Experience with DS Audio Optical Cartridge Systems

IMHO the DS cartridges are complexity for the sake of it. It is all electromagnetic energy. The DS cartridge just exchanges some of the weaknesses of MC cartridges for a new set. Remember, it all moves at the speed of light. Light is not easy to contain, it can bend around corners. The shading plate has it's own set of resonances. I prefer to stick with low impedance moving coils and transimpedance phono stages. There are moving coil cartridges that track better and have much lower distortion levels. At 10 kHz the DS Grand Master almost hits 10% and it's tracking is no better than 65 um. Lyra and ortofon cartridges will stomp on it. So why do people like it, two reasons. from 7 kHz the frequency response rises until it is up 4.5 dB at 18 kHz. This is a very bright cartridge which will mesh beautifully with the hearing loss of the older people who can afford to buy it. Next is price. DS audio did everything possible to jack the price as much as possible. The Equalizer and it's power supply are wastefully overbuilt. But, if it costs more it must sound better right? 

I remember back in 1984 I was finally earning a living and I wanted a sports car. The new Corvette was getting rave reviews so I got one. It was pure junk. The manual transmission did not belong in a tractor. The top of the dash was styrofoam covered in black plastic. I sold it in two months and got a 300 ZX turbo. 

@mijostyn 

How did the DS Audio cartridge sound when you heard it?

@jperry, I will only look at cartridges that can track 80 um or better. My high frequency hearing is not near as bad as most people my age. I have no trouble hearing 16 kHz. The Grand Master would hurt to listen to on my system. I don't have to hear it to know that. It's frequency response curve tells it all. If you don't think so it is because you do not have enough experience measuring and correcting amplitude. My system can correct for the aberrant frequency response but it can do nothing about the tracking performance. Miss tracking is very obnoxious.  What people say it sounds like is of absolutely no use to me. It only matters what it sounds like on my system and with measured performance like that I have less than ZERO interest in spending $60 large to find out. 

I have an idea. Why don't you buy one and tell us what you think.

@mijostyn 

I have heard a few different models of the DS Audio cartridge system many times and commented on my thoughts in a posting below.

I too love the DS cartridge. It is not bright and the bass is the best I’ve ever heard from vinyl. This cart just sounds natural to me. I can say this because I own the Grand Master.

@mijostyn , There many good and bad cartridge’s out there but I can’t really Judge them since I haven’t owned or heard them. I do agree that the 84 Vette was a piece of crap though.