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DS Audio DS003

Name: DS Audio DS003
Brand: DS Audio
SKU: 219
Price: 7000.00 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.5 (27 reviews)

View at DS Audio

Cartridge

Independent LED and photo-detector arrangement for the left and right channels

The new DS003 optical cartridge system has been optimized, by implementing an independent LED and photo-detector arrangement for the left and right channels. As a result the cartridge output voltage has greatly increased from 40mV to 70mV. The DS003 cartridge offers a greatly improved S/N ratio when compared to its stable mates, resulting in an even lower noise floor and far greater musical clarity.

Weight of shading plate reduced by more than 50%

The implementation of independent left and right channel LED’ s allows for the positioning of the optical system to be optimized as well as necessitating the use of a new shading plate that has been significantly reduced in size compared to our earlier designs. In addition to this reduction in size, the material used to produce the shading plate has changed from aluminium (as used in the second generation cartridges) to 99.9% pure beryllium.

Aluminum cantilever & Aluminum body

The DS003 cartridge features the combination of an aluminum cantilever with a line contact stylus. The cartridge body is made by aluminum and the structure has been designed in such a way as to promote maximum rigidity. In addition to these features, the DS003 utilizes internal wiring 1.6 times thicker than used in the second generation cartridges in order to reduce impedance.

Equalizer

Changed the thickness of the circuit board and the thickness of the copper foil.

Compared to the DS002 equalizer, the thickness of the circuit board has been changed from 1.6 mm to 2.0 mm, and the thickness of the copper foil has been changed from 35µ to 70µ.In addition, the DS003 equalizer allows you to select the cutoff frequency for the low frequency range from four types, allowing you to select an output that better matches your system.

Hand-made in Japan circuit board

Every component part used in our products is tested and evaluated by our expert Japanese technicians.
In addition to using a specially printed circuit board, twist-connection of the component legs is further evidence of DS Audio’ s excellent attention to detail.
Each and every product is hand-made and quality assured by our skilled engineers.

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Overall Score 90/100

Deliciously Crispy

Powered by DS Audio’s third‑generation optics, the DS003 delivers exceptional clarity, startling low-level detail and a low noise floor that reveals new microdynamics and layered images. SoundStage Solo and HiFi News praise its dynamic slam, punchy, controlled bass and wide, coherent soundstage — a revelatory, modern take on vinyl that redefines cartridge performance.

The Absolute Sound

"The DS 003 opens the door—and opens it wide—to a new world of noise-free, tape-like playback, with bass response and treble sweetness and bloom that you could previously only get with reel-to-reel."

HiFi News

"it made the song sound like I was hearing it for the first time."

SoundStage Solo

"The sense of the hall, the large studio in which the album was recorded, was all around me, and every instrument took on a physical size that really took me by surprise."

What Hi-Fi

"The DS 003 is an excellent advert for optical cartridges and delivers a quality of sound that is hard to better with conventional alternatives"

SoundStage Solo

"If you’re shopping for either a new cartridge or a new phono stage and have around six grand to spend, I think you’d be crazy if you didn’t consider the DS 003 System."

SoundStage Solo

"it sounded better than it ever had before."

The Ear

"The new design has a smaller 'shading plate' made from 99.9% pure beryllium, allowing for a 50% weight reduction, down to 0.74mg: less than 1/10th of the mass of a moving coil cartridge's core and coil system."

StereoLife Magazine

"Its independent LEDs and photo-detectors for the left and right channels deliver a significant increase in the cartridge's output voltage, from 40 mV to 70 mV."

Pros

Outstanding resolution and microdetail retrieval, revealing previously buried low‑level information.
Exceptionally low noise floor and quiet groove behaviour for very clean backgrounds.
Powerful, controlled bass with strong transient attack and impressive dynamics.
Wide, well-defined soundstage and improved channel separation for three‑dimensional imaging.

Cons

Requires its dedicated DS 003 equalizer/phono stage — it won’t work with a conventional phono stage.
Shallow cartridge body may need arm-height adjustment or spacers on some tonearms.
Very detailed, hyperreal presentation may feel too clinical for listeners who prefer a softer, more 'romantic' vinyl sound.

Sound Quality

92/100

Weighted average of sub-criteria below. Reviewers consistently describe the DS 003 as exceptionally clear, dynamic and natural-sounding with very low noise; language across multiple reviews elevates it above typical alternatives at the price, justifying a high 90s-level sub-criteria average and a Sound Quality pillar in the low 90s.

Overall Sound

93/100

Reviewers call the DS 003 "bold and natural," "tape-like," and "hyperrealistic," praising tonal balance, harmonic richness and a combination of warmth and clarity (What Hi‑Fi, TAS, SoundStage). Multiple reviewers highlight deep, textured bass and refined highs without harshness.

Tracking Retrieval

92/100

Consistently praised for smooth, glitch-free tracking and exceptional detail retrieval thanks to the ultra-low moving mass beryllium shading plate and line-contact stylus. Reviewers repeatedly note quiet groove behaviour, strong inner-groove performance and incisive transient attack (TAS, What Hi‑Fi, SoundStage).

Soundstage Imaging

92/100

Multiple reviews describe wide, deep, and well-focused imaging—'crisp, solid, juicy images', a convincing sense of hall and three‑dimensional presentation, and improved channel separation from independent optics (SoundStage, HiFi News, What Hi‑Fi).

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Build Quality

90/100

Aluminium body and cantilever, a line-contact stylus, and a redesigned dual‑mono optical generator with thicker internal wiring and a 99.9% beryllium shading plate are repeatedly cited. Reviews praise the execution and materials without relying on exotic claims; construction and engineering are described as robust and thoughtfully implemented (TAS, StereoLife, HiFi News).

Features Usability

78/100

Tonearm compatibility / system fit.

Straightforward mechanical mounting and clear color-coded pins are praised, and the cartridge balances and tracks at recommended forces; however, every reviewer emphasizes the need for the dedicated DS 003 equalizer/phono stage (optical cartridges supply LEDs and produce an amplitude-proportional signal and need power). The shallow body may require arm height/spacers on some tonearms. In short: easy to fit physically in many arms, but system-level requirements (power/equalizer and attention to clearance) restrict universal plug-and-play compatibility.

Value for Money

90/100

Reviewers repeatedly call the DS 003 an 'astonishing value', 'hard to beat for the money', and a 'trickle-down masterpiece'—language that signals explicitly justified premium. While the package is not cheap and requires the matching equalizer for full functionality, critics agree the sonic performance relative to price and to far pricier alternatives makes it a strong value proposition (What Hi‑Fi, TAS, SoundStage, HiFi News).