DS Audio DS 003 Optical Cartridge & Phono-Stage [Review in English].
Game changer !
With its optical-technology cartridges, the Japanese DS Audio is rewriting the rules of the game.
If you regularly read reviews in international magazines and websites, chances are you’ve already come across tests of DS Audio cartridges. You know, the ones also known as optical cartridges, because of the technology they employ. And if you’ve followed those reviews closely, you’ll have noticed a clear consensus: these cartridges consistently deliver performance that ranges from clearly to dramatically superior to conventional designs -namely MM (moving magnet) and MC (moving coil)—across most performance parameters.
To begin with, it’s essential to understand that these are purely analog cartridges, in the truest sense of the word: they use a stylus and cantilever, just like any traditional model. The technology behind optical cartridges, based on detecting variations in the brightness of a light source and converting those variations into an alternating electrical signal (which is, in essence, what all cartridges do, except that conventional designs rely on coils and magnets to generate that signal),can be traced, according to historical references, back to the 1940s, with early concepts associated with Philco.
More practically usable implementations appeared in the 1960s, notably from Toshiba and a handful of other manufacturers. Even then, however—as in the earliest attempts—the core weakness of the concept lay in the light source itself. At the time, this took the form of a miniature incandescent bulb, which generated substantial heat (the light source must remain continuously on). This thermal burden severely compromised long-term reliability, making the technology commercially fragile and preventing widespread adoption.
Then came the digital revolution, the advent of the CD, and optical cartridge technology quietly faded into the background. Left behind by a world that had turned its focus elsewhere.
And now to the more recent chapter of the story. After completing his studies, Tetsuaki Aoyagi, an engineer and the son of the founder of Digital Stream Corporation, a company specializing in small-scale optical systems and co-developer of the optical mouse together with Microsoft, joined his father’s company.It was there that he met Mr. Yamada, a consultant to the firm, who one day invited him to his home to listen to his audio system. That was the moment when Aoyagi first heard Toshiba’s optical cartridge—and the experience left such a deep impression that he resolved to further develop and evolve this technology himself. Fast forward to 2014: this was the year DS Audio unveiled its very first product, the W1 cartridge. Since then, the technology has advanced to its third generation, marked by substantial improvements, with a representative example being the DS 003, the model under review here.
DS003 Cartridge / DS003 Equalizer.
The cartridge, together with its dedicated power supply/equalizer, arrives as a single package of rather substantial physical size. Naturally, all cartridges in the company’s lineup—as well as all power supply/equalizer units in the range—are also available separately, allowing users to create their own custom combinations. At the same time, there are currently several high-end electronics manufacturers offering standalone power supply/equalizer units specifically designed to partner with the company’s cartridges (such as Soulution, Esoteric, EMM Labs, Meitner, among others).
The DS003 package includes the DS003 cartridge and the DS003 EQ power supply/equalizer. The cartridge itself belongs to the third generation and is derived directly from the flagship Grand Master model, with certain differences. Most notably in the cantilever material and the stylus profile. In the case of the 003, the cantilever is made of aluminum and the stylus is of the Line Contact type.
Shared with the Grand Master, however, are the two photodiodes (one per channel), the two light receivers (again, one per channel), and the ultra-light beryllium plate located at the upper end of the cantilever. This plate modulates the amount of light detected by the sensors through its motion and, in the third generation, is 50% lighter than in the second generation (where it was made of aluminum).
All of this results in an exceptionally low moving mass up to ten times lighter than that of conventional MM and MC cartridges. The audible consequences are unmistakable: dramatically wider dynamics and faster transients response, significantly quicker response to level changes, even better channel separation, and even lower distortion. Beyond that, the cartridge body itself is machined from aluminum and is visually striking, combining technical elegance with refined aesthetics.
The 003 power supply/equalizer is housed in a medium-sized chassis with a highly distinctive design. On the front panel, you’ll find the power button and the company’s signature illuminated indicator, here rendered in blue. Around the back, there are two pairs of outputs, a single pair of inputs (all on RCA), the grounding terminal, a low-frequency filter selection switch (which, in combination with the two outputs, provides a total of four configuration options to properly match bass response to the connected system), and finally the IEC mains inlet with its integrated fuse.
