Thanks, Al. I am in need of a mono cartridge. Based on that table and other information, I gather that AT make at least two mono cartridges of interest. Has anyone here auditioned an AT Mono? I started reading this thread with a bias toward the AT7 vs the AT9, but based on what is written here and elsewhere, the AT9 may be a real winner in terms of bang for the buck, and is said elsewhere to be superior to the AT7 for jazz and similar music that I favor.
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.
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.
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- 461 posts total
Right now you can get the MONO3/LP for under $100 from Amazon, direct from Japan. It's a med output coil - 1.2mV, 2.0g VTF recommended, load 30 to 47K or whatever. It has a .6 mil spherical tip on a thin, straight aluminum cantilever. Cu is 7 @ 100Hz, same as a 7V - med/heavy arm. Not sure mine is completely broken in, but has superior presentation on mono records, if not resolution. It's a revelation on some older, noisy copies. When the tip wears, send it to Soundsmith for a level 1 - nude elliptical. Hard to go wrong. It sounds pretty good. I don't know why all the Japanese manufactures use spherical styli exclusively on mono carts. Modern mono pressings benefit from more advanced tips, similar to stereo. Maybe they should try a Cadenza or Lyra mono on a Japanese pressing. I too am trying to decide between ART7, 9, and 50ANV. I suspect 50ANV is the ultimate. It has a titanium base as opposed to aluminum, and titanium coil formers- armature. BTW, output is measured @ 3.54 cm/sec and has admirably low inductance/resistance. Regards, |
A quick search at LP Gear looks like they still have it available and on sale for $1,488.88 - http://www.lpgear.com/product/AT50ANV.html |
- 461 posts total