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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
bill_k
912 posts
 
Fleib - Thanks, that makes perfect sense.
oregonpapa's avatar
oregonpapa OP
4,867 posts
 
Fleib ...

I only have one tonearm and it doesn't have a headshell. So, swapping cartridges is out of the question for me. My turntable (Well Tempered original model) is difficult to set up properly, so that's another problem. So, if anyone is in the same boat as me, and the OC-9 MK III is affordable, that would be a good way to go. Also, my phono stage (ARC PH-8) has a mono switch, so going between stereo and mono is a breeze. I always use the mono position when listening to mono records. Somehow, the OC-9 and ART-9 seem to get down into the grooves of the mono records to extract the information. Could it be that some of the problems you alluded to are resolved by the higher end AT cartridges?
fleib
1,124 posts
 
Oregonpapa,
Based on what you say about the sound, I wouldn't worry about it.
I don't know about your record collection. You said you have tons of mono. I have quite a few old jazz mono LPs (< ton), and every one is a microgroove. Most are re-issues, but even one or two oldies are microgroove. For these records your carts will do a better job of extracting detail/nuance than an inexpensive mono cart. This is especially true if your records are in good shape.

Some of my re-issues are Japanese pressings and most are in great shape. Although the presentation with the MONO3 is nicer, I miss the resolution. It's sort of like using a stock 103 instead of your AT. It might sound nice, musical, etc, but .....

The noise reduction on some old monos is substantial and if you have original wide groove pressings you might need a 1 mil stylus anyway. I found an old copy of Mozart Requiem Mass in the basement. This was so noisy I couldn't listen to it. I'll check it out and let you know. It might be wide groove and I'm not expecting much.
You said your mono records sound good and you have a mono switch. That goes a long way. It would cost a ton of money to set up mono approaching the same resolution as your ART9/OC9, for a somewhat nicer presentation? Enjoy what you have.
Regards,
fleib
1,124 posts
 
I replayed that old Mozart record and the noise reduction w/mono cart was amazing. I could hardly believe it. It still sounds grainy, but the clicks and pops are virtually gone.
Maybe it needs a 1 mil stylus, I don't know, but what they say about noise reduction on scratchy old records is true.
pani
1,219 posts
 
Here is an interesting update:
I bought my ART9 for USD 1k about a year back. I live in Singapore so I bought it directly from the local dealer. Here Japanese products are relatively cheaper than in US. Just yesterday a friend of mine inquired for the ART9 from the same dealer, he was quoted USD 1.5k. Supposedly Audio Technica has revised the prices of their reference carts. Now I am sure the ART9 will sell more than ever since its no more a "budget prices" cart :-). And even AT has realized it sooner than later!!
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