DS AUDIO LAUNCHES NEW THIRD-GENERATION ENTRY-LEVEL OPTICAL PHONO CARTRIDGE: THE DS-E3

The DS Audio DS-E3 Optical Cartridge is the third generation new entry level optical cartridge from the Japanese HiFi brand.

Japanese optical phono cartridge brand DS Audio has launched the new entry level DS-E3 model, featuring the company’s ‘third generation’ of optical cartridge technology.

OPTICAL CARTRIDGES

DS Audio launched their first optical phono cartridge in 2013. Since then, designer Tetsuaki Aoyagi has continued to advance and refine his designs, while at the same time, the company has equally strived to use trickle-down technology to make the benefits of optical cartridges available to a wider range of audiophiles at multiple price points.

DS Audio’s optical cartridges dispense with the usual moving magnet and moving coil designs and instead, use an optical system that converts stylus/cantilever movement into audio signals. This is designed to eliminate the electromagnetic forces found in traditional MM and MC designs, to lower the noise floor.

DS AUDIO DS-E3 OPTICAL CARTRIDGE

The new ‘third generation’ entry-level DS Audio DS-E3 Optical Cartridge replaces the earlier DS-E1. Now, the DS-E3 draws on technology developed for the company’s flagship models to elevate the design and performance while maintaining the same price as when the DS-E1 was first launched 5 years ago in 2019.

BERYLLIUM LIGHT SHIELDING PLATE

Independent LEDs and photo-detectors for the left and right channels deliver a significantly increased output voltage while eliminating crosstalk and greatly improving left and right channel separation. The cartridge’s mass is further reduced thanks to a new smaller and lighter shading plate, now made of beryllium rather than the previous model’s aluminium light-shielding plate. A fine elliptical diamond stylus is mounted on a rigid lightweight aluminium cantilever.

EQUALIZER PHONOSTAGE

Like all DS Audio optical cartridges, the DS-E3 requires its own equalizer / phono stage, which this new design also brings up to ‘third generation’ level. In the new DS-E3 equalizer, the amplification circuit has been made symmetrical, while the voltage supplied to the cartridge has been stabilized. The equalizer uses an operational amplifier as the amplifying element to minimize the signal path, thereby greatly reducing the number of components and achieving a smaller size, making the DS-E3 equalizer approximately one third the size of that of DS Audio’s next model up, the DS-003.

Like every DS Audio product, the DS-E3 phono cartridge and equalizer are hand-made and quality assured, with every component part-tested and evaluated by the company’s own in-house team of technicians in Japan.

DS AUDIO DS-E3 OPTICAL CARTRIDGE TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Body material Aluminium

Cantilever Aluminium

Stylus Elliptical

Signal output Photo-electric conversion

Output signal level > 70mV

Channel separation > 26dB (@ 1kHz)

Weight 7.7g

DS-E3 PHONO STAGE/EQUALIZER

Inputs RCA

Outputs RCA

Rated output voltage 500mV (@ 1kHz)

Output impedance 120Ω

Pre-amp input impedance > 10Ω

Dimensions 26 (w) x 6.9 (h) x 19.5 (d) cm

Weight 1.86kg

DS AUDIO DS-E3 OPTICAL CARTRIDGE PRICING & AVAILABILITY

The DS Audio DS-E3 optical phono cartridge and phono stage/equalizer are available now, priced as follows (inc. VAT):

Cartridge and equalizer package price                                  £2,295

Cartridge only                                                                     £1,270

Equalizer only                                                                     £1,270

DS Audio cartridges are fully compatible with any of the company’s accompanying phono stages/equalizers, allowing you to mix and match.

HiFi PiG Says: Good to see the third-gen tech from DS Audio available in their entry level cartridge.