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

After reading through this thread I was surprised to see that @pani was so fickle in dumping the Art 9 after being so enthusiastic. 
I'm using a Lundahl LL1941 SUT on 1:32 setting with my Art 9 - which gives a 46ohm reflected resistance to the cartridge with 47K phono input. This might sound low but it was my preferred setting for the 14ohm dcr Denon 103R as well. IME, SUT loading is different to pure resistive loading on MC stages.
Anyway this works for me with my Cary tube phono, which has a low 38dB gain MM stage.

I only have about 10-15hrs on my ART 9 - but it has sounded very good from the outset after initial azimuth/vta/vtf fiddling. I like it more than my Soundsmith retipped 103R, which has a lot of great attributes but lacks the finesse and delicacy of higher end MC's - and the Art 9. From memory I also prefer the ART 9 to the Ortofon Cadenza black - which was a very nice cartridge, but never engaged me like the 103R.

FWIW, I've previously tried both the AT33 PTG and OC9-II (or III?) and for me they didn't compare well to the Denon and Ortofon cartridges I had at the time and were quickly sold. Long ago I also used the original OC9 and later the ART-1, neither of which I recall as being very robust sounding at all (though I did like them). The ART 9 is giving a different impression - there's more body and substance to it's sound and more dynamic punch.

The high compliance of the Art 9 shouldn't be a great match for the Phantom (I think around 12g effective mass - but Graham doesn't actually publish the spec). Using the HFNRR test record the resonant frequency in my Graham Phantom arm is 7-8Hz, but the cartridge is very well behaved and tracking is excellent. I seems that AT have done a very good job of controlling resonant behaviour. 

After reading through this thread I was surprised to see that @pani was so fickle in dumping the Art 9 after being so enthusiastic

I was not fickle. I used it for 2 years happily. The longest I have ever used any cartridge without further contemplating a change. At one point I just decided I would like to try something else, probably a Decca Jubilee or so. I got a great offer on my ART9 so I let it go.

Yes, I understand we can get 'tired' of even the best components. It just seemed odd that you bought the AN SUT and then sold the ART 9 when the two didn't work together.
I'm probably the pot calling the kettle black - I bought a new Ortofon A90 years ago, which I loved, then sold it and went back to listening to the Denon 103R!
Crazy right?
The Denon was just more 'fun' and it did my head in that the A90 wasn't doing that for me  - even though it eclipsed the Denon in so many ways.

I think you make a fair point @tobes. I also felt a disconnect between some of the high flying rhetoric in this thread and the way it ended with a bit of a whimper. That discomfort is why I posted a long and perhaps unwelcome comparison of the ART9 to the Zyx Universe Premium here. If the ART9 was being touted as a true ‘giant killer’ (“sky’s the limit” is one of the phrases I seem to remember from this thread), then I wanted to know what the cartridge would really sound like against a recognized “giant.”

I guess my point is, what’s at stake in judging a cartridge is a basic objective claim: how well does it work as a transducer? I understand that we all judge that with our subjective ears, and that no cartridge is or can be perfect. I like to try different cartridges as much as anyone because I always learn from the process. But still, it seems to me that we’re talking about a level of excellence and not just a “flavor of the month”. and in that regard there are limits to the ART9 no matter how great it is within its particular price point.

I say this as someone who really enjoys the ART9 and who used it as “daily driver” for a good year. I also find myself getting a bit… bored of it. why? My guess is that while its fantastic in the essential mid-range, it also loses focus, punch and realism at the top and bottom of the spectrum. It takes a while to hear that, or at least it did for me. Fantastic cartridge, challenger to carts retailing for twice its price, but not necessarily indicative of the current state of the art.

and apologies but I haven’t read the comparison referenced above. I’ll take a look when my toddler gives me a chance… :)

All said and done it is the only under $1k mainstream cartridge that sounds hi-rez and fulfils the criteria to be on a high end turntable. If one were to spend $3k and claim that ART-9 is not a solid contender I can understand, but within $2k (which is the VFM range in the MC domain), ART-9 is a top contender.