the ARKADIAN 

the ultimate reference phono stage -

exclusively for optical cartridges

Designed, sourced, made and hand assembled in Bavaria/Germany

*Arkadian in ancient Greek refers to the ideal landscape - where everything is in harmony and perfect ……. like heaven on earth or Elysium.

While the optical cartridge enjoyed a dramatic resurrection in the last decade - thanks to the ideas and drive of DS Audio’s founder and CEO Tetsuaki Aoyagi - what was in our honest opinion always missing was a phono stage which allows the optical cartridge to show off it’s full potential.

Acoustical Systems is devoted to the very top end of analog frontend only.

Consequently we took our time and only after carefully observing the development of the DS Audio cartridges over the last years we started to design a phono stage exclusively devoted to the new generation of optical cartridges.

A phono stage which is no less than a reference statement and leaves nothing to be desired in terms of design, ingredients, features and sonic performance.

Our firm decision from the very beginning was to only go public and introduce the phono stage as a new product in the acoustical systems portfolio of frontend top range products once we were absolutely sure.. beyond any doubt .. that it would set the new reference standard.

Not to introduce just another “me too” product, but a phono stage which transcend the level the devoted audiophile could experience the finest of optical cartridges.

We went all the extra miles by using nothing but the very finest components available and the one  special phono circuit we knew was alone able to bring forth authority, transparency, dynamics, pitch black background, full color shadings, a true soundstage way beyond all room boundaries and startling live-likeness - and all this in one package - in the most natural way possible.

The finest ingredients, a massive cabinet cnc’ed from two solid blocks of Aluminium alloy.

Concept & Design by D.D. Brakemeier and Dr H. Müller, acoustical systems, Germany

Featuring

• separate double mono power supply and double mono phono stage
• GaN individual rectifying for every channel - plate supply and heater supply
• GaN sourced voltage supply for DS Audio cartridge
• CLC-filtering with European made foil capacitors and large Lundahl chokes
• all-triode passive equalization circuit with SRPP triode output-transformer     coupled
• German made PCB boards floating individually in an embedding of damping gel
• all silver wired inside
• Swiss and German made switches and contacts
• only German and Dutch 1960ies and 1970ies production NOS triodes
• all connectors by LEMO (Swiss) and Furutech Rhodium (Nippon)

Full feature phono stage with

• 3 individual inputs for DS Audio cartridges of generations past and present
• rear plate(s) selectable
• balanced and RCA output
• selectable output impedance for highZ and lowZ line stages
• selectable grounding path - floating, hard coded, ground lift 100 Ohm
• front plate selectable
• true mono button
• true phase inversion
• 4 equalization curves: RIAA, Columbia, FFRR (Decca), Teldec (Telefunken)
• subsonic button
• 3 phono inputs

Technical specs

• 2 cabinets
• 25 kg phono stage
• 26.4 kg power supply
• 450 x 320 x 160 mm each
• non-magnetic Aluminium alloy from 2 solid blocks each
• 100, 110, 120, 220, 230, 240 VAC
   
• shipping weight: 85 kg in 2 hard cases on pallet

The ARKADIAN is acoustical systems’ homage to

Tetsuaki Ayoagi’s bold resurrection of the optical cartridge.