New Audio Technica ART9XA Up and Running.....


Just installed a new AT ART9XA cartridge and it sounds excellent, so enjoyable listening to music with this cartridge. It replaces a highly regarded LOMC that was an upgrade from my original ART9.
The ART9XA beats the "highly regarded" one.

The XA is the lower output air core version of the new ART9 series having .2 mv output vs. the new ART9XI with .5 mv.
The XA also has a shibata profile vs. the SLC of the XI.

Hat's off to the threads on this forum that started the legend of the ART9 (Pani and Oregon Pappa) 

I am loving my recordings more than ever with the new XA. Peace.  
avanti1960
avanti, your glowing praise has piqued my hopes for a wonderful experience, but it's likely I'll receive the cart at least a week before I get the tonearm back.  I feel like a kid with Christmas coming - can't get here soon enough.  Thanks for the report!
@keegiam,
fun place to be, i hope it meets your expectations.  
listening to grant green grsnt stand and grsnt's guitar sounds so natural, full of space and present.  lovin it.  
peace and keep us posted.  
I opted for the xi, as it was the successor to the venerable art9 - so far sounds really awesome. I hope I didn’t make a mistake not getting the xa. I’m coming from a dynavector karat d3. 
@shooflyshoo

I spent an inordinate amount of time and angst trying to decide between the XI and XA myself.  I was reassured by many members I would be very happy with either.  I went with the XA once I decided to take the plunge and switch out a couple resistors inside my preamp's moving coil section to adjust to the XA's very low .2mv output (a result of its non-magnetic air coil design).  I'm still not yet set up (my arm has just been returned from re-wiring).  I could not have gone with the XA without doing this, and I'm still nervous about it.

Bottom line: the XI's .5mv output means you will have ZERO gain problems.  I'm sure you'll be delighted.  Let's compare notes once we're up and running.

Could a more detailed description be offered on how the Art 9XA is perceived as a better Cartridge than the Ortofon Cadenza Blue.

I am familiar with Ortofon and they are my go to Cartridge.
So the XA now has my attention, when such a comparison is offered.