Ex-Demo DS Audio E1 Optical Phono Cartridge

THE NEW DS-E1 FEATURES THE SAME OPTICAL-MECHANICAL SYSTEM AND WIRE-SUSPENDED CANTILEVER AS THE FLAGSHIP DS MASTER 1, AS WELL AS THE MIDRANGE DS-W2 AND THE DS-002 BUT INSTEAD USES AN ALUMINIUM CANTILEVER AND ELLIPTICAL STYLUS

Manufactured by hand in DS Audio’s own premises in Sagamihara City, Japan, the cartridge body is machined from aluminium, while the accompanying DS-E1 equaliser/phonostage is compact and lightweight – around one third of the size of the DS-002 equaliser.

An optical cartridge uses a beam of light to read stylus/cantilever movement allowing the cartridge to be light and agile, while also eliminating magnetic frictional force caused by magnets and coils.

Also, in an optical cartridge the output signal depends on the distance that the stylus moves, so there are no disparities between high and low frequencies. Therefore no equalization is required (other than RIAA curve correction).