I’m surprised no one has mentioned that the ART9 has been superseded by the 9Xi, for a bit more money.
another arm/cart question (long post)
Hello all. I've gotten some good advice here for 2 of my tables and would like to hear from the experts again. I've just built a Thorens TD124. Its got a rebuilt motor, main platter bearing upgrade with sapphire bearing and Torlon thrust pad. MK2 motor spring upgrade kit, Audiosilente idler wheel, new mushrooms and grommets, and an Ortofon plinth. New armboard on silicone O-rings, and a fully rebuilt, rewired SME 3009 series 2, unimproved, with an effective mass of 12.5g. The arm has the FD200 fluid damper kit, but its not currently attached. For an initial setup, I put an old Ortofon 540mkii on it and it sounds very good. In fact its close to my Sumiko blackbird low, and AT-OC9XML on my other admittedly lower quality tables/arms. Phono stage is the built in one on a Mcintosh C47, which is quite adjustable for MM or MC. It runs through 2A3 tubes into Altec A5s with modded Hiraga crossovers. Being impressed so far with the 124, I wonder how much better it can sound with a cartridge upgrade. I love my Blackbird and thought about a Starling, but am open to advice. My budget is only 2K for the cart and Ill need to purchase another headshell and wires, so maby $1800ish for the cart. I've studied the resonance charts and know that only gets you about halfway there. I don't have test equipment, only my ears. The chart shows a good match with the starling but Id love some advice. The last 2 times i sought advice here, I followed it with amazing results so thank you all for that ! Also I've raised the arm, and added a 3mm mat to increase the distance from the magnetic platter to the cart for when I upgrade it to MC. I'd like to know if I will have a good combination with the Sumiko Starling, and if not, which cartridge would you choose ? Fire away !
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I chose to purchase an ART7 (0.12mV output) rather than an ART9 (0.5mV output), on the premise that lower voltage output version of an LOMC is usually better than the higher output version. Also, the ART7 has the unique amorphous core coil (which probably also accounts for its lower output). I am very happy with it. The latest equivalent to the ART7 is the ART9Xa. I have not heard either the 9Xi or the 9Xa. Let me hasten to add that I have not directly compared the ART7 to the ART9, but the latter version certainly has its admirers, so I feel certain it is excellent. I suspect these four versions of ART cartridges are probably very close to one another in performance. |
@lewm IIRC, @dgarretson also chose ART7 and for similar reasons which seem reasonable. @adrianleewelch one caution is that that very low output level of the 7 requires more careful matching of phono stage or SUT gain, many don't have enough output, so the 9 series is going to compatible with far more gear (and could affect resale value in the future). I've been impressed with the original 9 when I heard it on a friend's rig mounted on a Terminator linear arm and a heavily modded SL1200 table. IMHO, the whole series is very good and an exceptional value at its price point. Cheers, Spencer |
Yes I read about the .12 output of the 7, and wondered what that would equate to in real world application. I believe my McIntosh has 60db gain, with the ability of going up 6 more db in the trim settings. The lowest cart I have now is the 0C9 at .4. I’m sure one day as I progress in the hobby I will get a stand-alone phono stage but I have some other purchases to make first. My spouse and I are both public servants so we have to budget for all of these purchases. Does anyone know how the McIntosh C47 would work with a super low output cartridge ? I’d likely go for the 9 vs the 7 but I am curious about compatibility. |
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