Ken Kessler is no stranger to Japanese optical phono cartridge pioneer DS Audio, having reviewed almost the company’s entire range. However, the new ‘semi flagship’ Master 3 model proves to be “an even bigger disruptor than the [flagship] Grand Master EX”… an “event component” that’s  “as close to flawless as any cartridge I’ve heard.” 

Conceived to replace the earlier Master 1 model, the Master 3 has all of the key ‘third generation’ optical technology of the range-topping Grand Master and Grand Master Extreme, including independent LEDs and photo-detectors for the two channels, a significantly increased photocell output voltage (70mV compared with the Master 1’s 40mV), internal wiring that is 1.6 times thicker, and a 50% weight reduction in the shading plate, which is now smaller and made from 99.9% pure beryllium rather than the previous aluminium. And, in a first for DS Audio, the Master 3 features the combination of a square pillar diamond cantilever with a Micro Ridge stylus.

Like all DS Audio optical cartridges, the Master 3 requires its own equalizer / phono stage, which this new design also brings up to ‘third generation’ level.

“I already thought that DS Audio cartridges presented the lowest noise floor imaginable but this baby is even quieter,” writes Ken Kessler in the January issue of Hi-Fi News.

“Nothing readied me for the initial impact of the first track I played with the Master 3 – I am still trying to grasp the significance of both the bottomless reaches of the bass extension and the scale of the soundstage.”

“But that’s only part of the picture. What really took me back was its cosseting silkiness” combined with “absolute transparency… the Master 3 is the cashmere dressing gown of cartridges.” Moreover, “my listening room changed dimensions,” and “the piano was so authentic I had to tap a few keys on the real one in our lounge.”

“I was simply not prepared for such audible gains over every cartridge in my arsenal. This is usually what I would attribute to going from a little two-way speaker to a wonder-filled floorstander. It’s not something I ever expected from a cartridge.”

“This cartridge has few if any equals… the ‘semi-flagship’ Master 3 is as close to flawless as any cartridge I’ve heard.”

Read Ken Kessler’s review in full in the January 2024 issue of Hi-Fi News.

Find out more about DS Audio’s range of optical cartridges, including the news Master 3, at https://ds-audio-w.biz, and track down your nearest specialist dealer via UK distributor www.soundfowndations.co.uk