Audio-Technica AT-ART9 phono cartridge

Thank you Pani for an excellent response to my opening post. You've pretty much made the decision for me. I love the sound of my OC9 Mk III, so a step up to the ART9 should be just the ticket. As a side note, the OC9III is superb on mono records. I'm a jazz collector and have many ... MANY mono jazz recordings.

To quote you: "Dynavector 17D3 in my system but that was no where in comparison."

How did the Dynavector compare with the ART9 in your system? I have a friend who raves about the neutrality of the 17D.

Thanks again for responding.

My system:

Well Tempered TT modified.
ARC REF-75
ARC REF-3
ARC PH-8
ARC CD-7se
Legacy Signature III's

wanders ...

No regrets at all. The cartridge is wonderful. Highly recommended. 

Sorry, no experience buying from Japan. Got mine from LP Tunes. 

Please let us know your experiences with the ART-9. 

Excellent, wanders ... 

It's a wonderful cartridge ... especially after 50 hours or so. 

Gotta say ... I moved up to the ART-9 from a AT-OC-9mkIII. The ART-9 is in a different league ... but BOTH are absolute killers on mono records. For someone like myself who has been collecting jazz records since the 1950's, that's a very important feature.

^^^ I can't speak for head shells, sorry. I can speak for the ART-9 though. It replaced my OC-9 MK III almost exactly a year ago. Over the past year, I've made some real significant improvements to the system. Just multiply everything I've previously said about the ART-9 by a factor of ten. Its WAY better than I thought ... and I was amazed by it before. Its a real sleeper and a great value. You're making a good choice, unless you want to get into the $5.000 range. 

^^^
I've looked at that Bob's Devices product at the Newport show over the past few years.  I've been tempted. I have a very good phono stage (ARC PH-8). I was wondering if I could make an improvement by adding the Bob's Devices unit to the system that would justify the price.  The ART-9, at .05 output works perfectly in the system. What improvement could I expect with adding the Bob's Device, if any? Any ideas?

^^^

Thanks for the response, aragon ...

I've spoken to "Bob" a few times at the Newport show. Nice guy and a real enthusiast too. 

I had a slight hum in my vinyl rig too. I solved the problem by attaching a ground wire to a screw on the outboard motor of my Well Tempered TT and then just letting it hang loose behind the equipment rack. I have zero hum now. Funny how a little fix like that can make such a difference. 

OP

^^^ It will improve with a little age.  I heard a mega-buck system over the weekend with three turntables sporting a total of four tonearms, one of which had the Lyra Etna on it.  Great cartridge to be sure ... but I really didn't feel I was missing much at all, especially in the area of correct tonal balance. 

Do you own any mono records? The ART-9 is great at playing them. 

Had a listening session with an audiophile friend tonight and the conversation eventually came around to the ART-9.  The consensus was that the ART-9 never draws attention to itself, but just simply disappears.