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無帰還 · No Feedback
Four transistors.
One mission.
The Soulnote E-3 is a reference phono equalizer built for a single purpose — extracting everything a DS Audio optical cartridge can give.
Soulnote E-3 Phono Equalizer (DS Audio Optical)
Popular upgrades
Pairs well with
Hand-built in Japan. Every part chosen by ear.
Soulnote E-3 Phono Equalizer (DS Audio Optical)
無 Nothing in the way
Everyone adds.
Soulnote subtracts.
The best producers know the secret: the art is what you leave out. Soulnote engineers the same way — every stage a conventional design adds to the signal path is a chance to blur the original waveform, so Soulnote removes them, one by one, and tunes what remains by ear.
Between input and output: 3 extra stages, each with a fingerprint. Between input and output: almost nothing.
Every stage does a job — and leaves a fingerprint on the waveform as it passes through.
Fewer hands on the signal. What remains was chosen by listening — part by part.
Designed by subtraction
Less circuit.
More music.
input to output — the shortest signal path Soulnote makes.
RIAA accuracy, held without a feedback loop.
balanced gain at 1 kHz, up to 12 V balanced output.
Technical specifications
| Type | Phono equalizer for DS Audio optical cartridges, non-NFB, balanced |
| Circuit | New Type-R discrete balanced; four transistors in signal path |
| Gain | 34 dB balanced / 28 dB unbalanced (1 kHz) |
| EQ accuracy | RIAA within ±0.2 dB |
| Sensitivity | 50 mV (1 kHz) |
| Maximum output | 12 V balanced / 6 V unbalanced |
| Inputs | 1 × XLR, 1 × RCA (mutually exclusive) |
| Dimensions | 454 × 189 × 407 mm (with spikes) |
| Weight | 27 kg |
Does the E-3 work with MM or MC cartridges?
Why does an optical cartridge need its own equalizer?
What are the connections?
About the Soulnote E-3 Phono Equalizer (DS Audio Optical)
Availability: Ships in 10–15 business days.
Purpose-Built for Optical Vinyl: Soulnote E-3
The Soulnote E-3 is a reference phono equalizer built for one mission and built to do it perfectly: extracting every last drop of music from DS Audio optical cartridges. This is not an MM/MC phono stage — it is a dedicated, completely non-NFB equalizer for the optical-cartridge format, with a signal path so short the music passes through just four transistors from input to output. The result is the vivid, immediate, uncannily alive sound that defines Soulnote at the top of its game.
Four Transistors, Zero Feedback
At its core is Soulnote's newly developed discrete, non-NFB, balanced "New Type-R Circuit." By embedding the equalization into a minimalist balanced amplifier — and refusing any global feedback — the E-3 achieves RIAA accuracy within ±0.2 dB while keeping the signal path astonishingly pure. Gain is 34 dB balanced (28 dB unbalanced) at 1 kHz, with a maximum output of 12 V balanced.
Reference Build, Single-Minded Focus
One XLR and one RCA input (used one at a time) feed balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA outputs, in a 27 kg chassis grounded on spike feet — the same obsessive, vibration-controlled construction as the rest of Soulnote's Series 3. For the vinyl enthusiast who has embraced DS Audio's optical system, the E-3 is the equalizer designed to match it.
Why You'll Love the Soulnote E-3
- Dedicated DS Audio optical stage — purpose-built for the optical-cartridge format
- Only four transistors in the path — new discrete non-NFB balanced Type-R circuit
- RIAA within ±0.2 dB — accuracy without a feedback loop
- Balanced and single-ended — XLR and RCA in and out
- 34 dB balanced gain — up to 12 V balanced output
- Series 3 reference build — 27 kg, spike-foot grounding, Premium Silver or Black
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the E-3 work with moving-magnet or moving-coil cartridges?
No — the E-3 is dedicated exclusively to DS Audio optical cartridges. For MM, MC and optical support in one unit, see the Soulnote E-2 ver.2. The E-3 is the specialist for those committed to the optical format.
Why does an optical cartridge need a special equalizer?
DS Audio optical cartridges output a different signal from magnetic cartridges and require dedicated equalization and power. The E-3 is engineered specifically for that format, extracting its full potential.
What inputs and outputs does it have?
One XLR and one RCA input (used one at a time), with balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA outputs.
Soulnote E-3 Technical Specifications
| Type | Phono equalizer for DS Audio optical cartridges, non-NFB, balanced |
| Circuit | New Type-R discrete balanced; four transistors in signal path |
| Gain | 34 dB balanced / 28 dB unbalanced (1 kHz) |
| EQ accuracy | RIAA within ±0.2 dB |
| Sensitivity | 50 mV (1 kHz) |
| Maximum output | 12 V balanced / 6 V unbalanced |
| Inputs | 1 × XLR, 1 × RCA (mutually exclusive) |
| Outputs | Balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA |
| Dimensions (W × H × D) | 454 × 189 × 407 mm (with spikes) |
| Weight | 27 kg |
| Finishes | Premium Silver or Premium Black |
| Made in | Japan — Soulnote |