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

The Cartridge arrived and I took it down to Studio City to Acoustic Image to have Eliot Midwood set it up properly. Eliot is the bomb when it comes to setting up the Well Tempered turn tables correctly.

http://www.acousticimage.com/

So, last night I had Mr. Golden Ears over to get his assessment as well. For a brand new cartridge that had zero hours on it ... all I can say is WOW! This is one naturally musical cartridge that doesn't break the bank. Its everything I liked about the OC9-mk III, but it goes far beyond the OC-9 in every respect.

In a previous post, I talked about the many mono records I own and how good the OC-9 was with the monos. Well, the ART-9 is on steroids. Just amazing on mono recordings.

At under $1100.00 from LP Tunes, its a bargain. The ART-9 surpasses all cartridges I've had in the system before. That would include Dynavectors, Benz, Grado Signatures and a Lyra Clavis that I dearly loved. In fact, its more musically correct than the Clavis. The Clavis was the champ at reproducing the piano correctly ... the ART-9 is equally as good in this area.

Sound stage, depth of image, left to right all there. Highs ... crystalline. Mids ... female and male voices are dead on. Transparency ... see through. Dynamics ... Wow! Low noise floor ... black. Mono records ... who needs stereo?

Your assessment that the ART-9 doesn't draw attention to itself is dead on. You just don't think about the cartridge at all. Not what its doing, or what its not doing ... its just beautiful music filling the room.

Thanks again Pani for the recommendation. I'll keep posting here as the cartridge continues to break in.
128x128oregonpapa
oregonpapa's avatar
oregonpapa OP
4,867 posts
 
Okay, here we are at about 30-40 hours on the new ART-9. At this point, readers of all of my previous posts on this cartridge can forget everything I said. Why? Because the cartridge at this point has far surpassed all I said before.

This cartridge plays HUGE. With the combination of the ARC-REF-75se and the ART-9, the music just seems to wrap around the room.

The three dimensionality of this cartridge really adds to the realism. The super clear midrange reproduces voices particularly well. Coral music is just great with all the singers right there in their own place in space.

With the improved clarity in the midrange, the midbass is more tuneful and realistic as well. Acoustic stand-up bass on jazz recordings is much improved over the old OC-9 MKIII.

Orchestral music is way more defined now. This is a very dynamic cartridge. Last night I was listening to Bizet's Carmen Ballet performed by the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra. This is a Russian recording on the Melodia label. I thought the dynamics on this record was good before, but WOW, it was nothing like this! I've always used this record as a demo for unsuspecting non-audiophile friends. If you can find it, buy it. Whoops ... I just found it for you. Jump on this one, guys:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ROZHDESTVENSKY-BIZET-SHCHEDRIN-THE-CARMEN-BALLET-LP-CLASSICAL-/321817949802?hash=item4aedd8366a

Do any of you like the "Provocative Percussion" recordings or the early "Stereo Demo" recordings of the early 60's? I have a lot of them, and they never fail to knock the socks off of my audiophile friends. They're amazing recordings and a lot of fun to listen to.

Here's some good ones for sale on Ebay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/STEREO-SPECTACULAR-DEMONSTRATION-SOUND-EFFECTS-DFS7777-RARITIES-/221821166311?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item33a59262e7

http://www.ebay.com/itm/STEREO-IMAGING-DEMONSTRATION-RECORD-OHM-TELDEC-VIRGIN-VINYL-1982-LP-/231636097310?hash=item35ee96591e

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-SOUND-IN-THE-ROUND-VOL-2-STEREO-DEMONSTRATION-1956-LP-RECORD-ALBUM-CS-22-/311246594163?hash=item4877be2073

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PROVOCATIVE-PERCUSSION-RECORD-LP-33-SIZE-12-FREE-SHIPPING-/161777522150?hash=item25aab115e6

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PERSUASIVE-PERCUSSION-VOULUME-3-RECORD-LP-33-SIZE-12-FREE-SHIPPING-/161777522146?hash=item25aab115e2

And while I was looking for you guys, I ran across this five record box set and just couldn't pass it up, so I bought it for myself.
pani
1,218 posts
 
He he! Oregonpapa, I am not surprised at all. As I said before, this is the only cartridge I will buy again and again when it wears off. It puts me in the middle of the performance or in the middle of the studio like no other cart. The day I hear a more correct sounding cartridge I will post it right here.

Kudos to Audio Technica!
tablejockey
3,867 posts
 
I believe my ART9 now has enough miles to declare it settled in.
Unquestionably kicks the OC9 to the curb. I will also include my Benz Glider and Sumiko Blackbird. This is just my system, so perhaps these in another setup would result in a different opinion.
The AT50 still has me wondering about the "perceived superiority" of its non permeable core and performance. It is afterall, the current top dog in the AT lineup.
pani
1,218 posts
 
Thats good new Tablejockey! If the AT50 can supercede the ART9, we all have something to look up to.
tablejockey
3,867 posts
 
Pani, you have a system a few notches above mine, so I can imagine how the the 9 sounds in your system.
Hindsight, I could have saved over 2k forgoing my 2 other carts.
Guess it's part of the hobby. I've certainly blown ridiculous amounts of cash on other obsessions.
The AT50 unlikely to ever happen here. The cost difference in addition to an SUT/cables for me would justify upgrading my table/phono.
I'll just buy and listen to more records.
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