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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
sebrof's avatar
sebrof
835 posts
 

@Avanti - In my system I can only compare to my Rega Apollo CD player, but of course I have heard many other good digital sources.

The Art-9 is pretty much the opposite of dull/dark in my system. I bi-amp and have the ability to adjust tweeter vs. woofer/mid levels, and one of the things I have in mind as a possible tweak once I get some time on the Art-9 and begin to mess with it is to knock down the tweeters maybe just a hair. Not sure if it will be necessary, but from what I am hearing now I certainly don't think I'll need to bump the tweeters up.


I haven't heard a really good Art-9 as mine is not broken in or optimized yet so I don't have that perspective, but from what you describe you and I are hearing different things from a "new" Art-9.

avanti1960
1,472 posts
 
Update- 1/14/17
Put the ART9 back on the table.  Clearly it does not sound as good overall compared to the Dynavector DV20 but it does some things really well, smoothness and lack of sibilance and a more refined sound and it actually sounds a bit brighter up top than when I last removed it.  
I bumped the VTF to 2 gms and maybe that helped.  
It is a promising start and seems to justify the idea to see it through to (at least) the 40 hr mark and re-assess.  
I am hoping for more low end extension (the DV is excellent), slightly more dynamics, definitely more upper midrange / lower treble presence and less surface noise (not horrible but not as good as the DV).  If it can develop along those lines and keep the refined slightly sweet sound than it will be a keeper.   
pani
1,219 posts
 
@avanti1960 I may have missed it, could let us know your phonostage and the loading for the ART-9 ? Also, would you know the capacitance of your phonostage input ?

Just keep it going for a month and come back to the comparison with your Dyna, it will be fair to both the cartridges and also worth your effort.
avanti1960
1,472 posts
 
^^
lehmann audio black cube se ii, 100 ohms, 100 p 

chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
@melm 

My experience with a new Art-9 was that it showed its basic attributes from day one.  It has improved ever since.  

Exactly, that's what i mean. Cartridge that doesn't sounds right after 20-30 hrs of burn-in time will not change it's BASIC attributes. And the improvement in the next 200hrs doesn't make one cartridge sounds like another cartridge, it's still the same cartridge tuned/voiced by manufactured to a sertain characted (as Nandric said), but slightly improved mechanicaly.

I'm sure every listening session depends on our mood and even time of the year (cold winter or hot summer when overall temperature is different can effect the sound of the cartridge). I live in the area when the temperature can drop down to -20C for some time in the winter and +30C in the summer.    
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