Its always a pleasure to revisit one of our customers systems, particularly when the latest upgrade produces results as impressive as this.
We recently supplied and installed a DS Audio DS-W3 optical cartridge and the new DS Audio TB-50 tube equalizer for our customer Mark Pitchford, and the combination has proved to be something very special indeed.
Mark already has an exceptional vinyl replay system, built around an SME 20/3 turntable with SME V tonearm, so the DS Audio combination certainly has a system capable of showing what it can do.
The DS-W3 is very different from a conventional moving-coil or moving-magnet cartridge. Instead of using magnets and coils to generate the music signal, DS Audio's optical cartridge technology uses LEDs and photo-detectors to detect the movement of the stylus and cantilever. The result is an exceptionally low moving mass and a very different approach to extracting information from the record groove.
The latest addition to Mark's system is the DS Audio TB-50, a dedicated equalizer designed specifically for DS Audio optical cartridges. The TB-50 introduces valves into the equation, using a hybrid design with solid-state amplification and equalisation followed by an ECC82 (12AU7) valve buffer output stage.
So, how does it sound?
In a word, fantastic.
This is one of those systems where it's very easy to stop thinking about the equipment and simply listen to the music.
The combination of the DS-W3 and TB-50 delivers tremendous detail and clarity, but without becoming clinical or analytical. There's a wonderful openness to the presentation, with an impressive sense of space around instruments and voices.
What particularly impressed us was the way all that information is presented without drawing attention to itself. The system has resolution in abundance, but it's the naturalness, scale and sheer musical involvement that make you want to keep putting another record on.
And with Mark's Klipsch La Scala II loudspeakers, there's certainly no shortage of dynamics or scale!
Mark's System
SME 20/3 Turntable
SME V Tonearm
DS Audio DS-W3 Optical Cartridge
DS Audio TB-50 Tube Equalizer
Icon Audio MB845 MKII Monoblock Amplifiers
Audiolab DC6
Klipsch La Scala II Loudspeakers
Bespoke Hi-Fi Racks shelving
It's an impressive collection of equipment, but ultimately that's not what matters.
What matters is what happens when you put a record on and this system sounds absolutely superb.
The DS Audio W3 and TB-50 have proved to be a superb match for Mark's SME front end and demonstrate just how far vinyl replay can be taken.
If you're interested in DS Audio optical cartridges and would like to hear what this technology can offer, or discuss whether a DS Audio cartridge would be suitable for your own turntable, please get in touch with us at Peak HiFi.
