As a system its much quieter than the Starling with an MC pre. You see, the Starling is an MC cartridge which needs to be connected to a an MC phono preamp which inevitably induces noise into the system. The result is indeed a better experience. I suspect to truly outperform a Starling in a perfect super quiet system youd need to step up to the DS-003 with a line contact stylus or DS-W3 which also uses a boron cantilever and a line contact stylus like the Starling. So in short, depends on the entire system.
I've been enjoying by DS E3 on my VPI now for about six months now. I can't even imagine this E3 being the entry level just how much better the DS-W3 or heaven forbid the Grandmaster could possibly sound any better?? I did see that DS Audio just announced their Tube Phono stage for their Optical Cartridges. DS Audio has certainly "seen the light" here and not only with their cartridges they have also "shown the light" on Ionizer and stabilizer. Now if they could only get a bundled ionizer and stabilizer bundle under 1K I'm in! Nice review. I would also add that from my experience some of my older nosier LPs seem sound more quite with less tics and pops but maybe that is just me???
Brilliant cartridge setup video. Yes, the DS is an "unusual" cart, but the setup works for more "conventional" carts as well. Very nice to hear your thoughts, Fernando, on this cutting edge tech.
pretty interesting set up. thank you for posting. I have several of the DS audio headshells. They are good. Only complaint is their female pins are usually too small to fit on some MC carts making them a super PITA when installing some carts on these DS headshells. This may be beyond the scope of this video but since you are talking mid to high 5 figures for their best set up, would sure be an interesting comparison to run their best against a Goldfinger or an ART-1000 cart with a Boulder 2108 or similar phono stage.
I know what you mean. I wish there was a standard for pin size all around. The DS head shell pins work really well with the Sumiko and Hana cartridges we tend to use. Interestingly it was a bit too tight for my taste on the DS cartridge, go figure.
You still planning on selling the custom matt's or explaining how you cut those holes so nicely?? Looks killer with the brass platter and I want it on my 1200G 😎
When I get back to NJ in Jan Im gonna play with laser cutting the holes and if it works well I will offer the matt. I used a punch which was a bit imperfect. Thanks for asking and if you subscribe to our email blast on our website you'll see when the matts are available.
Hola Fernando Muy buen video como siempre. Te consulto: el cartucho óptico Envía una señal a su propio preamplificador. Hay en algún momento del proceso una digitalización de la señal? O siempre permanece analógica? Espero tu respuesta y te mando un afectuoso saludo desde Bahía Blanca Argentina.
I dont have a record cleaner here in FL and I noticed the stylus was super dirty at the end of the song, sorry. Playing over UA-cam in not mean to be critical listening, its just so you can get an idea.
Sounds Awesome! I have a MoFi precision deck with Master Tracker mm cart, with the Ground hooked up i have Hum, with it Disconnected absolutely No Hum, is that an issue or should I just run with it?
The Technics alignment gage uses a strange calibration method that they cooked up. Most folks would want to use Bearwald or Stevenson. It will work but we tend to calibrate with one of the others sep-ending on the type of collection the client has.
How does this lower mass on the cantilever compare to a moving iron design? I have the SoundSmith Sussurro and can say I have never heard as much detail and information from any previous cartridge I have owned. Low mass rules.
67 thousand dollars for a phono cartridge is like paying 11 thousand dollars for a shovel or 40 thousand dollars for a vacuum. This is outrageous and the cartridge makers are laughing all the way to the bank.
U can get vdh carts with stuff like gold coils for less than half the price when you know where to look and who to ask. Also cables, audio feet, audio stickers (yep) and stuff are the biggest snake oil.
It's all relative, to a guy that makes $100M per year dropping $67K for a phono cartridge is easy. There is a guy somewhere in a 3rd world country that thinks the $7 you just dropped at Starbucks is equally nuts :-).
I can’t believe they fit an alu cantilever and basic elliptical stylus at this price point either. All the optical nonsense isn’t worth a penny if your stylus can’t actually track as well as a cart coating a tenth of the price!
I have the entry cart from DS. E1. Is it out of production? It is so much better than any combo I had before at a the same price. It has taken me away from mostly streaming. The noise is gone
Is the optical cartridge part digital because it's using light? The HIFI Rose amplifier sure sounds great, but its looks come nowhere close to the Technics.
I am a klutz. Sad but true. I really should not be using my butterfingers with a cartridge. In setting the tracking force I leave the stylus guard on. All you have to is pre-weigh the stylus guard. Then add that to the recommended tracking force. So if your recommended tracking force is 2.0g and the stylus guard weighs 0.2 grams then you adjust your counterweight to 2.2 grams. (As an aside, even if I did not run a TT I would still subscribe.)
