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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
j_damon
20 posts
 

Installed the ART9 on Saturday, a threaded body would be helpful, but once the screws and round(?) nut were installed it was the easiest cart I have installed, due to the flat bottomed clear protector. I was able to do  most of the alignment with the protector on, when I took it off to check it out it and dropped it on the jig, it was perfect. I hate moving the cart around on the metal jig but this lets you move it with no issues. 

Played the first record, brite, etched high end, pinched mids, and bloated tubby bass (it sounded like Levon Helm had a nose plug on). As the side played we could hear it changing quickly, my girl looks at me and says      " is it changing this fast, is that what I'm hearing?" and it was. By the end of the first record brightness diminishes, mids open up and bass becomes tight. As I keep playing records, the changes come more slowly and subtly,but it keeps revealing itself. Ten hours in it is a totally different sound, open, clear and deep, amazing!

I was researching this cart when I found this thread, glad I did. The experience of the skewed cantilever might have put me off enough to give up on the ART9, so glad I kept with it. Gain is no issue with the ARC PH-6, a very nice pre that I got for $1700 new in the box (for the posters looking for a pre)

Thanks to all for the support!!!  Especially Pani and Frank!

j_damon
20 posts
 
One thing I noticed, the documentation indicates a VTA of 23 degrees, is that Celsius?  ;-) 
lewm
6,770 posts
 
Chakster, Thanks for the response.  The circuit looks very simple, which is good. I have no idea why they call it a "Diamond" transistor, but that's marketing-speak anyway.

I wonder a little bit how they achieve two different gain profiles (one for MM and one for MC) in such a simple circuit.
sbank's avatar
sbank
2,038 posts
 
Just read @chakster 's link to JLTI. One point I found curious. 
"Optimizing Moving Magnet cartridges can go as low as 2K Ohm...The rule is simple, the lower the Load Value, the higher the damping. Most cartridges are listened to under-damped and you can benefit from listening to optimised damping." 

If I understand, this suggests that with MM carts you will want to experiment with going from 47k down to 2k or somewhere along that range. The GIANT thread here on MM implies that consensus view on changing away from 47k is in the other direction up to 100k or even more. 

So as Keenan Thompson would sing, "What's Up With That?, What's Up With That?" Cheers,
Spencer
melm
309 posts
 
I found this thread very useful when I contemplated a new cartridge and landed on the ART-9.  A plea then to get back on topic so that it may prove useful to others thinking about cartridges.

There are plenty of other venues to discuss electronic units, or a new thread can be started.


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