AT-OC9XMLvs AT-OC9XSH

@lewm 

I don't consider that mention bad.  

I looked up the NOS availability of both the 7 and the 9.  Seems both are still around and at a nice price.  

I recall the discussions related to the ART7 and ART9.  I don't recall the details.  One was supposed to have better dynamics than the other.  One was supposed to provide better detail that the other.  One was supposed to be preferred for classical music, the other for jazz and rock.

Can anyone recall the distinctions?

You would be moving from a 5th Gen moving coil to more modest, albeit impeccably executed design. Still, I can't imagine you'd be happy with the results. A-T carts aren't really known for the two characteristics you mention - dynamics and soundstage. If the replacement cost is the issue, then I'd consider a Hana ML. In my personal experience, and in every review I've read, Hana carts are extreme overachievers, easily comparable to anything 3X-5X their price.

What exactly are AT cartridges known for. then?

bpoletti, I think that business about the ART7 being best for one kind of music and the ART9 best for another kind of music all started with something that came from AT originally in one of their ad blurbs.  After that, individual users ran with it, most of whom owned only one of the two and so were not in position to compare in their home systems.  I use my ART7 to reproduce all sorts of musical genres, and it's uniformly excellent.  I am sure there are several end users who would say the same about the ART9.  The only spec or stat to grab onto in choosing between them is signal voltage output.  The very low output of the ART7 suggests it might have a lower moving mass, which cannot be a bad thing.  On the other hand, if you don't have enough gain in your system to complement the ART7, the ART9 was once the darling of this forum.