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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
wrxified
13 posts
 
I picked up my ART-9 in early April.  I also have the AT 33PTG/II.  The PTG was a replacement for the 33EV.  I've really been an Audio Technica fan. Over the past 3 weeks I've been putting the hours on it   Probably a little over 50 hrs at this point.  

So how does it sound compared to the PTG? Using some brevity, I'd simply say it's no better, no worse.   

We actually did a comparison this past weekend.  Actually more people chose the PTG/II over the ART9.  To me they sound very close.  Who knows, maybe it'll break in a bit more.  

The 33EV to PTG/II was a noticeable difference.  Way more detail and resolution in the upper frequency range.  Funny thing was I paid less for the PTG.  The PTG to ART9, not earth shattering.  
cool_jeeves
37 posts
 
Lancelock, I am using a plug in phono from Accuphase AD2820. It plugs into the preamp. It has 10/30/100/300 Ohms in MC.
pani
1,219 posts
 
@wrxified, I also had a AT33/PTG for some time and that piqued my interest into AT line up but I did not find it to be the last word in detail, dynamics and resolution. I mean it could be my second cart instead of the DL-103r but not my first cart. The ART-9 was in comparison a totally different level, letting me forget about cartridge upgrades for about 2 years now. I was using a Naim Superline with Supercap PSU as the phonostage which definitely is a very resolving phono stage to tell the difference between the 2 carts. Which phonostage are you using ?
wrxified
13 posts
 
@pani, we used 3 phono stages for the testing.  Among them was a Clearaudio Nano, a Rothwell MCX SUT to Rothwell Simplex, and a Spectral DMC-6 with phono stage.  The Spectral was easily the best of the 3, followed by the Rothwell setup, then the Nano

It definitely is all subjective.  To me I could barely hear a difference.  
j_damon
388 posts
 

I have got about 150 hours on the ART9 now, it continues to amaze..

My AR PH 6 was just breaking in when I felt the need to upgrade from SoundSmith in the same price range as the ART. I kept track of hours on the ART up to 100 and now just enjoy the music. The thing I find is I don't hear the equipment, just the 3d images hanging out there from wall to wall. I recently installed a new record mat from Herbie's and I am in awe. I had a friend over recently, when I got up to flip the record he exclaimed " holy crap, that's a record?" anybody on the fence on this should jump on in.

@oregonpapa  what was the belt upgrade you mentioned early on in the thread?

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