Has anyone upgraded from an AudioTechnica ART9?

You should ask our man @pani 

Your “through the roof” expectation bias alone might be enough to make you happy with almost any cartridge that you pay from $2000-$5000 for. On the other hand, you might find that a particular cartridge in that price range is not as good as the art9, if you are able to be honest with yourself. It’s a crapshoot, since ultimately you are the only one who can make the judgment.

jb, what do you have for a phono stage and turntable?

Mike

In my own experience moving from limited edition $700 AT ART-2000 to another $3-4000 cartridge wan NOT positive and does not improved the sound as much as i expected according to the price i paid.

Higher price does not guarantee the improvement and satisfaction.
I think $700-1500 is enough money for amazing cartridge for your particular arm, especially if you are not afraid to buy vintage stuff and do not believe that MC is always better than MM/MI.

And yes, personal experience is the most important to find what you like in your system. 

You may find this interesting:  James at Whest Audio preamps in London seems to suggest the use of the ART 9 to many people; it's one of his go to cartridges.  That includes the guys who are using his very high end Titan Pro or PS.40 RDT SE phono stages.  These are two of the best phono preamps made on the market.  With such resolving electronics, he likes to suggest the ART 9.  He also uses the Ortofon Anna or the A95.

His favorite MM is the Audio Technica AT20ss, which is what I use.   When I asked him about the preference between the AT20ss and the top of the line MC cartridges, he told me his preference leans towards the MC side as it expands the sound stage out and brings out a little more of the instruments.  However if one is looking for pure 'horsepower', great dynamic range, very strong low end up to the 800 hz. range and still presents very excellent sound stage/imaging, the AT 20ss is hard to top.


But keep in mind, the AT 20ss is a mid 70's vintage cartridge, its not easy to find and there are no NOS stylus' available.  So the ART 9 may be a good place to be.