While I haven't had that much listening time over the past week due to work commitments, I continue to be very impressed by the ART-9.
This cartridge sounds just wonderfully natural on voices and instruments. The expansive soundstage - on which images remain precise, detailed and simultaneously robust - adds greatly to the listening experience.
I'm pondering just what it is that makes this cartridge special. I think many of it's attributes flow from it's stellar tracking - which I think exceeds even great trackers like the Ortofon Jubilee/Cadenza Black/A90 I've had in the past. The tracking security of the ART-9 gives a great sense of ease to the music and allows the listener to focus anywhere in the soundstage and listen to a particular performer during the busiest passages. It does this while maintaining it's great tonal balance and sense of timing. It's a compelling/involving cartridge to listen to - one of those cartridges that has you pulling records from everywhere in your collection.
I think it's fantastic that this sort of cartridge performance is available at this price point - which, lets be honest, normal people would still think is a pretty expensive. It's a lot better cartridge than my SS retipped 103R - for not a great deal more money. I bet it would show up plenty of boutique priced cartridges - and probably out-track them all.
This cartridge sounds just wonderfully natural on voices and instruments. The expansive soundstage - on which images remain precise, detailed and simultaneously robust - adds greatly to the listening experience.
I'm pondering just what it is that makes this cartridge special. I think many of it's attributes flow from it's stellar tracking - which I think exceeds even great trackers like the Ortofon Jubilee/Cadenza Black/A90 I've had in the past. The tracking security of the ART-9 gives a great sense of ease to the music and allows the listener to focus anywhere in the soundstage and listen to a particular performer during the busiest passages. It does this while maintaining it's great tonal balance and sense of timing. It's a compelling/involving cartridge to listen to - one of those cartridges that has you pulling records from everywhere in your collection.
I think it's fantastic that this sort of cartridge performance is available at this price point - which, lets be honest, normal people would still think is a pretty expensive. It's a lot better cartridge than my SS retipped 103R - for not a great deal more money. I bet it would show up plenty of boutique priced cartridges - and probably out-track them all.