Has anyone upgraded from an AudioTechnica ART9?

Yes @rauliruegas I understand the sensitivity and impedance curve properties and their effect on the output. An amp not being is trouble is not enough. Typical modern multi-driver speakers like Magico, Rockport, Avalon, Focal all need a lot of current to come alive and show their full frequency response with uncompressed dynamics. Firstwatt amps will never push them that way because they do not deliver such high currents. The XA has large array of transistors at the output which allows large current swings. It is just a simple comparison between a small amp with a small power supply and a big muscle amp with a large power supply. 

Also, some of the oddball power transistors that NP in his FW business likes to play with are unusual compared to typical power transistors in that they act more like voltage gain devices than like current gain devices.  Thus not so good at driving a typical 3- or 4-way crossover. (I hate multi-way passive crossovers in speakers.  I think they are a major source of SQ degradation.)

Dear @pani  @lewm  : I don't know why both of you are so incisive about the FW when I can see is not of interest for you and certainly not for me. 

Btw, Magico recommend 20 watts amp ( and up ) for the model I listened.

You have your own reasons for your posts about but no one of you listened what I experienced with, so why insist to put the issue so controversial.

Whom cares?, not me.

Lewm 3-way speakers has several advantages and certainly as anything in audio has trade-offs that depends on the design quality.. I know very well your speakers and certainly are not perfect, so what are you talking about?

R.

In my opinion people with all these huge power amps and 3-4 way speakers with active crossovers will never understand sound preferences of the opposite "school" of low power amps and super efficient full range drivers without crossovers. And vice versa!

No matter which brand btw. This is one of the reason the cartridge preferences will be different for these different group of people with completely different preferences in sound. Nothing wrong about it. 

The system with just  2 watts Yamamoto A-8s handmade SET amp (or low power solid state First Watt amp) with high efficient speakers can be much better than all these huge low efficient speakers with many drivers and those huge superpower overpriced 500w monoblocks. 

Low power amps and high efficient speakers in a moderate or small well treated room is all we need, especially if the budget is not unlimited. 

Beside the main system with ZU Druid i was very impressed even by a very small vintage professional Tannoy studio monitors from the 80's which i bought last summer. So i can understand the sound preferences of the Tannoy fans. I can only imagine how their bigger speakers sounds like. 

@lewm 

I strongly doubt that "many thousands" of the very expensive higher power Pass amplifiers are sold, if you're speaking of a single model. If you take total production over the last years, maybe. Otherwise, I agree.

You can watch interview with Nelson Pass on youtube, he explain the difference between Pass Lab and First Watt concept. Also here about very special impossible to find transistors he's using exclusively like Static Induction Transistors (SIT). You will see rare Sony VFET, Toshiba JFET etc in his collection.

Even latest FW sells in many thousands units today via distributors. Not so long ago First Watt was available only direct from Nelson in California. The demand for his gear is much higher, almost cult status for the owners of high efficient speakers like my Zu Audio Druid and others, i use Pass Lab Aleph passive/active preamp and FW F2J power amp which is one of a few current source amp on the market in Nelson Pass opinion today.   


@johnss 

Have the art 9, think its great, but have tried to upstage it with more expensive MC carts, but have not done so. Pretty hard to beat it unless you step up the 1000, but even then, it does not blow away the art 9. Forget LOMC carts from some of the holly grail brands (no names) the art 9 is considerably better, better tracking, better detail, more musical, better imaging....

It must be a very nice cartridge like many Audio-Technica high-tech cartridges, but when it comes to a different and more organic flavor some other cartridge can be even better, no doubt. Ever heard the Miyajima (cross-ring) MC ?  


 

have not heard the Miyajima MC cart so do not know what it sounds like.

all I was trying to say was I was in overdrive, hard pressed on the search for the best LP playback nirvana, thinking I would find it the more I spent....just was not the case.....

and if you really want to throw a wrench into your LP playback/cart evaluations, don't do what I did and compare the LP to to high speed tape.

Doing so will change your perspective on many LOMC carts.

But if you want to walk down that path, put on the Acoustic sounds Reiner/CSO Pines on LP. then play the same tape available from Acoustic Sounds (you will need a high speed half track deck to play it). Holly cow, so many carts do not get it right.....and many add things not on the tape....

And don't forget the LP came from the tape, not the other way around.

If you can afford the ART1000, buy it, if not buy the ART 9, and you'll be 85% of the way there.

Can't tell you how many kilo bucks I flushed chasing LP nirvana.

happy listening.