This phono cart is what $2700 and it has one of the most basic stylus profiles available? Cmon, surely they can do better than elliptical for this money! Aluminium cantilever with elliptical stylus is Ortofon 2M red territory, and that’s what, $100? The cost of their upper offerings clearly tells me what level of insanity this maker is operating at.
Anyone spending this sort of money on a cartridge needs to get a life. Or at least see a psychiatrist. My CD's look better and better when I hear about such patent insanity.
Yes indeed, for my old ears I would not even be able to distinguish which one sounds best: this Technics system or my old CD player that is connected to a nice vintage amp and speakers. But someone mentioned here that there is a price point for everybody, especially for billionaires. I would definitively want this Technics system if I could afford.
Does it sound way better than sumiko starling?? Thanks Fernando
As a system its much quieter than the Starling with an MC pre. You see, the Starling is an MC cartridge which needs to be connected to a an MC phono preamp which inevitably induces noise into the system. The result is indeed a better experience. I suspect to truly outperform a Starling in a perfect super quiet system youd need to step up to the DS-003 with a line contact stylus or DS-W3 which also uses a boron cantilever and a line contact stylus like the Starling. So in short, depends on the entire system.
very informative as always .. thank you
WAW Sounds Amazing. Thank You Sir for another genuine review. As usual by the way. Kindest Regards.
So nice of you
I've been enjoying by DS E3 on my VPI now for about six months now. I can't even imagine this E3 being the entry level just how much better the DS-W3 or heaven forbid the Grandmaster could possibly sound any better?? I did see that DS Audio just announced their Tube Phono stage for their Optical Cartridges. DS Audio has certainly "seen the light" here and not only with their cartridges they have also "shown the light" on Ionizer and stabilizer. Now if they could only get a bundled ionizer and stabilizer bundle under 1K I'm in! Nice review. I would also add that from my experience some of my older nosier LPs seem sound more quite with less tics and pops but maybe that is just me???
Thank you Fernando for another tour of your ''audio laboratory''. You are into my bucket list.👍
I am honored to be on your bucket list! Hope to see you here in the near future!
That Hartman vinyl brought back memories from when I was a kid.
My dad (now 101) had that back in the day😄
super cool. do you remember what gear he had, do share.
@ He had an old RCA console.
So much labour involved with playing records, not to mention defective records bought new, I bought a streamer and enjoy music again.
Just slightly compressed, too.
I hear you, but there’s something magical about the analog experience.
Brilliant cartridge setup video. Yes, the DS is an "unusual" cart, but the setup works for more "conventional" carts as well. Very nice to hear your thoughts, Fernando, on this cutting edge tech.
Thanks for watching! The DS Audio setup is not for everyone, but for those who are willing to experiment, it's a truly rewarding experience.
And here i am happy with my sl-1500 from 1978 with a nagaoka mp-110 🤷♂️
Thank You for the analogue Johnny Hartman sourcing! Next, play Hartman's 'Lush Life'.
great record right? Im really enjoying it.
As always, your videos are super informative and 1 of the reasons why I will continue making purchases from you.
Hi Edward, super nice of you to write. Stay in touch.
pretty interesting set up. thank you for posting. I have several of the DS audio headshells. They are good. Only complaint is their female pins are usually too small to fit on some MC carts making them a super PITA when installing some carts on these DS headshells. This may be beyond the scope of this video but since you are talking mid to high 5 figures for their best set up, would sure be an interesting comparison to run their best against a Goldfinger or an ART-1000 cart with a Boulder 2108 or similar phono stage.
I know what you mean. I wish there was a standard for pin size all around. The DS head shell pins work really well with the Sumiko and Hana cartridges we tend to use. Interestingly it was a bit too tight for my taste on the DS cartridge, go figure.
You still planning on selling the custom matt's or explaining how you cut those holes so nicely?? Looks killer with the brass platter and I want it on my 1200G 😎
When I get back to NJ in Jan Im gonna play with laser cutting the holes and if it works well I will offer the matt. I used a punch which was a bit imperfect. Thanks for asking and if you subscribe to our email blast on our website you'll see when the matts are available.
@@SkyFiAudio I'm on there already!
Hola Fernando Muy buen video como siempre. Te consulto: el cartucho óptico Envía una señal a su propio preamplificador. Hay en algún momento del proceso una digitalización de la señal? O siempre permanece analógica? Espero tu respuesta y te mando un afectuoso saludo desde Bahía Blanca Argentina.
i love ur attention to detail,. and u just dont delete ppls comments,. what,. classy,.
hey thanks for watching. As long as people aren't rude I welcome the comments.
There was sibilance in that playback (29 mins onwards)
I dont have a record cleaner here in FL and I noticed the stylus was super dirty at the end of the song, sorry. Playing over UA-cam in not mean to be critical listening, its just so you can get an idea.
