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AudioTechnica ART 9 users - break in, VTF/VTA and loading questions

Just received my new AT ART 9 -- sounds damn good right out of the box... but just thought I would check in with others already using this cart for some time...

- what is break in time you experienced for the sound to ’settle in’?
- what VTF worked well for you? I am at 1.95 grams.
- what VTA works best? I’ve started at usual slight tail-down setting
- what loading does it like best? I am at 1000 ohms

Just for context, my table is VPI Classic 2E with JMW 10.5 CF arm in VTF tower, into an Ayre P5XE.

Initial reaction is very very smooth, sophisticated sound, with a little more life and sparkle up top than the Koetsu Black I have been using previously. Midrange very very sweet and lifelike and bass is strong. Maybe just a touch more groove noise with AT...  

Differences are pretty much what I have been hoping for... Koetsu really lovely, just a little somber/romantic.

Will develop opinions of spatiality/imaging etc etc after more hours running.

Thanks in advance.
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jjss49 OP
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Paul and TJ

thank you for your responses... will try arm tail up... counter to what most MC’s like

TJ - Koetsu is really lovely just a little romantic, soft/dark lens, think VPI Classic table on that side of spectrum as well ... felt I was missing just a little sparkle and drive,

Recently getting back into analog - having lots of fun and enjoyment with it ... maybe 15 years of listening to (pretty good) digital has me wanting a touch more detail ... analog definitely has a more holistic, organic, denser sound that is just wonderful, so right now I am just playing with different well-regarded ’killer-app’ cartridges to try to 'have my cake and eat it too' :)

ps - have a zyx r100 coming in ... will try that too before long...


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jjss49 OP
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thanks avanti

i am experimenting with gain also, using my ayre p5xe at various settings and also a rega aria i just acquired ... also trying a cinemag 1131 xformer into MM stage

what a sweet and transparent sounding unit the art 9 is... hard to imagine it still has improvement left in it
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jjss49 OP
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just getting around to trying the zyx r100h against the art 09... finally felt i had the art 09 sufficiently broken in to understand what it does, under varying VTA, loading and step up conditions.... now mounting the r100h and will run that a while to compare/contrast

have a fresh, upper spec zu modded denon 103r waiting in the wings next
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jjss49 OP
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replying to Bryantdrew:

My Zyx isn’t working right... need to tweak the setup more before I render a really informed opinion.

Couple things to say at the outset:

1. ART 9 easier to set up and dial in, though I agree, tweaking it can make it sound even better - Zyx has been problematic (I think due to its very very low mass body)

2. Zyx sounded more hifi and ART 9 more relaxed in comparison (though hardly dull) ... you do get a sense Zyx is somehow accentuating/magnifying the ambient/HF/stage info more... soundstage seems ’on steriods’
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