DS Grand Master
The DS Audio Grand Master is the latest and flagship achievement in
the field of analog record playback. DS Audio manufactures phono cartridges,
which is nothing out of the ordinary—just another company on
the market. What is unusual is that the Japanese company abandoned the coil-and-
magnet design in favor of a diode and a photodetector. The idea isn’t new, but
it has been perfected by DS Audio.The Grand Master features a
third-generation circuit. In all previous cartridge models, a
single circuit was used for both channels. Here, this has been
duplicated, and each channel has its own diode and photodiode, while
simultaneously reducing the vibrating mass by half thanks to the use of
a “diaphragm” made of pure beryllium! The cantilever itself in the Grand Master
is made of diamond. The internal
wiring of the cartridge is more than one and a half times thicker than in cartridges
with a second-generation circuit.This resulted in an increase in the output signal
from the cartridge to 70 mV!!! The signal-to-noise ratio also improved,
giving us an even clearer sound. On top of everything else,
what’s remarkable is that the Grand Master cartridge is quite ordinary—it weighs less than 8 g, has
a typical compliance of about 15 cu, and the recommended tracking force is 2.1 g. So
you can “mount” it on any tonearm. That’s all about the cartridge, which
still needs a “preamplifier.”That’s right—DS Audio products
are always “sets.” The preamplifier—or, more accurately, the equalizer,
which also serves as a power supply—is an indispensable part of the system.
In earlier models, the equalizer was a single “box”
containing both the equalization circuitry and the power supply. In the Grand Master, these have been
separated, and the whole system is housed in two separate enclosures with
a design just as futuristic as that of the cartridge.The power supply consists of three
independent transformers, each powering one “equalizer”
for the right and left channels, respectively; the third is responsible for powering
the cartridge. The capacitance used is enormous, totaling 2,970,000
µF in the power supply and 2,340,000 µF in the equalizer!Writing a new chapter in the history of
Analog Music.
Technical Specifications:
DS 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
Needle pressure: 2g～2,2g(2,1g is recommended)
Stylus: Micro Ridge
DS Grand Master Equalizer for Optical Cartridge
Output voltage: 700mV(1kHz)
Output impedance: RCA 120Ω, XLR 600Ω
Pre amp input impedance: More than 10kΩ
Input terminal: RCA terminal
Output terminal: RCA terminal×3, XLR terminal×3
Size: W45,2cm×H15,2cm×D48,6cm
Weight: 25,1kg Equalizer, 29,8kg Power Supply