Build quality is exemplary. Inside, the EQ features smoothing capacitors totaling an impressive 330,000 μF of capacitance, so much so that the company recommends leaving the unit permanently connected to mains power for at least several months when new. In addition, the internal circuit boards are fabricated with even thicker copper traces than in the previous generation, underlining the obsessive attention to current delivery, stability, and long-term reliability that defines this design.
The operating principle of the cartridge is based on displacement of the stylus—rather than the velocity of that displacement, which is the fundamental working principle of every other magnetic-type cartridge. As the stylus moves, it shifts the beryllium shutter, thereby modulating the amount of light that falls on the sensor/receiver. This fundamental difference directly affects the cartridge’s response, particularly in the low-frequency region, and necessitates a different equalization curve so that the output of the equalizer results in a linear frequency response. It also affects the overall gain structure required from the equalizer in order to deliver a sufficiently strong signal to properly drive the next stage in the chain—namely, the preamplifier.
In the case of optical cartridges, the output level is on the order of several tens of millivolts—more specifically, around 70 mV—compared to conventional cartridges, which typically range from about 0.2 to 5.5 mV. As a result, the required gain is only around 25 dB, instead of the 45–65 dB commonly needed for traditional MM and MC designs. Optical cartridges are also free from limitations imposed by magnetic field resistance, which inherently constrain conventional magnetic cartridges.
In practical terms, the cartridge tracks at a force of 2.0–2.2 grams, with 2.1 grams being the ideal value.
The only real constraint with regard to tonearm compatibility—compared to other cartridges—is the requirement that the internal wiring must provide separate conductors for both the positive and negative of each channel, along with a dedicated, independent ground wire. Some tonearms tie the ground to the return of one channel (typically the left channel) but this is strictly prohibited here, because DC voltage is also carried through the tonearm wiring.
Other than this specific requirement, the behavior of an optical cartridge in use is otherwise identical to that of any conventional cartridge in everyday operation.
Listening impressions
The 003 was installed and set up with ease on a Rega RB900 tonearm (heavily modified), with a different counterweight and mounting system, Cardas internal wiring with a fully separate ground lead, special damping of the arm tube, Oyaide cartridge bolts, and more. The arm is mounted on a Merrill turntable (AR-XB full modification) with DC motor and Merrill power supply. Over the past 30 years, this exact combination has hosted a large number of exceptional cartridges, and it therefore serves as my personal reference platform for this type of evaluation.
Since DS Audio requires nothing fundamentally different apart from the completely separate tonearm grounding instead of using one channel’s return (something I had already implemented years ago through rewiring), installation and setup were straightforward, made even easier by the fact that the cantilever and stylus are clearly visible from the front.
The signal was fed into the matching DS Audio phono stage and from its more gently filtered output into my preamplifier, which features an analog stage directly inspired by the output analog stage of the DACs from Ideon Audio. The volume control I use is a stepped attenuator with pure silver contacts, shunt type, with series resistance from Audio Note (Silver Tantalum). From there, the signal was sent to the power amplifier, based on Eigentakt modules by Purifi (but also to other class A & class A/B power amplifiers), with an input stage again derived from the aforementioned Ideon Audio analog topology. with its own dedicated ultra-low-noise analog power supply.
The loudspeakers are the well-known in Greece “Red” speakers I designed and have been using for the past 12 years, featuring an Illumination tweeter by Scan‑Speak and a custom 9-inch woofer from Audio Technology. Finally, the vibration-control accessories came from Esseci Design (Isol Coupling 8 under the DS Audio phono stage) and from Finite Elemente, Aktyna, and Goldmund under the remaining electronics.
Almost from the very first listening sessions (the cartridge arrived brand new and required at least 80 hours of break-in—although things stabilized significantly after 30–40 hours), several things became immediately clear. First and foremost, this is a product that is—yes, I’ll say it—clearly superior to anything “conventional” in key areas, even when compared mainly to top-tier MC cartridges such as those from ZYX and van den Hul. The differences are most evident in transparency (resolution and clarity), dynamic speed, distortion, three-dimensional imaging, and, finally, bass performance. The “conventional” cartridges were driven by a phono preamplifier from Bonnec, a top-tier unit in my view, which has been part of my system for two decades, continuously updated and upgraded to remain.
