Review: DS Audio ST-50 Stylus Cleaner

Why not own THE BEST?

The DS Audio ST-50 Stylus Cleaner gives you the opportunity to own “the best” in the world of high-end audio. Let’s face it, it isn’t often that you get the opportunity to own “the best” of something. First off, you typically can’t afford to own the best. Then, it’s hard to get agreement on what is “the best”.

I have been using one of these stylus cleaners for the past few months, and I am totally hooked on it. It has made my vinyl listening sessions more enjoyable. So now, you may be asking how can a stylus cleaner do this? Trust me, it’s all about the little things this product brings to the table.

ST-50, So Easy to Use

The first thing that impressed me about the ST-50 stylus cleaner is that it is so easy to use. In fact, it is so easy that I have actually gotten into the habit of using it before putting an album on my turntable.

I’ll confess that there have been times when I would forgo cleaning the stylus before playing an album because of the inconvenience. As you probably know if you are a vinyl guy, not cleaning the stylus can short-change your listening experience.

With the DS Audio ST-50 stylus cleaner, there is no need to unscrew caps or dip brushes into a liquid. You also don’t have to drag your stylus through a brush, which you really don’t want to do after a glass or two of your favorite single malt.

There is a video on the DS Audio website that shows the process, but it’s really pretty simple. You simply place the urethane gel pad on the platter and use the cueing lever to drop the stylus onto the pad. The stylus penetrates the gel pad and the “stickiness” of the pad removes the gunk that has built up on your stylus. Do this 2 or 3 times and you are good to go. You can rinse the pad off with plain water. After it air dries for 30 minutes, its cleaning properties are fully renewed.

The video shows someone using their hand to lower the stylus onto the pad. I prefer using to cueing lever to remove the potential of making a jittery mistake. What I like about this process is that it removes me from making a judgment call on how much force to apply during the cleaning process. This means less possibility for accidental damage.

ST-50 Design

The ST-50 is packaged in a nickel-plated aluminum chassis that is quite sleek and polished. It exudes a feeling of quality much like the first time you unpacked your new iPhone. It looks and feels expensive which doesn’t amount to a hill of beans as far as cleaning your stylus but it does give you the feeling you have purchased a quality piece. With it comes the pride of ownership which is an unspoken contributing factor to owing the “Best of” anything.

The bottom of the ST-50 cleaning pad is leather, which keeps it from damaging anything it is put on. This is a great design touch. If you have an aluminum platter there are no worries placing this on it.

Another situation where I appreciated the leather pad was when I had already put the album on the platter but then wanted to clean the stylus. Because of the leather pad base, you can put the ST-50 directly on your album without worrying about damaging the vinyl.  So again, I enjoyed a clean stylus in a situation where I would have probably forgone cleaning it

The top of the ST-50 simply fits snugly in the base but it does not lock in. It can be removed with one hand. This makes using the ST-50 a one-handed operation. It sits on the right side of my turntable and I can remove the lid with one hand and place it on the platter. There is nothing to unscrew, no liquid to apply, etc.

Conclusion

Unlike other sticky pad systems I have previously used, the ST-50’s profile is VERY thin which reduces the possibility of damage from an erratic motion as I move the cleaner in and out from under the cartridge.

Many many years ago I moved on from the brush-based stylus cleaners. I found them cumbersome and, according to a few cartridge manufactures, potentially dangerous to the cement used to bond some styli to the cantilever. I have previously used the ZeroStat Onzow cleaner, and as you can see in the photo above, the potential for damage with the larger/taller Onzow was much greater. I was delighted to get the lower profile ST-50.

These all seem like small things to point out, but in my case, they contributed heavily to my increased use of the stylus cleaner. It’s how you use this product day-to-day in the real world that elevates it in my mind above other stylus cleaners. It was easy to use, and I used it more often and enjoyed better sound.

In the end, we are talking about an $80 stylus cleaner so I don’t need to ramble on about it. Here’s the bottom line. This stylus cleaner works very well and it does what it is designed to do.

What takes the ST-50 to the top of the heap is HOW you use it. There are a lot of products out in the world that do a great job at what they do, but they don’t do a good job of being easy to use. Some “all in one” home theater remotes, for example, come to mind. How easy it is to use a product day after day is the “make or break” criteria for me.

With the ST-50 you get an excellent, thoughtful design, in a quality package and the ease of use will have you using this product before you play each album. The bottom line is that you will get more enjoyment from your vinyl collection.

So, will everyone agree this product is the BEST? Who am I kidding? Absolutely not. But as far as I am concerned, I now own “the best of something” in Audio, the DS Audio ST 50 stylus cleaner.

Price: $80 US

From the editors: DS Audio has long been a part of our personal system. Check out these related posts:

• Review: DS Audio E1 Optical Cartridge, an Audio Waypoint
• Review: DS Audio E1 Optical Cartridge System, Part 2
• Meet Tetsuaki Aoyagi, President of DS Audio and the Inventor of DS Audio Optical Cartridges
• DS Audio DS-W2 Optical Phono Cartridge and Preamp-Equalizer Review
• DS Audio DS 002 Optical Cartridge and Phono Stage
• DS Audio DS Master1 Optical Phono Cartridge and Preamp/Equalizer Review