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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
jollytinker
213 posts
 
Thanks for the kind words Frank. I did try the ART9 on a few mono records but I wasn't too crazy about it. I found the sound too warm and thick in the mid-range, much more so than on stereo LPs. Not sure why that would be the case.  

On the second question... Yes I'd probably be happy with the ART9. However I've been kind of restless with tweaking and improving the system, so it's hard to predict whether or not I'd have the bug to try something else. I will say that the Zyx and the AT were remarkably close at times. On some studio recordings where there's not a lot of 'room effect' and not too much happening in the bass, the differences may be pretty subtle. I found this to be the case on the Rounder LP of the Boyoyo Boys (classic South African Mbaqanga music), when I listened to each side on a different cart. 
lewm
13,012 posts
 
Thanks for that review.  I own a first generation ZYX Universe with low hours on it, and I just bought an ART7.  I plan to compare those two, and if anyone is interested, I will report here.  The ART7 is very different from the ART9 in terms of construction, and, of course, voltage output.  The difference between how two stereo cartridges play mono LPs is kind of beside the point, because it may have as much to do with the phono stage as with the cartridges themselves, but I assume you had the Dolshi in mono mode when you made that comparison.  Yes?
pani
1,219 posts
 
@jollytinker many thanks for taking that effort even though many would have considered this to be a non-starter (looking at the price difference).
I have not heard those highest grade ZYX carts. 4D is the highest ZYX I have heard it was one of the most impressive sonics that I have ever heard. The rest of the chain also amazing (Avid Acutus SP TT and SME V tonearm). The name 4D itself is explanatory on what it was all about, it presented music with such air, ambience and atmosphere, it was crazy. All that with as you mentioned, terrific transients and deep taut bass. While the soundstage was precise, it extended wall to wall because of those floating ambience. All this really created so many wow! moments in that listening session. When I compared this to lower end ZYX there was always something missing. Especially in the critical midrange zone the lower ZYX sounded less involving than other carts in general.
Now, I can imagine the Universe premium which is 3 times more expensive than the 4D to be actually ultra special.

The ART-9 may not be as uncompressed as a top ZYX or a DV but I dont hear any voicing per se. To my ears it disappear really well into a system because of its studio like character. 

pani
1,219 posts
 
@lewm are you planning to use an SUT with the ART7 ?
jollytinker
213 posts
 
@lewm the Doshi doesn’t have a mono switch, nor does the Truth volume control. I’m not sure why that would warm up the mid range though. ?  (I mean not having the preamp switched to mono). 

@pani I knew this wasn’t really a "shoot-out" because the Zyx would almost certainly come out on top, but I wanted to know exactly How. And the comparison taught me something - I hadn’t really perceived that arc where the ART9 is a bit stronger in the mids but tapers off above and below that. So I just thought I’d put it out there in the interests of building a base of information on this cartridge.

What you said about the ART9 disappearing into the system jibes with my own experience. And the Doshi combined with the Truth VC is pretty transparent and unkind to lesser carts....
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