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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
ninetynine's avatar
ninetynine
135 posts
 
I am from Germany. Tell you when the new PTG is arrived. It will placed on my second arm. On the first i have an EMT JSD6 and it would be very interesting to hear the ART9 against it.
pani
1,215 posts
 
Oregonpapa, I told you :-).

Good that there are no surprises. This cartridge benefits quite a bit from break in, so wait for about 100 hours as you hear it improve during this period. It will become more liquid and vanish totally. The fact that it is affordable is probably its only detraction. Recently I heard a Dynavector Te Kaitora Rua, I liked it a lot but it still could not beat the ART9. That Dynavector costs around $3500.

Now sit back and enjoy the ride, as every good record is going to make you feel either you are in a studio or a live setting.
pani
1,215 posts
 
Hey, thanks for calling me out else I would have missed the thread :-)
oregonpapa's avatar
oregonpapa OP
4,867 posts
 
Again, the cartridge is brand new. It has about 10 hours on it at this point ... so it IS a little tizzy on the top end just like my previous OC-9 MK-III's were. The OC-9's took about 40 hours before they started to calm down. I expect the same from the ART-9.

Robert, my friend with the "Golden Ears," who hears like a friggin' bat, is very familiar with my system. We are both avid record collectors with VERY wide tastes in music. We both agree that this new cartridge is at least as good as the Lyra Clavis that was in the system a few years ago ... and that is saying something.

I love the work that Abie is doing at Impex records. Impex is reissuing some of the great recordings of the past, both in stereo and in mono. Their efforts formulate into really natural sounding recordings. They shun the audiophile artifacts (like excessive reverb) that so many audiophile recordings are guilty of. Impex is the firm that reissued the June Christy "Something Cool" and the Julie London "Julie is Her Name" albums ... both in mono.

Last night I put the Impex reissue of the "Beethoven: Concerto NO.4 in G Major" with Glenn Gould (piano) and Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic. Wow ... that piano was in the room! Dynamic from top to bottom. The lower registers were right on. It takes a really good cartridge to get the piano right like this.

Reproducing the piano is where the Lyra Clavis never failed to impress. The ART-9 is right there with it ... and seems to be overall even more tonally correct to boot. Do you like cellos? Me too. Granted, the Clavis was built back in the 80's, but even so, for the ART-9 to surpass it is really saying something.

Here are the recordings I alluded to above:

Julie London:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JULIE-LONDON-JULIE-IS-HER-NAME-PREMIUM-USED-LP-NM-EX-/311400408346?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4880e9251a

June Christy: "Something Cool."

http://www.ebay.com/itm/June-Christy-Something-Cool-with-Pete-Rugolo-and-his-orchestra-LP-VG-/271920566268?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f4fba8ffc

Glenn Gould/Leonard Bernstein:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Beethoven-Concerto-No-4-In-VINYL-Glenn-Gould-Leonard-Bernstein-Vinyl-/371383871862?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item5678342976

The originals are astounding with a "you are there" presence. If you can find really clean copies go for the mono versions of the first two. If you can afford it, buy the Impex versions ... they are mastered better than the originals (Kevin Gray) with much better and quieter vinyl. Impex reissued the Julie London recording in a 45 rpm version. Its worth the entry price just for the cover. Wow!

Happy listening ...
tablejockey
3,809 posts
 
Month old ART 9 here.
I replaced an OC 9III, which replaced a couple of 1K carts.
The OC9III was a good enough compromise especially for half the price.
Unfortunately, the shortcomings eventually wore me down, and I bit the bullet and opened my wallet once again.
No regrets, I hear a very convincing presentation.Deep,taut bass and clear,articulate mids/highs with no mush or etch.
The ART 9 is the "sleeper" budget super cart. Why there isn't more reviews
on it is a mystery.
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