Pani ... New ART-9 up and running ...

Yes, I understand we can get 'tired' of even the best components. It just seemed odd that you bought the AN SUT and then sold the ART 9 when the two didn't work together.
I'm probably the pot calling the kettle black - I bought a new Ortofon A90 years ago, which I loved, then sold it and went back to listening to the Denon 103R!
Crazy right?
The Denon was just more 'fun' and it did my head in that the A90 wasn't doing that for me  - even though it eclipsed the Denon in so many ways.

I think you make a fair point @tobes. I also felt a disconnect between some of the high flying rhetoric in this thread and the way it ended with a bit of a whimper. That discomfort is why I posted a long and perhaps unwelcome comparison of the ART9 to the Zyx Universe Premium here. If the ART9 was being touted as a true ‘giant killer’ (“sky’s the limit” is one of the phrases I seem to remember from this thread), then I wanted to know what the cartridge would really sound like against a recognized “giant.”

I guess my point is, what’s at stake in judging a cartridge is a basic objective claim: how well does it work as a transducer? I understand that we all judge that with our subjective ears, and that no cartridge is or can be perfect. I like to try different cartridges as much as anyone because I always learn from the process. But still, it seems to me that we’re talking about a level of excellence and not just a “flavor of the month”. and in that regard there are limits to the ART9 no matter how great it is within its particular price point.

I say this as someone who really enjoys the ART9 and who used it as “daily driver” for a good year. I also find myself getting a bit… bored of it. why? My guess is that while its fantastic in the essential mid-range, it also loses focus, punch and realism at the top and bottom of the spectrum. It takes a while to hear that, or at least it did for me. Fantastic cartridge, challenger to carts retailing for twice its price, but not necessarily indicative of the current state of the art.

and apologies but I haven’t read the comparison referenced above. I’ll take a look when my toddler gives me a chance… :)

All said and done it is the only under $1k mainstream cartridge that sounds hi-rez and fulfils the criteria to be on a high end turntable. If one were to spend $3k and claim that ART-9 is not a solid contender I can understand, but within $2k (which is the VFM range in the MC domain), ART-9 is a top contender. 

While I haven't had that much listening time over the past week due to work commitments, I continue to be very impressed by the ART-9.
This cartridge sounds just wonderfully natural on voices and instruments. The expansive soundstage - on which images remain  precise, detailed and simultaneously robust - adds greatly to the listening experience.

I'm pondering just what it is that makes this cartridge special. I think many of it's attributes flow from it's stellar tracking - which I think exceeds even great trackers like the Ortofon Jubilee/Cadenza Black/A90 I've had in the past. The tracking security of the ART-9 gives a great sense of ease to the music and allows the listener to focus anywhere in the soundstage and listen to a particular performer during the busiest passages. It does this while maintaining it's great tonal balance and sense of timing. It's a compelling/involving cartridge to listen to - one of those cartridges that has you pulling records from everywhere in your collection.

I think it's fantastic that this sort of cartridge performance is available at this price point - which, lets be honest, normal people would still think is a pretty expensive. It's a lot better cartridge than my SS retipped 103R - for not a great deal more money. I bet it would show up plenty of boutique priced cartridges - and probably out-track them all.

Something I forgot to mention is the Art-9's dynamics - I've been startled by the dynamic energy from familiar records and I'm re-discovering old favs again.

When I was using the Ortofon Jubilee with, say, jazz recordings I'd often feel the need to pump the volume up to inject some life into the music - this was also true to an extent with the Cadenza black. The Denon 103R variants were more lively and locked onto the rhythm better, but didn't have the same finesse as the Ortofons.

The ART-9 well ahead of the above in dynamic liveliness and startle factor across the range - yet at the same time it has wonderful composure and finesse. Clarity of images themselves and see-into nature of the soundstage in general is excellent.