What innovative, unconventional cartridge designs can you recommend?

I’ve never seen or heard one, and it’s way over what I would spend, but I am always curious. It took me a while, but I finally found this about the DS-W3 Line Contact Stylus on Boron Cantilever:

"The specified VTF is between 1.85 and 2.05 grams, with 1.95 grams recommended."

of course, that makes friction, so inner skate will occur, and anti-skate is needed just like any other stylus.

The stylus life with equal friction cannot be any longer than a conventional MM or MC Line Contact/Boron tracking at 1.95g, correct?

So, you still have the caution of getting an advanced shape’s VTA, SRA, Azimuth, Zenith all correct and the need for ’at best an approximation’ of anti-skate still exist before you go to the optical method of reading the groove info.

.......................................................

This ad was for an early optical cartridge, which somehow promised 10x the life of other cartridges, now an ANALOG Optical System, no groove contact, no friction, why hasn’t someone figured that out.

found in this review of the DS-W3 in Stereophile

https://www.stereophile.com/content/spin-doctor-11-alternative-phono-cartridge-technologies-and-ds-audio-ds-w3-optical

@elliottbnewcombjr 

that makes friction, so inner skate will occur, and anti-skate is needed just like any other stylus.

The stylus life with equal friction cannot be any longer than a conventional MM or MC Line Contact/Boron tracking at 1.95g, correct?

So, you still have the caution of getting an advanced shape’s VTA, SRA, Azimuth, Zenith all correct and the need for ’at best an approximation’ of anti-skate still exist before you go to the optical method of reading the groove info.

Your first statement about anti-skate is not true for tangential tracking systems. In reality, I am exploring options for a cartridge for my new Holbo air-bearing system!

This is a theoretical comment, but it seems that the effective mass of the stylus is reduced because it does not have to swing magnets, iron, or coils, which should reduce the sidewall pressure.

I think it is important to note that the optical method in the DS Audio cartridges does not directly read the groove info.

Here's another thought.

The DS Audio equalisers are interchangeable, I believe, so my current thoughts for an affordable combination would be the cheapest equaliser from the DS-E3 with the cartridge from the DS003.  This combination is about the same price as the ART-1000X.

you are correct, I should have said, for PIVOTED arms.

hopefully everyone knows there is no inner skate, thus no anti-skate needed for linear tracking arms, one of the primary advantages, as well as the angle of the stylus is straight/tangential to each and every spot on each and every groove, whereas a pivoted arm, traversing an arc, is wrong most of the time, only perfectly straight at the two null points of that arc.

In all cases, linear of pivoted, tracking at 1.95g is the same amount of friction, so the stylus life will not be longer than expected for a MM, a MC, a DS-W3, correct?

except

I can imagine a case that says Linear Tracking wear is LESS than Pivoted Tracking Wear because Anti-Skate is NEVER perfect in a Pivoted arm, if ’At Best an Approximation’, then a percentage of error could be assumed, which ought to result in faster wear

Anybody read anything about it?

OP, others, sorry, my brain has been stuck in anti-skate for a while now.

@kennyc 

Seems significantly superior to the DS003. The noise floor is lower, magnetic hysteresis is nonexistent, Sonics are neutral

I have not found any reviews so far comparing DS Audio models.  Do you have any references?  Thanks in advance