"...It’s as close as you’re going to come to a mastertape-like presentation for anything near its price." - Jon Valin, The Absolute Sound
Tom Martin reviews the DS Audio 003 Cartridge and Phonostage System. He talks its competitive price point, the nature of optical cartridges, and why the 003 is his current favorite cartridge.
DS Audio importer Musical Surroundings today announced the debut at next week's Florida Audio Expo of the new "Master 3" set featuring the new Master 3 optical cartridge ($9500) featuring a Microridge stylus bonded to a unique square-section diamond cantilever. The new $18,000 Master 3 equalizer is a 50+ pound single-box version of the Grand Master EQ featuring both single-ended RCA and balanced XLR outputs.
“Every range has its sweet spot, and the Master 3 is certainly that for DS Audio – …” “…one of the best-sounding cartridges money can buy.”
"There are no two ways about it, when it comes to clarity and precision we haven’t heard anything better anywhere near this price level."
The Hana Umami Blue, capping off an outstanding introductory year in 2023, is featured in ToneAudio's year-end issue, where it was awarded the 2023 Tone Exceptional Value Award.