DS Master3

About the DS Master3

The Living Sounds Audio DS Master3 is a premium optical phono cartridge system from DS Audio consisting of the Master 3 cartridge and matching equalizer. It uses photo-electric conversion instead of conventional magnetic generator technology, with independent LED and photodetector arrangements for the left and right channels to improve output, separation, and noise performance. The cartridge is positioned as a semi-flagship model and is notable for its square pillar diamond cantilever, Micro Ridge stylus, ultra-duralumin body, and 99.9% pure beryllium shading plate. The matching equalizer is a dual-mono design with separate left/right circuits, three transformers, balanced and unbalanced outputs, and six selectable low-frequency cutoff/output patterns. Current product pages and dealer listings show it as actively sold rather than discontinued.