. It does everything you need a cartridge to do to get you closer to the music. When the “film” you have been listening through for all of these years is removed, you get the closest thing I have heard to an open reel.

At $2,750.00 (NZ$4495) for the cartridge AND the DS Audio Phono Stage/Equalizer, I simply cannot think of anything that is close. It is my new Audio Waypoint and a game-changer for me personally."

https://theaudiobeatnik.com/review-ds-audio-e-1-optical-cartridge-an-audio-waypoint/

https://theaudiobeatnik.com/review-ds-audio-e1-optical-cartridge-system-part-2/