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Pani ... New ART-9 up and running ...

The Cartridge arrived and I took it down to Studio City to Acoustic Image to have Eliot Midwood set it up properly. Eliot is the bomb when it comes to setting up the Well Tempered turn tables correctly.

http://www.acousticimage.com/

So, last night I had Mr. Golden Ears over to get his assessment as well. For a brand new cartridge that had zero hours on it ... all I can say is WOW! This is one naturally musical cartridge that doesn't break the bank. Its everything I liked about the OC9-mk III, but it goes far beyond the OC-9 in every respect.

In a previous post, I talked about the many mono records I own and how good the OC-9 was with the monos. Well, the ART-9 is on steroids. Just amazing on mono recordings.

At under $1100.00 from LP Tunes, its a bargain. The ART-9 surpasses all cartridges I've had in the system before. That would include Dynavectors, Benz, Grado Signatures and a Lyra Clavis that I dearly loved. In fact, its more musically correct than the Clavis. The Clavis was the champ at reproducing the piano correctly ... the ART-9 is equally as good in this area.

Sound stage, depth of image, left to right all there. Highs ... crystalline. Mids ... female and male voices are dead on. Transparency ... see through. Dynamics ... Wow! Low noise floor ... black. Mono records ... who needs stereo?

Your assessment that the ART-9 doesn't draw attention to itself is dead on. You just don't think about the cartridge at all. Not what its doing, or what its not doing ... its just beautiful music filling the room.

Thanks again Pani for the recommendation. I'll keep posting here as the cartridge continues to break in.
oregonpapa

Showing 14 responses by oregonpapa

oregonpapa's avatar
oregonpapa OP
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Avanti ...

In addition to why the ART-9 doesn't call attention to itself, I think  you've also hit on the reason mono records sound so good when played using the ART-9.  It just seems to extract more information from deep inside those mono grooves. When it comes to mono playback, the AT OC-9 MKIII was great, but the the ART-9 is on steroids. 

As things progress with the system, I keep wondering how much more information we can extract from vinyl grooves and digital bytes.  For someone so technically ignorant as myself ... (I'm still amazed that airplanes can fly without propellers), I continue to shake my head in amazement. 

Kudos to the engineers and tinkerers who make this possible. 
oregonpapa's avatar
oregonpapa OP
4,867 posts
 
j_damon ... 



Thanks for the kudos, but all of the credit goes to Pani who originally recommended the ART-9.  

So happy you are experiencing the attributes of the ART-9.  As it breaks in, you will appreciate it even more. Last night I was playing a  Stanley Black album ... yes, Stanley Black. The highs were so sweet and extended that I, and my audiophile guest Robert were totally taken aback. The highs go on forever. 

Frank. 
oregonpapa's avatar
oregonpapa OP
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Earlier we were discussing the rising top end in some the the high end MC cartridges. My friend Robert was kind enough to do some research to see what he could find on the frequency responses of some of the more popular cartridges. Robert writes a column on good records for Audio Beat and has done a lot of recording work and sales of audiophile recordings for both Cisco Music and Impex.  Check it out:

From Robert ... 

"Atlas:
BTW, that's 8DB up at 20K! However, that really doesn't matter, but what does is the fact that 's up 5DB at 9K!!! Great for old Verves and RCA country records that droop in that region, but you'd better disconnect your tweeters if you wan't play the Beatles of Jascha Heifetz.
http://s1164.photobucket.com/user/s33kw47h/media/LyraAtlas.jpg.html

The Dorian is even worse, so I guess that's why you pay more for the Atlas. You can do better than both for a lot less.
http://www.tnt-audio.com/gif/lyradorian_freq.gif

For comparison, here's the far cheaper Dynavector 17D. I'll take the truth over that audiophile foolery.
http://www.dynavector.com/products/images/17d3_f_response.gif

Here's why the Denon 103s have such nice sound on brass and strings. No hype!
http://gallery.audioasylum.com/cgi/gi.mpl?u=3771&f=DL-103R.JPG

The OC9 graph is instructive. It has a obvious rise in the audible region, but but between 10-20K it's flat. I'm pretty sure the ART 9 has a similar rise, but I'm sure starts at a high frequency, hence a bit smoother sound. Nothing to get too concerned over, but I hear a slight one.
http://www.dartmouth.tv/audio/images/AT-OC9ML-II.jpg

Benz LP

The only Benz I ever tried was the LO Glider. It stank in my system, but the Benz carts are certainly smooth on top, and I like that.
http://digilander.libero.it/agostino.manzato/audio/reportage/mysonic/benz_lp.jpg

For work related reasons I'll be sticking with Dynavector or Denon. Of course, response graphs don't give you the whole story, or we'd all have Shure V15-Vs, but they aren't BS either."
oregonpapa's avatar
oregonpapa OP
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lewm ...

