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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
chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
@melm 

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

Exactly, that's what i mean. Cartridge that doesn't sounds right after 20-30 hrs of burn-in time will not change it's BASIC attributes. And the improvement in the next 200hrs doesn't make one cartridge sounds like another cartridge, it's still the same cartridge tuned/voiced by manufactured to a sertain characted (as Nandric said), but slightly improved mechanicaly.

I'm sure every listening session depends on our mood and even time of the year (cold winter or hot summer when overall temperature is different can effect the sound of the cartridge). I live in the area when the temperature can drop down to -20C for some time in the winter and +30C in the summer.    
jollytinker
213 posts
 
I agree @chakster  - this is what I tried to say earlier. But I have to wonder whether it changes from one cartridge to the next. If you read Arthur Salvatore's description of the Zyx Universe II, he's nearly in tears on first listening to it because the cart sounds so awful. And yet by 50 hours it's the finest cartridge he has ever heard. that's a pretty radical difference. One may or not agree with him in general but he does have a ton of experience and a highly resolving system.  
safebelayer
66 posts
 
Is anyone using a rogue ares phono stage with this cartridge?  Also, does anyone with this cartridge live in Seattle?

dodgealum's avatar
dodgealum
1,404 posts
 
I think the whole topic of equipment break in is over cooked. In my experience the essential characteristics of ANY piece of gear are discernible within the first five hours of playback. Yes, subtle improvements do occur over time--more so with equipment that has mechanical properties like speakers and cartridges. But the idea that the ART 9 or any other quality piece of gear sounds terrible at first and transforms itself to a "giant killer" after hours and hours of play does not square with my experience. Avanti1960 I don't think you have done yourself any favors by switching the cartridge in and out of your system. The differences you are hearing are most likely more attributable to changes in set up rather than hours on the cartridge. I'm not sure you really know what the ART 9 sounds like at this point, nor do I think you are really able to make reliable comparisons with the other cartridges you mention. I'm not here to sing the praises of the cartridge--do I think it is great? Yes. But of course others may be looking for a different sound given their preferences and associated equipment. My point is that there is far too much emphasis in this discussion (and others) on the relevance of break in. Like most cartridges, if you set up the ART 9 properly and don't like the way the sounds after a few hours you probably are not going to like it after 100 hours either. 
audiolabyrinth's avatar
audiolabyrinth
4,555 posts
 
Hi panic, thankyou for the response,  I do not have a phono stage yet,  that was the reasonfor the question,  like to know the mid-range to state of the art phono stages for this cart.
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