AnalogPlanet Visits Optical Cartridge Manufacturer DS Audio

After the Tokyo International Audio Show 2017 and just before heading for the airport to go home, AnalogPlanet editor Michael Fremer visited two Japanese cartridge manufacturers. The first one was DS Audio, located in the Sagami-Ono, Kanagawa Prefecture about an hour from Tokyo.
The company, founded by Mr. Tetsuji Aoyagi, has a long, distinguished heritage beginning with the invention of the optical mouse and the joystick both co-developed with Microsoft.
Mr. Aoyagi's young son Tetsuaki (Aki) overseas the development and marketing of the company's series of optical cartridges. In this video Aki explains how that happened and a great deal more.

[@dsaudio777]

Fremer-san Thank you very much for coming our office during your tight schedule ! It was a great time!

[@thegood9]

You are so humble. Thank you for all your amazing work!

[@1fattyfatman]

I am impressed with your passion.

[@MrPompanoman]

What is the lifespan?

[@erikmolnar6585]

What an incredible young man. Really cool to hear his reaction to the first time he heard vinyl.

[@ScottGrammer]

I recently installed a DS Audio Grand Master for a client. I don't usually go in for multi-thousand dollar cartridges, but I have to admit, that was the best sound I ever heard come from a vinyl record. And I say that with 47 years of audio tech experience behind me.

[@andrewlittleboy8532]

Great video, as another poster said I just love the passion of the Japanese when it comes to high end audio.

[@estebannemo1957]

Love to see the videos of your visits overseas.

[@rickg8015]

You can feel the passion put into these.. I guess we should all thank his Dad. Thanks for this upload. Hey Michael, I always thought you looked familiar. I just now realized you look like Brad Dourif..

[@saucerful4351]

That was Billy Hayes portrayed by Brad Davis in Midnight Express. Brad Dourif was Billy Bibbit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. An honest mistake. But sure, go ahead. Do tell about your Turkish prison time, Michael. :)

[@AnalogueOctober]

Great to now see, some five years later, DS Audio getting some real traction.

[@russmaleartist]

Most interesting and impressive . . . I very much enjoy the background and the inside stories. There are so much hype and deception in the industry perpetuated by so many pretentious people, who take the first skimmings off the populous based upon so much snake oil. I appreciate your approach to the true reproduction of music and gathering information in the progression of the technology industry.

[@seeyouinmist3924]

great video - couple of serious vintage japanese direct drives there.....

[@bloodykilla8521]

17:42 Glad to know someone is still using windows XP.

[@Rendraco79]

just amazing, thanks for your videos!

[@myronhelton4441]

Analog planet, Ihope you becomegreat for helping us. Thanks.

[@GustoTheGamer]

Great video.

[@OrganNLou]

The Japanese have always produced some of the best equipment in the world! I have always called them the "Swiss" of the East.

[@guitarfoundry]

another confirmation that i made the right choice when i bought my 802's.

[@ianmedium]

Wonderful, please tell me the next one you visited was Koetsu! :)

[@peterlarkin762]

19:20 "How many filter caps do you thi..." " ALL THE FILTER CAPS". "but thats too m..." " ALL"

[@bernhardmichaelfux308]

Wow... Optical LED Cardridge. Cool what`s on the Way! I wonder if you thought foreward to such Things, 45 Years Back when sitting in your appartement, listening to Records and smoking Dope lol.... Michael, you nailed it ^^

[@dougg1075]

Great videos Mr Fremer. What is that song your whistleling? Sounds familiar:)

[@guitawrizt]

Yeh that's right. . . more new recuds.

[@dahoo-needledrop]

Please use a cheap microphone, which is just good for the job. The imaging now keep shifting left and right, because you moved the microphone while talking . I had thought my headphone had a short somewhere.

[@ironsienna]

How rude to whistle while the gentleman is giving you a tour…

[@johnsweda2999]

what is the output voltage

[@ssnoc]

It would have been a good idea to explain exactly what the optical technology is all about - how it works. Why optical?

[@TechCrazy]

Vibrations converted to magnetic field and then back to electric current is lossy. With optical the movement is converted to electrical. More accurate.

[@glpilpi6209]

I was under the impression that this was a totally optical cartridge , but it's mechanical to optical then digitally processed . Rather a lot of operations going on .

[@saucerful4351]

Yes, me too. I thought it was going to be one of these: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZ-qmWp8dqmcqsk

[@bradpetersen92126]

And here I thought my 70s Pioneer manual turntable with an Ortofon Blue was amazing... (lose the whistling please) 😉

[@myronhelton4441]

Analog planet

[@guitarfoundry]

another confirmation that i made the right choice when i bought my 802's.