Turntables, Arms & Cartridges

LPs used for my reviewing included the aforementioned Miles Davis LPs, Bobby Darin’s (mono) That’s All [Boxstar BST 3008-1], Judee Sill’s eponymous debut on 45rpm LPs [Intervention IR-016], Dusty In Memphis, also 45rpm [Analogue Productions APP 8214-45], and – appropriately – Simon & Garfunkel’s The Complete Columbia Albums Collection [Columbia/Legacy 88875049671].

Between the tracks on all of these, the DS Master 1 was a silent as a CD. Aside from any noise in the electronics, eg, valve hum or whoosh, all that you’ll hear beyond the music are any pollutants left on your LPs.

This, in turn, led me to running even ostensibly spotless (as well as brand-new) LPs through the Clearaudio Double Matrix Professional LP cleaner. The DS Audio is fast enough – Decca-like, in fact – to speed past microscopic clicks, but it’s also so inherently silent that low level tracing noise isn’t even remotely obscured by the background grunge/hum that curses conventional cartridges which (ironically) can beneficially mask unwanted artefacts.

A Spooky Feeling
It is this background silence, rather than the audible sonic personality per se that takes so much getting used to after a lifetime with normal cartridges. All I could liken it to was the experience of listening to the infamous Finial laser turntable, which also exhibited ghostly, CD-like silences between tracks. How much of this is due to the actual technology of optical cartridges, and how much is accounted for by the energiser/phono stage is impossible to determine, because one cannot run the cartridge into a conventional RIAA stage. It was also quieter than its siblings.

Undeniably, the energiser for the Master 1 is more highly-specified and over-engineered than the less expensive model, and it must contribute to the better performance. Owners of DS-002s might wish to try the Master 1 equaliser box before upgrading their cartridges.

Noiseless behaviour by now accepted, I focused on the music, especially female vocals – Mesdames Sill and Springfield – which enjoyed a naturalness enriched by the breathiness the Master 1 revealed. This was more prominent with Dusty over Judee, but both LPs also acquired an openness and lack of artifice due only in part to the cleanliness of the sonic arena.

‘Son Of A Preacher Man’ has its own funky/spooky feel – for some reason, it makes me think of the rather morbid ‘Ode To Billy Joe’ in its swampiness – but the benefits bestowed upon it by the cartridge went beyond the realism in the vocals.

For this release and the rest, aside from the mono Darin LP, the DS Audio Master 1 spread the soundstage beyond the speakers with efficacy to match a London (Decca) Gold. It lacks a bit of that cartridge’s sparkle, which may or may not be an artificial trait, and this was easy to detect on Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘Mrs Robinson’, or Darin’s ‘Beyond The Sea’. The upper reaches, though, were consistently silky and sibilance-free.

Real Personality
While the best analogy I can summon is Champagne vs Prosecco, that’s a debate I’d rather not enter. Suffice it to say, the DS Audio Master 1 (and its siblings) is as distinctive and instantly identifiable as any Decca or Koetsu or Denon, and this will determine its suitability in your system according to your own tastes. That may sound like a cop-out, but this cartridge’s personality is as overwhelming as the sound of an electrostatic, horn or ribbon speaker.

As I soon learned, it’s also absolutely non-fatiguing. I try to budget my time wisely, but I found myself staying up until 3am for six nights in a row, playing in excess of 50 LPs, rediscovering old favourites as well as undergoing revelations with discs I had taken for granted.

The Simon & Garfunkel titles showcased the Master 1’s coherence, allowing the harmonies to blend, while remaining separate enough to focus on one or the other. Acoustic guitars oozed with woody resonance, while the piano in ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ grew in stature and majesty.

Is there a downside to this, once you get past the unanticipated silences? Leaving cost aside (I am continually berated for ignoring the fact that yes, there are people who can afford such cartridges and care not for my concerns about value-for-money) there is only one aspect of the Master 1 with which I find issue.

In part, it’s because I am schizophrenic enough to love both Deccas and Koetsus, the former pick-up for excitement and the latter for warmth. In a Venn diagram, this cartridge would appear in a quadrant diametrically opposed to the Koetsu (the Decca would occupy a diagram all its own – it is to the rest of the world’s cartridges what Lambrusco is to still red wines). The two create a brain versus heart dichotomy. So call me a slut: I love ’em both.

Hi-Fi News Verdict
After years of using only MCs, and following a month with Koetsu’s Onyx, the DS Audio Master 1 was a shock because its presentation was so clean and noiseless – even more so than its siblings. It requires the listener to dispel any preconceptions about vinyl. It has speed, detail and space to rival Deccas. The sacrifice for this is a trace of warmth... so wear a cardigan. Believe me: this cartridge is phenomenal.