Wanted to report; I ordered the art9 through eBay, last Monday, from 2juki - the Hong Kong vendor. I received a confirming email the next day; couple of days later I got shipping status and tracking number; on Saturday a messenger service showed up and delivered the cart. The box was sealed and, after inspection, there was no apparent damage.
Even though I had my turntable off-line for re-capping and service (thought delivery would take at least two weeks), I was able to get the cart mounted on a headshell and playing to verify that it was fully functional. The eBay guarantee assures that the item arrives as advertised. Perhaps if there is some down-the-line problem with it, I would regret not buying through a US source, but for now I'm pleased.
As to performance, even after a hasty setup and limited listening, the art9 is clearly a high-end performer. I'll report my listening impressions on the other thread later; but I wanted to let readers know about my buying experience.
