DS AUDIO ES-001 ECCENTRICITY DETECTION STABILISER LAUNCHED BY THE JAPANESE HIFI BRAND

Japanese HiFi brand DS Audio is known for their high-end optical cartridges, but they also make a range of audio accessories, including the new DS Audio ES-001 Eccentricity Detection Stabiliser.

In 2013 DS Audio used optical technology to relaunch an optical cartridge last seen in the 1960s. Now, the company has turned its attention to an issue that can get in the way of great-sounding vinyl, that of the eccentricity of vinyl records.

The DS Audio ES-001 Eccentricity Detection Stabiliser

WHAT IS VINYL ECCENTRICITY?

Put simply, the speed-stability performance of a record depends on a number of parameters in the pressing of the vinyl.

Take for example the positioning of the stamper plate, which creates the record’s groove (which is of course different for each of sides A and B), and also the spindle hole at the centre of the record. While both are very precisely stamped and cut, neither can ever be ultra-precise in the way that, say, a hard metal can be precision-machined, simply because in this case, we’re dealing with a lump of vinyl. The result is that most records rotate very slightly eccentrically, but even this very slight variation can make an audible difference to the sound. DS Audio says it is ‘a difference you may only notice once you hear its absence’.

WOW AND FLUTTER

“The overall ‘wow and flutter’ (speed error) of one’s entire system cannot be significantly reduced unless the eccentricity of the record is corrected,” says DS Audio’s Tetsuaki Aoyagi. To make the point, he gives a measured example. “With an eccentricity value of, say, 0.34mm, even if there is no inherent wow and flutter produced by the turntable in use, it reaches around 0.15% on the innermost grooves of the record’s playing surface. In reality, however, the average speed error of even the highest quality turntables is around 0.008%, so these factors combined can result in an overall wow and flutter value that audibly affects sound quality. In order to faithfully reproduce the source material, it’s therefore imperative to reduce a record’s eccentricity as much as possible.”

The process seemed simple and effective when we saw the demo at Cranage last month

Excessive wow and flutter present two problems, explains Aoyagi. “First, the unstable rotation causes fluctuations in pitch across the whole frequency range. Second, the cartridge and tonearm are forced to sway from side to side as they follow the groove, impairing the stylus’ ability to accurately track the groove and resulting in a muddy sound with an unstable sonic image. As a result, the full potential of even the highest quality system will not be experienced by the listener unless the record’s eccentricity is corrected.”

DS AUDIO ES-001 ECCENTRICITY DETECTION STABILISER

The DS Audio ES-001 Eccentricity Detection Stabiliser is designed to address the problem by measuring, and then correcting, the record’s rotational stability. We were able to witness it in action in the Sound Fowndations room at the North West Audio Show 2022 at Cranage last month, and it really is a simple and effective process. First, it projects a light onto the run-out groove to measure variation in speed stability. Second, it guides you to adjust the record’s position so that it is perfectly centred and there is no more eccentricity.

The DS Audio ES-001 Eccentricity Detection Stabiliser in action at Cranage

DS AUDIO ES-001 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Dimensions: 80mm diameter x 70mm height

Weight: 620g (including batteries)

Material: Aluminium & tungsten

Power supply: 2 x AA batteries

User interface: Touch panel (2.4 inches)

DS AUDIO ES-001 ECCENTRICITY DETECTION STABILISER PRICING AND AVAILABILITY

The DS Audio ES-001 is available now, priced at £5,500 (inc. VAT).

HiFi Pig Says: An expensive vinyl accessory for sure, but I am sure the ease of use will make this a popular one.

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