Turntables, Arms & Cartridges

The DS-W2 employs a derivative of the technology used in optical guitar pick-ups and computer mice, for inside the cartridge body light from an LED shines on a photocell which generates an electrical current. This output is modulated by the rear of the moving cantilever interrupting the light beam, directly reflecting the passage of the stylus through the analogue groove. Traditional pick-ups are velocity-sensitive devices whose voltage output increases with both groove excursion and frequency (as the stylus moves more quickly).

By contrast, DS Audio's photo-electric conversion is sensitive only to the amplitude of the movement of the stylus. Hence the DS-W2 requires a proprietary phono stage, the DS-W2 EQ, to correctly compensate for the LP's RIAA replay characteristic. Meanwhile, refinements to the DS-W2's inner workings include better optimising the LED wavelength/photocell sensitivity, reducing suspension compliance with a tie-wire design, and reducing the moving mass by shortening the path length of the LED/cantilever/photocell mechanism. PM