DS AUDIO ST-50 STYLUS CLEANER

Japanese optical cartridge pioneer DS Audio has just launched its first audio accessory, the ST-50 stylus cleaner. The ST-50 isn’t your typical stylus cleaner. It comprises a cleaning pad made of the same urethane resin used to filter the air in high-tech clean rooms. To use it, you simply tape your turntable’s platter in place so it can’t rotate, then place the ST-50 onto the turntable platter and lower the tonearm (preferably using a tonearm lifter) so the phono stylus sinks into the gel pad. Do this three times and DS Audio claims your stylus will be completely free of dirt and dust. ‘ In the same way that the urethane resin prevents dust from contaminating a clean room by absorbing micro-level dust particles, the ST-50 effortlessly removes particles of dust and dirt from the stylus tip,’ said Boris Granovsky of Absolute Hi End, which distributes DS Audio in Australia. ‘ Compared to using brushes and solvents, it is extremely gentle and safe, because no force is being applied to the stylus tip and there is no risk to cartridges that use cement-bonded styli, whose bonding can sometimes be dissolved by certain solvent-based cleaning liquids.’

The ST-50 stylus cleaner presents with a sleek aluminium casing with a nickel-plated finish, with an underside padded with leather so as to present a soft surface for the turntable’s platter. ‘ Best of all, the ST-50’s urethane gel pad is washable and re-usable,’ said Granovsky. ‘ So to maintain optimal cleaning power, you simply remove the pad from the casing and rinse it in tap water, then allow it to dry at room temperature for around 30 minutes.’ Available now, the DS Audio ST-50 stylus cleaner sells for $115 (RRP). For more information, contact Absolute Hi End on (04) 8877 7999 or at www.absolutehiend.com