DS Audio Grand Master Extreme Flagship Optical Cartridge

DS Audio has improved on its already impressive Grand Master optical phono cartridge by taking the Grand Master's third-generation internal optical sensor systems, external power supply and amplifier and marrying them to a stylus and cantilever carved from a single diamond.

Rather than using the more common method of a stylus bonded to a cantilever, DS Audio's Grand Master Extreme uses a 0.22mm-square one-piece diamond cantilever with an integral Micro Ridge stylus tip housed in an Ultra Duralumin body. The innovative Japanese company states that this design ensures that there can be no loss of precision or detail at the stylus/cantilever junction, as there isn't one, so the stylus can transmit the groove modulation to the optical generator with incredible accuracy.

As with all of DS Audio's third-generation optical cartridges, the 7.7g Grand Master Extreme utilises independent LEDs and photo-detectors for the left and right channels, enabling an output of more than 70mV while elevating left and right channel separation to above 27dB (@ 1kHz). The required tracking force is 2.0g - 2.2g (2.1g recommended).

DS Audio cartridges require a phono stage/equaliser. While the range is fully compatible with any of the company's accompanying phono stages/equalisers, we're told the Extreme best partners with the model created specifically for the Grand Master. Here the equaliser and power supply are two independent units which promise to fully enable the world-leading performance of DS Audio's top-of-range Grand Master and Grand Master Extreme.

The DS Audio Grand Master Extreme optical phono cartridge is now available at £18,995, with the Grand Master equaliser costing £42,200; however, the cartridge and equaliser can be bought together as a bundle saving £6,119.50. Furthermore, owners of the Grand Master cartridge receive a 20% reduction when upgrading to the Grand Master Extreme.

Visit DS Audio for more information