DS Audio - DS Master 3

DS Master3 Product Features

The DS Master3 cartridge is a completely new design. The third generation of DS Audio’s optical cartridge features a comprehensively re-designed optical system that provides the following improvements and benefits.

We have further developed the optical cartridge system by implementing photo-detectors (PD’ s) for the left and right channels. The result is that independent LED’ s and the cartridge output voltage is dramatically increased from 40mV to 70mV (a 75% increase) and channel separation is greatly improved. 

The new DS Master3 optical cartridge system arrangement for the left and right channels. As has been optimized, by implementing an independent LED a result the cartridge output voltage has greatly and increased from photo-detector 40mV to 70mV.

Despite this dramatic increase in output, the excellent signal to noise ratio that DS Audio optical cartridges are renowned for has compared to not been compromised. In its stable mates, resulting fact, quite the opposite is true. The DS Master3 cartridge offers in an even lower noise floor and far greater a greatly improved S/N ratio when musical clarity.In addition to this, the new independent design of the channel separation DS Master3 cartridge has made it possible to eliminate crosstalk, (in particular the high frequency separation has improved by10dB in comparison greatly improving left and right to its DS Audio forebears.)

Over 50% weight reduction in our new reshaped, solid beryllium shading plate

The implementation of independent left and right channel LED’ s allows for the positioning of the optical system to as well as necessitating the use of a new shading plate that has been significantly reduced in size compared to our earlier be optimized designs. In addition to this reduction in size, the material used to produce the shading plate has changed from aluminium (as used in the second generation cartridges) to 99.9% pure beryllium.

As a result of this, we succeeded in reducing the weight of the shading plate by more than 50%, from 1.56mg to 0.74 mg. This is less than 1/10th of the mass when compared to the core and coil system found in a typical MC (moving coil) cartridge and further improves one of the key advantages of DS Audio’ s optical cartridge technology, which is an incredibly low effective mass.

Featuring a Square pillar Diamond cantilever & Body, rigid construction design and improved internal wiring.

The DS Master3 cartridge features the combination of square pillar diamond with a micro ridge stylus. The cartridge is made by super duralumin and the body structure has been designed in such a way as to promote maximum rigidity. In addition to these features, the DS Master3 utilizes internal wiring 1.6 times thicker than used in the second generation cartridges in order to reduce impedance.