DS Audio brought their optical cartridge system to a new level of accessibility in the shape of the E3 cartridge and matching energiser ($1,375 USD each). Sporting the same optical reading elements as the flagship Grand Master, the E3 saves on body materials and the sophistication of its stylus and cantilever in order to bring optical tracing down to such a low price. The matching E3 Energiser is a compact device which ultimately sheds pounds in all the obvious places: you aren’t going to find the massive power supply of the Grand Master in this box. As with all value-engineering exercises, the proof of the pudding lies in the performance and this is one cartridge that has gone right to the top of my audition list. If DS Audio has got it right, then the E3 could be spectacular: time will tell.
Lurking next to the new entry level cartridge/energizer combination, was a prototype tube energizer running a quartet of ECC82s. As yet unnamed, the unit is seen as a universal alternative to the existing range of energisers – although with an asking price expected to be nearer to $20K than $15K, it’s natural partners would seem to be thev top-end models. Availability should be end of this year.
Stenheim Alumine 5 S(E)X
Following on from the introduction of the extremely impressive X base for the Stenheim Reference Ultime 2 – 0r U2-X in short-hand – the Alumine 5 gets its own heavy duty stand. Compatible with both the 5 and the 5SE, the company showed it firmly affixed to a pair of the latter – dubbed Alumine 5 SX according to them, but definitely the SE-X as far as the rest of us are concerned! The substantial extension to the A5 cabinet sets the massive spikes outboard and easily accessible from above. Invited to play, I can attest to both the ease with which it is possible to set precise speaker attitude and the clarity and coherence the new base brings to the sound. That clarity is musically potent, but at the same time it makes it considerably easier to hear what’s going on with set up, considerably easier to realise the speakers’ full performance potential. The A5 X-base will set you back around €12,500 – a substantial sum for a pair of substantial lumps that do, nonetheless, deliver a substantial performance benefit.
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