Sounds Awesome!
I have a MoFi precision deck with Master Tracker mm cart, with the Ground hooked up i have Hum, with it Disconnected absolutely No Hum, is that an issue or should I just run with it?
I have an issue with the sound (no sound) for about a minute starting 20:40 when you show off the gadget ontop of the record.
My wife was giving me orders while I filmed that section so I edited her out. I wasn't saying anything anyway. Lol.
Hi.. Is the Technics Overhang Gauge (white one) not accurate enough that you need multiple alignment tools?
The Technics alignment gage uses a strange calibration method that they cooked up. Most folks would want to use Bearwald or Stevenson. It will work but we tend to calibrate with one of the others sep-ending on the type of collection the client has.
what's in the GIBSON case?
Just a Les Paul but it has those crazy auto tuners that are a delight to watch in operation.
What gets me more than the ridiculous prices is that RCA connectors are used in so called high end audio.
well... the more expensive model has XLR, lol.
How does this lower mass on the cantilever compare to a moving iron design?
I have the SoundSmith Sussurro and can say I have never heard as much detail and information from any previous cartridge I have owned.
Low mass rules.
We've gotten nice results from eh Sussurro as well, great piece. Lower mass tends to translate to more detail.
Hifi Rose replaced the Technics integrated?
Let out my Technics to a friend while I review the Hifi Rose. I'll get it back soon.
@ I like both
67 thousand dollars for a phono cartridge is like paying 11 thousand dollars for a shovel or 40 thousand dollars for a vacuum. This is outrageous and the cartridge makers are laughing all the way to the bank.
U can get vdh carts with stuff like gold coils for less than half the price when you know where to look and who to ask.
Also cables, audio feet, audio stickers (yep) and stuff are the biggest snake oil.
It's all relative, to a guy that makes $100M per year dropping $67K for a phono cartridge is easy. There is a guy somewhere in a 3rd world country that thinks the $7 you just dropped at Starbucks is equally nuts :-).
I can’t believe they fit an alu cantilever and basic elliptical stylus at this price point either.
All the optical nonsense isn’t worth a penny if your stylus can’t actually track as well as a cart coating a tenth of the price!
@@SkyFiAudio +1 for same comments. Quite a few phono stages now in the 20K to 100K price range. It all becomes relative to the person buying it only.
There’s a price point for everyone.
I have the entry cart from DS. E1. Is it out of production? It is so much better than any combo I had before at a the same price. It has taken me away from mostly streaming. The noise is gone
I think thats the predecessor to the E3. Same price but newer generation internals.
Is the optical cartridge part digital because it's using light? The HIFI Rose amplifier sure sounds great, but its looks come nowhere close to the Technics.
I am a klutz. Sad but true. I really should not be using my butterfingers with a cartridge. In setting the tracking force I leave the stylus guard on. All you have to is pre-weigh the stylus guard. Then add that to the recommended tracking force. So if your recommended tracking force is 2.0g and the stylus guard weighs 0.2 grams then you adjust your counterweight to 2.2 grams.
(As an aside, even if I did not run a TT I would still subscribe.)
Hey thats a fabulous idea!!! Thanks for the tip, will try it soon.
Hi, thanks for your video. Do you know if we can scratch with a vinyl using this kind of optical cartirdge or not ?
You're kidding, right?
I cant imagine why not, would be an expensive repair if you damaged it though.
When you need a screwdriver to get into small packaging, you know you're working with high-qualiity packaging.
lol good point. Was a bunch of screws just to get to the thing.
The sibilance is way too distracting.
UA-cam sucks for a proper demo. No sibilance live.
This phono cart is what $2700 and it has one of the most basic stylus profiles available? Cmon, surely they can do better than elliptical for this money! Aluminium cantilever with elliptical stylus is Ortofon 2M red territory, and that’s what, $100?
The cost of their upper offerings clearly tells me what level of insanity this maker is operating at.
Keep in mind you are getting a phono preamp along with the cart. I think the cartridge along is like $1250 well in range of other similar cartridges.
The zenith? You probably mean Azimuth, you should go figure buzz words.
Looking from the front of the cartridge the adjustment is azimuth. From the top its Zenith. Might have gotten them mixed up. Thanks sir.
Anyone spending this sort of money on a cartridge needs to get a life. Or at least see a psychiatrist. My CD's look better and better when I hear about such patent insanity.
Yes indeed, for my old ears I would not even be able to distinguish which one sounds best: this Technics system or my old CD player that is connected to a nice vintage amp and speakers. But someone mentioned here that there is a price point for everybody, especially for billionaires. I would definitively want this Technics system if I could afford.
You keep mentioning techniques .., and then you don’t teach us a technique.
hey you must be from the UK. Thanks mate.