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DS Audio · DS 003
$7,000
Not currently in our rooms. For a serious buyer we will often bring a piece in from the manufacturer for a private session — tell us about your system and what you are weighing it against, and we will advise.
DS Audio · DS 003
The DS 003 System pairs the line-contact DS 003 optical cartridge with its matching equalizer: everything for very quiet, highly resolving optical playback except the turntable and tonearm.
System price includes the DS 003 cartridge and DS 003 Equalizer. Specify stereo or mono cartridge.
Authorized DS Audio dealer · Delivery and installation by Pearl Audio · Trade-ins welcome
The story
A DS Audio system pairs an optical cartridge with the equalizer built for it, so the two are matched from the start and you add nothing but a turntable and tonearm. The DS 003 cartridge reads the groove with light: a beryllium shading plate on an aluminum cantilever moves between an LED and a photodetector, with its own pair for each channel, so there are no magnets or coils and no magnetic drag on the cantilever. Output is 70 mV at 1 kHz from a line-contact stylus, the body is A5052 aluminum with a stainless steel cantilever holder, channel separation is 27 dB or more, and it tracks at 2.0 to 2.2 g.
The DS 003 Equalizer powers the cartridge through the tonearm cable and delivers 500 mV at line level to two pairs of RCA outputs, with a four-position low-cut selector to tailor the deep bass to your room and speakers. Its board is thicker and carries heavier copper than the previous generation, and it is hand-built in Japan.
What Hi-Fi? reviewed this exact pair and found it clear, precise and expressive, with deep, punchy bass and strong dynamics, and called it hard to beat for the money. The Absolute Sound's Tom Martin heard a neutral, transparent sound with wide, deep imaging. Hi-Fi News found that the Master3 cartridge sounded very similar on this equalizer as on its own, so the system also makes a strong base for a later cartridge upgrade. The 7.7 g cartridge suits most medium-mass tonearms.
| Includes | DS 003 optical cartridge and DS 003 Equalizer |
| Cartridge output | 70 mV at 1 kHz |
| Cartridge tracking force | 2.0–2.2 g (2.1 g recommended) |
| Cartridge weight | 7.7 g |
| Stylus / cantilever | Line contact / aluminum, stainless steel holder |
| Cartridge body | Aluminum (A5052) |
| Channel separation | 27 dB or more at 1 kHz |
| Equalizer output | 500 mV at 1 kHz; 120 Ω; load 10 kΩ or more |
| Equalizer inputs / outputs | 1 pair RCA / 2 pairs RCA |
| Low-cut filter | Four selectable settings |
| Equalizer dimensions (W × H × D) | 13.0 × 3.6 × 11.6 in (330 × 92 × 295 mm) |
| Equalizer weight | 11 lb (5.0 kg) |
DS Audio's complete cartridge-and-equalizer systems.
Plan your DS Audio system with Pearl Audio
Pearl Audio is an authorized DS Audio dealer. We can mount and align the cartridge on your tonearm, set up the equalizer, and arrange an audition of the complete system in our Portland showroom. Call (503) 222-2599 or email sales@pearlaudio.com.
The Pearl Audio experience
A system at this level should be heard, thoughtfully matched, and properly set up. From the first audition to long-term ownership, you work with the same people, in person.
The DS 003 System is not in our rooms at present. When it is the right piece for a client we arrange a demonstration unit from the manufacturer and set it up for a private session.
We deliver and install throughout the Portland area, taking care of placement, connections, ventilation and system configuration ourselves.
We support everything we sell for as long as you own it, whether the answer comes by phone, in your home, or through factory service.
Trade-in assistance and qualifying 100% Trade-Up options give you flexibility when your listening priorities or your system change.
