Has anyone upgraded from an AudioTechnica ART9?

@slimpikins5

If you like Whest so much you can easily find what he’s using on his instagram.

The world of amazing Audio-Technica MM cartridges is a bit wider than AT20ss and AT20 series in general, as you know my personal favorite is AT-ML180 OCC from the 80’s, but the AT20SLa from the 70’s was also great in my system. Well, even AT-ML150 OCC can beat anything under $700. Comparing the best AT LOMC to the best AT vintage MM is great experience, highly recommended, my preference in this aspect quickly became an MM (nothing to lose in comparison with AT LOMC, but replaceable stylus is a benefit compared to re-tip).

In my opinion any good phono stage must handle a wide range of cartridges, the problematic area is only extremely low output LOMC like Ortofon MC2000, very few phono stage can handle it (and very few SUTs too). This is the only 1 cartridge out of 20-30 i have tried, that is a problematic with most of the phono stages. Anything else with 0,15 mV and higher never caused any problems with various phono stages.

The AT ART7 gets very little mention here and elsewhere. I own one and I like it very much. I have never heard an ART9, so I am not able to say that the 7 is better or worse, but it is hard to beat the ART7 even with very much more expensive LOMC cartridges (Koetsu, ZYX, and Ortofon at my house). That’s the thing about the ART7; it has a low output of 0.24mV, so you need a high gain phono or a SUT into an MM phono. The ART9 is less fussy because more gain. If we’re judging cartridges based on how they are made, which I am loathe to do, the 7 may be superior to the 9 in that it uses an amorphous core coil structure, whereas the 9 is conventional. Strangely, the 7 is a bit less expensive than the 9.  Strange because the amorphous core would add cost.  Further, the low output suggests that the 7 may have lower moving mass than the 9.  That's difficult to say for sure because of the factor of the amorphous core used in its coil, which might also reduce generator output.


By the way, isn't the AT20SLa a non-select version of the AT20SS?  In other words, the 20SS ought on principle to outperform the 20SLa.  But if you crank in the age of these cartridges and the differing histories of previous use and users, all bets like that are off.

Dear @jbhiller : Next alternatives are very good for you and better than the 9 you named:

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis9h2di-ortofon-a95-cartridges

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis9h0hh-lyra-kleos-mc-cartridge-like-new-cartridges

and with this one you will never look back or look for a better cartridge in the future and at very nice price that is inside your budget:

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis9h1a8-lyra-etna-cartridges



Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

jbhiller-

A little over a year ago,I replaced my 9 with a Kiseki Blue. It was a rare opportunity to get it for a very good price. It's a $2500 retail  cart..They are going for about $2K on sale.

While it has subtle refinement over the 9,
Its difficult to justify 2x the cost, at least in my system. I think using a cart that approaches half the retail of my table or phonostage is my gauge for max.

I'm assuming you have the best phonostage for your budget?

The law of diminishing returns may be more operative in the realm of cartridges than other parts of the signal chain. I think this may be particularly true with the ART 9, which I owned for a time and thoroughly enjoyed. I ended up replacing the ART 9 with a cartridge that retails for twice the price--the Soundsmith MIMC Star. Is the MIMC Star twice as good? Of course not. Is it "better" than the ART 9? In my system it proved to be an ever so slightly better match. The ART 9 sounded a bit lighter and ever so slightly more refined but the MIMC Star threw a wider stage and had a more visceral, meaty, dynamic sound. System matching and setup is obviously crucial. The ART 9 is a somewhat high compliance design compared to others so that may be something to explore when considering an "upgrade". I'd also suggest investing time and energy in making sure you have set up the ART 9 optimally before moving on--the line contact stylus demands careful attention. If the ART 9 is a good match for your arm and is set up correctly I think you could very easily spend a lot more money and end up in the same place--maybe a bit different sound but not necessarily better across the board. The ART 9 is really that good.