Has anyone upgraded from an AudioTechnica ART9?

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. 

Thank you everyone. You echoed my instincts. My replacement could be another 9 or 7. But Raul is very knowledgeable so I will research his recommendations. 

I have a Manley Chinook phono stage btw. 

@lewm 
Where would one even buy an art7 from?
The only ones I have seen for sale of late are all in Japan.

Btw I also have an at 20sla that I alternate in between my Nagoaka and Scheu carts and for the age and cost it is still a very impressive all rounder.

@uberwaltz,

Not sure if they’re still available but www.lpgear.com was the source.