The 003 sounds as if it has dramatically less grain (practically none), lower distortion (a direct result of the lower moving mass and the absence of magnetic fields), and an overall purity that makes it feel as though you are not listening to music generated by a mechanically derived signal medium, but rather like a top-class open-reel tape machine. The sensation is so strong that it almost forces you to forget that you are listening to vinyl at all. This is further reinforced by the extremely low surface noise and the almost “gentle” way it deals with clicks and pops, even on very well-cleaned records, usually caused by pressing imperfections.
Naturally, it does have its demands, mainly in terms of cleanliness: both stylus and records must be impeccably clean to extract 100% of its performance. In my case, this was not an issue, as my entire collection has been through ultrasonic cleaning, so the records are essentially pristine. With friends’ records, however, the cartridge’s full performance only emerged after proper cleaning.
The 003’s performance in speed, rhythm, and uncompressed micro- and macro-dynamics was simply breathtaking. So convincing that it was easy to feel as if you were listening to something live, something happening right in front of you. This was further reinforced by its astonishing ability to construct a huge soundstage, with great depth, width, and height, and within that clearly defined space (when the recording allowed it, such as classical recordings from Decca) the placement of instrument groups, solo instruments, and the full dynamic structure of an orchestra were rendered with such realism that, more than a few times during the roughly three months it lived on my turntable, I caught myself literally getting chills from the sheer sense of “presence.”
To convey how powerful this sensation is, it strongly reminds me—though in the opposite way—of what I experienced years ago at an IMAX cinema in Boston (by IMAX). There, the visual immersion was so overwhelming that it could induce dizziness and nausea, as if you were physically inside the action. The advice was to close your eyes and the sensation would pass. Here, it’s the reverse: with your eyes closed, you are there, a time traveler at the moment of the recording. To return to reality, all you have to do is open your eyes and see the listening room and the speakers again.
Equally remarkable is the cartridge’s utterly uncolored presentation—yet never colorless. On the contrary, tonal saturation and timbral richness were virtually perfect. At first, this naturalness felt almost unfamiliar; soon after, it became deeply addictive. One must also mention its extraordinary tracking ability: it reads everything in the grooves, no matter how complex, effortlessly and without stress. Records that challenge other cartridges were reproduced here with ease and clarity.
But the most important advantage of the 003 is its overall performance in relation to its cost. In other words, its greatest strength is the holistic impression it gives the listener: the feeling that one is listening through something truly reference-class. Something that does not need to struggle to reach this level of quality, and that requires minimal effort to transport the listener through space and time, directly into the recording itself. And that, in my view, is a hallmark of cartridges in a much higher price bracket—at least double the cost, if not more.
Conclusion
This was one of the most difficult reviews I’ve written in the past 29 years, not because the cartridge (together with its preamplifier) made it hard to identify its strengths and weaknesses through its performance, but because I knew that once I delivered the text, I would have to give it back. And that, quite frankly, felt like a blow. Thanks to it, I experienced some of the most beautiful and intense listening moments I have ever had in my studio while it was mounted on my turntable.
This is a truly extraordinary—indeed, breathtaking—cartridge. In many respects, I would even call it reference-class. It elevates the quality of music reproduction to levels I genuinely believed could no longer be improved. Yes, it requires care in setup. Yes, it demands cleanliness, both stylus and records must be immaculate. But when everything is done properly, the result, in my opinion, is simply beyond comparison.
My experience with it made one thing very clear: even music reproduction technologies that are a century old have not yet spoken their final word.
I’ll close with a simple wish:
If only I were in a position to own it…
Retail Price: Cartridge model DS003 – 2.600 euros, Power Supply / Equalizer model 003 EQ – 3.600 euros, combination of both Cartridge & PSU/EQ – 5.600 euros.
DS-Audio Distribution in Greece, Retail & Showroom
