DS Audio has added the ES-001 eccentricity detection stabiliser to its list of innovative audio accessories.

Perhaps best known for its optical cartridge, which was, in fact, unveiled back in the 1960s. But unfortunately, it proved too difficult to manufacture as the requisite precision mechanisms and sophisticated optics did not yet exist. So, in 2013, DS Audio reinvented them.

Now, the company has turned its attention to an issue that can get in the way of 'best ever' sounding vinyl, that of the eccentricity of vinyl records - Not the quirkier end of our musical tastes, but the eccentric rotation of your vinyl.

The 70mm tall and 80mm diameter ES-001 weighs 620g (with batteries) and is another 'world first' claimed by DS Audio with a (patent pending). It drew crowds at both Munich High End and the North West Audio Show and could be a worthy investment for those vinylistas looking for the final piece of the puzzle.

There are a couple of factors to consider that can affect how your record spins. Firstly, the positioning of the stamper plate, which creates the record's groove (which is, of course, different for each side A and B), and, secondly, the spindle hole at the centre of the record. While both are very precisely stamped and cut, neither can ever be ultra-precise as we're dealing with a lump of vinyl.

The upshot is that most records rotate very slightly eccentrically. Still, even this very slight variation makes an audible difference to the sound – a difference you may only notice once you hear its absence, states the company.

DS Audio's Tetsuaki Aoyagi told StereoNET:

The overall 'wow and flutter' (speed error) of one's entire system cannot be significantly reduced unless the eccentricity of the record is corrected. With an eccentricity value of, say, 0.34mm, even if there is no inherent wow and flutter produced by the turntable in use, it reaches around 0.15% on the innermost grooves of the record's playing surface. In reality, however, the average speed error of even the highest quality turntables is around 0.008%, so these factors combined can result in an overall wow and flutter value that audibly affects sound quality. In order to faithfully reproduce the source material, it's therefore imperative to reduce a record's eccentricity as much as possible.

Unstable rotation causes fluctuations in pitch across the whole frequency range. Also, the cartridge and tonearm are forced to sway from side to side as they follow the groove, impairing the stylus' ability to accurately track the groove and resulting in a muddy sound with an unstable sonic image.

The battery-powered aluminium and tungsten-constructed ES-001 measures and then helps correct the record's rotational stability. First, it projects a light onto the run-out groove to measure variation in speed stability. Second, it guides you to adjust the record's position so that it is perfectly centred and there is no more eccentricity.

The DS Audio ES-001 is available now and priced at £5,500 (inc. VAT).

Visit DS Audio for more information