DS Audio DS Grand Master Optical Phono Cartridge

Description

The quest for analogue utopia comes to an end. Enter the
next generation… enter Grand Master.

Grand Master Product Features

The Grand Master 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 independent LED’ s and photo-detectors (PD’ s) for the left and
right channels. The result is that the cartridge output voltage is dramatically
increased from 40mV to 70mV (a 75% increase) and channel separation is greatly
improved

The new Grand Master optical cartridge system has been
optimized, by implementing an independent LED and photo-detector arrangement
for the left and right channels. As a result, the cartridge output voltage has
greatly increased from 40mV to 70mV. Despite this dramatic increase in output,
the excellent signal to noise ratio that DS Audio optical cartridges are
renowned for has not been compromised. In fact, quite the opposite is true. The
Grand Master cartridge offers a greatly improved S/N ratio when compared to its
stable mates, resulting in an even lower noise floor and far greater musical clarity.
In addition to this, the new independent design of the Grand Master cartridge
has made it possible to eliminate crosstalk, greatly improving left and right
channel separation (in particular the high frequency separation has improved
by10dB in comparison 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 be optimized as well
as necessitating the use of a new shading plate that has been significantly reduced
in size compared to our earlier designs. In addition to this reduction in size,
the material used to produce the shading plate has changed from aluminum (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 diamond cantilever, rigid construction design
and improved internal wiring.

A first for DS Audio, the Grand Master cartridge features
the combination of a diamond cantilever with a microridge stylus. The cartridge
body structure has been designed in such a way as to promote maximum rigidity.
In addition to these features, the Grand Master utilizes internal wiring 1.6
times thicker than used in the second-generation cartridges in order to reduce
impedance.

Grand Master Optical Cartridge

Signal output Photo-electric Conversion
Channel separation 27db more（1KHz）
Weight 7.7g
Output signal level 70mV more
Canti-lever Diamond
Body material Ultra duralumin
Cantilever holder material Stainless
Needle pressure 2.0g～2.2g(2.1g is recommended)
Stylus
Micro Ridge