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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
melm
1,082 posts
 
My experience with a new Art-9 was that it showed its basic attributes from day one.  It has improved ever since.  

It replaced a Shelter 500 with SS OC retip in a VPI 3d arm, and outperformed the old cartridge right away.  I mention the arm because of the control it seems to provide.  Running the arm-cartridge on the old Shure test record seeking their low Hz resonance reveals none at all.  
audiolabyrinth's avatar
audiolabyrinth
4,555 posts
 
That's it,  I did ask what moving coil pre-amp sounds best with this cartridge, mmm, anyone know? 
audiolabyrinth's avatar
audiolabyrinth
4,555 posts
 
The 1-13-17 post at 4:37 am.
sebrof's avatar
sebrof
837 posts
 
I have only about 10 hrs. on the Art-9 after 2 weeks (travel, work...life just gets in the way sometimes). I have the loading on my Pass Labs Ono @ 1,000R and have not played with it. I haven't played with VTF either, it is set at factory recommended. 
The Art-9 is replacing an Ortofon Rondo Red (~$800 MSRP a few years ago for reference).

At this point it sounds like I would expect a good $1,000 cartridge to sound.
Right away I hear more detail, and specifically the soundstage is much wider. I can only attribute that to channel separation. Instruments are more distinctly placed in the soundstage as well. There is a slight glare/grain??? in the higher frequencies, but compared to the Rondo the sound is much more open and pleasant. 

I am guessing at this point that the glare/grain?? will relax a bit after I get some more hours on it, and that it can be addressed further with VTF and preamp loading but that remains to be seen. I won't play around with it until I get closer to 50 hours on it.

In any case I like it and will surely keep it. 
avanti1960
1,500 posts
 
@jollytinker 

thanks for the info.   I am playing lots of records and may make the decision to put the ART9 back on and will take VTF into more critical consideration.  

@sebrof 

can you comment on the tone of the cartridge compared to a neutral digital source?  
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