How Cartridges Fall Out Of Favor Over Time

VDH for me. I want the truth. I never touched bass or treble knobs when my first receiver had them or touch them in my car. No tubes. Clean, fast and detailed with good tight, deep bass.

Also, they have the longest lasting styli, which makes the value conscious audiophile (which of course is an oxymoron) in me happy. I don't change equipment  very often at all anymore, and don't play around with things, so no mono cartridges for me. I set it to sound the best I can and forget it and just sit back and enjoy the music.

Another way of separating the Optical Cart' especially the DS Audio design for the optical Cart', is that usually a Cartridge design is all about the Magnet Selection.

Cartridges are typically produced using 3 Types of Magnet, with two of these Types being classed as extremely high efficient magnets.

Individuals has selected Cart's for decades using the Magnet Material as one if the the factors that is the deal breaker? / deal maker?

The informed individual even being with knowledge of Magnet type is unknowing of their selection for a Magnet is ine produced to have either Anistropic / Isotropic Properties. It is also unknown to them how such a design for the direction of magnetisation and whether the uniformity of magnetisation is to influence the magnetic field when converting Kinetic Energy into Electrical Energy to be sent for adding gain.

It is a biggy to get the usual Cartridge user, especially the passionately attached to a Brand / Design Cartridge user, to consider using a design that is nit depending on a Magnet. Such as the DS Audio design does not depend in a Magnet. 

One has to accept the adoption of such a Cartridge is depending on micro LEDS micro Photo Cells reading depths shadow that is cast from Groove Modulation.

I know the 'Kb' in use as a modified design, as well as the DS Audio design. Where both were used in direct comparison. Both were compared on a £200Kish Audio System, where my assessment and that of some others was that the DS Audio Cartridge failed to make a impression in the way the 'Kb' was to offer. Inquiries followed about the 'Kb' + mod's and how they were able to be achieved. Read into that what one will.

I know today the 'Kb' + mod's, has a cost that is far less than some of the Designs sold as DS Audio compatible Phono Equalisers.   

I remain loyal to the Magnet and what is seemingly a traditional maintained mechanical interface, to transfer kinetic energy for conversion to electrical energy to be further sent to have gain added and be treated in a complex RIAA Circuit. 

A Photo Cell to produce a Electrical Energy and referred to simplified RIAA Circuit, does not stimulate enough to return for further experiences.        

@pindac 

A Photo Cell to produce a Electrical Energy and referred to simplified RIAA Circuit, does not stimulate enough to return for further experiences

You are obviously entitled to your opinion, but I think you oversimplify here!

DS Audio’s top-of-the-line equalizer weighs in at 25-kgs while the power supply is another 29-kgs.  Hardly a simplified RIAA circuit.  Like all phono stages it has to take account of the RIAA curve. In the US it is priced just shy of $1000 per kg, excluding the cartridge!

The latest series of DS Audio optical cartridges have three on-board LEDs.  One is on the front, to show you the power is on.  The other two operate in the infrared region and shine on photo-sensitive receptors.  These react to the stereo signal because two beryllium shading plates partially block the optical pathways between the infrared emitters and the two infrared receivers.  The plates are mounted close to the stylus but are significantly lighter than coils or magnets.

Because external power is supplied to the cartridge, the signal is not constrained like the output from moving magnets or moving coils.

@ All

         I am pleased to only report on what I can learn through experiences had or my own investigations into other methods available for learning.

In relation to the DS Audio Cart', I am carrying information which is from three sources as follows:

1, My Own Sat In Front Off Experience of what I believe was a Grand Master, and this was to become a comparison to the 'Kb' referred to on this post and quite a few others across the years.

2, I have followed Phono Equalisers and reports on their usage with the DS Audio Cartridges for approx' 4 Years. The following is a copy/paste sent to the Grand Master owner in 2022:

" The link is on a German Forum, to read it, a right click and select the translate tool will show it up as English.
The device in use is produced by the designer of a Phonostage you once heard at the HiFi Meeting at your place.
The designer has now made a device to work with DS Audio Cartridges, and it has been in use for a short period of time.
It might be up your street, or not.
https://www.analog-forum.de/wbboard/ind ... /&pageNo=1"

I have revisited info supplied by users of DS Audio Cart's over the past 4 Years. 

3, I have used DS Audio supplied info to attempt to fill in Gaps about info where I wanted more understanding. In relation to the Comment about my Post as follows:

" You are obviously entitled to your opinion, but I think you oversimplify here!"

The following info is read by myself on a few occasions and I would suggest it is to the contrary The RIAA correction circuit of the optical cartridge becomes an overwhelmingly simple circuit.
This is yet another advantage of optical cartridge technology

I don't have to say who's words these are do I.

In relation to Item 2 and the forum link. There is a content seen regularly that reports on purchaser dissatisfaction with Stylus alignment. Where investigation will show acceptable methods are used to prove the accuracy of the report made in some cases.

It seems strange the promoter of the DS Audio Cart' within this Thread, has been informed of the issues with both Zenith and Azimuth setting of the Stylus on the Cantilever and chooses not to inform others of the need to be aware, supplied Cart's will need to be returned when this condition is discovered.

I feel extremely confident in stating that there are a large proportion of DS Audio Cart's owned and in use by owners clueless about the Cart's stylus alignment when set on the Cantilever!!! It is the sad experience today, how poor critical assemblies are aloud to be sold, this extends across all Cart's. The purchaser is left to make the discovery, not the Manufacturer or Distributors, many use inferior Sylus/Cantilever assemblies unknowingly.