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Pani ... New ART-9 up and running ...

The Cartridge arrived and I took it down to Studio City to Acoustic Image to have Eliot Midwood set it up properly. Eliot is the bomb when it comes to setting up the Well Tempered turn tables correctly.

http://www.acousticimage.com/

So, last night I had Mr. Golden Ears over to get his assessment as well. For a brand new cartridge that had zero hours on it ... all I can say is WOW! This is one naturally musical cartridge that doesn't break the bank. Its everything I liked about the OC9-mk III, but it goes far beyond the OC-9 in every respect.

In a previous post, I talked about the many mono records I own and how good the OC-9 was with the monos. Well, the ART-9 is on steroids. Just amazing on mono recordings.

At under $1100.00 from LP Tunes, its a bargain. The ART-9 surpasses all cartridges I've had in the system before. That would include Dynavectors, Benz, Grado Signatures and a Lyra Clavis that I dearly loved. In fact, its more musically correct than the Clavis. The Clavis was the champ at reproducing the piano correctly ... the ART-9 is equally as good in this area.

Sound stage, depth of image, left to right all there. Highs ... crystalline. Mids ... female and male voices are dead on. Transparency ... see through. Dynamics ... Wow! Low noise floor ... black. Mono records ... who needs stereo?

Your assessment that the ART-9 doesn't draw attention to itself is dead on. You just don't think about the cartridge at all. Not what its doing, or what its not doing ... its just beautiful music filling the room.

Thanks again Pani for the recommendation. I'll keep posting here as the cartridge continues to break in.
128x128oregonpapa
fleib
1,124 posts
 
Lew,
No mono for these models. The 50ANV and ART7 are coreless, each with .12mV out. ART9 is .5mV
The 33PTG/II looks interesting. It has a tapered boron cantilever/ML, but not the new body, yoke, etc.
Here:
http://eu.audio-technica.com/en/products/cartridges/subcategory.asp?catID=8&subID=57

50ANV here:
http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/cartridges/55c732e450a18cb1/index.html
Regards,
lewm
13,012 posts
 
Thanks, Al. I am in need of a mono cartridge. Based on that table and other information, I gather that AT make at least two mono cartridges of interest. Has anyone here auditioned an AT Mono? I started reading this thread with a bias toward the AT7 vs the AT9, but based on what is written here and elsewhere, the AT9 may be a real winner in terms of bang for the buck, and is said elsewhere to be superior to the AT7 for jazz and similar music that I favor.
tablejockey
3,888 posts
 
Lewm, also check out AT MONO3LP (HOMC) @ LP Gear. Looks like a no brainer.
Based on ATs reputation for great value carts, for 200 bucks even if you didn't like it, you won't feel beat up spending the cash.
Perhaps it's a sleeper mono cart as the ART9 is to super carts.
fleib
1,124 posts
 
Right now you can get the MONO3/LP for under $100 from Amazon, direct from Japan. It's a med output coil - 1.2mV, 2.0g VTF recommended, load 30 to 47K or whatever. It has a .6 mil spherical tip on a thin, straight aluminum cantilever. Cu is 7 @ 100Hz, same as a 7V - med/heavy arm.

Not sure mine is completely broken in, but has superior presentation on mono records, if not resolution. It's a revelation on some older, noisy copies. When the tip wears, send it to Soundsmith for a level 1 - nude elliptical. Hard to go wrong. It sounds pretty good.

I don't know why all the Japanese manufactures use spherical styli exclusively on mono carts. Modern mono pressings benefit from more advanced tips, similar to stereo. Maybe they should try a Cadenza or Lyra mono on a Japanese pressing.

I too am trying to decide between ART7, 9, and 50ANV. I suspect 50ANV is the ultimate. It has a titanium base as opposed to aluminum, and titanium coil formers- armature. BTW, output is measured @ 3.54 cm/sec and has admirably low inductance/resistance.

Regards,
lewm
13,012 posts
 
So far as I can tell, 50ANV is no longer available, and I could not find that anyone is selling NOS ones these days. I got the impression, right or wrong, that ART7 replaces the 50ANV, in effect.
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