1K sleeper MC cart?


My Audio Technica ART9 is going to Soundsmith for a rebuild. Mine almost made it to 3 years!

I'm considering just getting another one because I've been so pleased with its performance.

Curious if any ART9 owners have found a similar "sleeper" in the same price point. I can't go
any lower(.5mv) in output. Its going on a VPI Classic table.




tablejockey
@crazyeddy Because it’ll just simply not sound the same. Different cantilever, different stylus, different suspension, different materials. Why spend the money on something that will be different than the original you like, when you can just simply buy a new one? I just don’t get the logic. That’s all. You'll get it back working. Maybe it will sound better, maybe worse. Certainly it will be different. So why do it?
@invictus005 For any expensive cartridge with an exotic cantilever and a working suspension, Soundsmith's best program is to leave the suspension and cantilever intact, and replace only the stylus with his top OCL diamond.  For around $500, that's worthwhile.  I did this with my Helikon, and it worked out well.  I'm not sure it's worth doing with an ART9 or ART7(which I own), as the street price to replace either AT is only several hundred dollars more than the SS retip.     
BTW, I'm in process of running in a Lyra Etna and comparing it to a fresh ART7.  An ART7 can't kill an Etna.  But, factoring in the 8x difference in price, the ART7 is an incredible value.  I wouldn't bother to look elsewhere at the $1K price level.