Thank you. I'm glad you stepped in to comment. I'll share your comments with Robert to get his feedback and get back to you. 

Robert researched through the Internet using Google Search and did a cut & paste on his findings. However, the rising top ends of many of the MC's have been an ongoing conversation between the two of us for years. He's made the claim throughout that the 17D, with its flat response, is the best cartridge for evaluating what's on the record for reissue purposes. Perhaps not the most spectacular ... just the most accurate and truthful according to Robert.  He and I both love what the ART-9 does by the way. 

Frank
oregonpapa's avatar
oregonpapa OP
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jollytinker ...

Glad you're enjoying the ART-9. 

Claude Williamson was the pianist for Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All Stars back in the 50's.  I spent many nights with a friend on school nights at the Lighthouse. The owner let us sit and listen as long as we were spending money.  We drank coffee after coffee --- at twenty-five cent per cup. It was expensive for us at the time because that was the time in the country before inflation got so bad. Gasoline was twenty-five cents per gallon ... and we were drinking coffee at two bits a cup.

When it comes to West Coast Jazz its hard to beat this combination:

Howard Rumsey - Bass

Claude Williamson - Piano

Conti Candoli - Trumpet

Bob Cooper - Tenor sax.  (Bob Cooper was married to June Christy)

Bud Shank - Alto sax.

Frank Rosolino - Trombone

Howard Rumsey - Drums

Check these albums out ... Most of them are in the collection here. 

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xhoward%20rumse...
oregonpapa's avatar
oregonpapa OP
4,867 posts
 
From my very first post that started this threadd:

" At under $1100.00 from LP Tunes, its a bargain. The ART-9 surpasses all cartridges I've had in the system before. That would include Dynavectors, Benz, Grado Signatures and a Lyra Clavis that I dearly loved. In fact, its more musically correct than the Clavis. The Clavis was the champ at reproducing the piano correctly ... the ART-9 is equally as good in this area."

Frank
oregonpapa's avatar
oregonpapa OP
4,867 posts
 
Jolly ... 

Wow! What a super effort and great comparison review. Thank you for doing that.

Its pretty much what I would expect, especially in the "detail" and "bass" area. Did you try comparing the two cartridges on any mono records? The ART-9 is great on monos, as is the AT OC-9 MKIII.  Oh, and what's the price difference between the two cartridges? You didn't mention it.

I got the feeling from your review that if you didn't know about the  Zyx UNI Premium that you could live happily with the ART-9.  Am I correct in assuming this?

Thanks again ... quality review. 

Frank
oregonpapa's avatar
oregonpapa OP
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^^^ Welcome aboard the ART-9 train. :-)
oregonpapa's avatar
oregonpapa OP
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^^^  bryantdrew ...

The highs will come around, don't worry. The Art-9 is very extended with sweet, clear highs that seem to go on forever. Give the cartridge a good 75-100 hours. 

By the way, I don't know if you play a lot of mono records, but if so, can you believe how good the OC-9 MKIII was on mono?  Once your Art-9 is fully broken in, its at least twice as good as the OC-9 III on mono recordings. They just seem to get way down into the grooves into some previous unplayed territory.  :-)

Frank
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oregonpapa OP
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^^^ j_damon ...

Its a custom belt built by Origin Live in the UK. Very smooth transaction and it was a solid improvement for my Well Tempered table. Here’s their site:

www.originlive.com

Here's a review of their turntable with an excellent picture of their custom belt. I've made a lot of mods to the turntable but this was the best one by far. You can actually hear the thing break in over about an hour's time. It all about  how the belt grips the platter and accurate speed control. More dynamic and lower noise floor with a more accurate tonal balance. Highly .... very highly recommended.

What table are you using??  I'm curious about the mat you're using. I was thinking of ordering one from Herbie's. 
oregonpapa's avatar
oregonpapa OP
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j_damon ...

Nice analog rig you have there. If it uses a "flat" belt as opposed to a "round" belt, get the Origin Live custom belt. Its worth every penny and far more. You'll think you've upgraded a component ... its that good. 

Now you've really gotten me interested in the Herbie's mat. I just completed the system with Herbie's tube dampeners on all of the tubes.  Wow! Another cost effective upgrade and highly recommended for anyone running tube gear. 

Frank
oregonpapa's avatar
oregonpapa OP
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My ARC PH 8 seems to be a perfect match for the ART-9. I feel no desire what so ever to make any upgrades. 
oregonpapa's avatar
oregonpapa OP
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Pani ...

Just a word of thanks for turning us on to the ART-9. I've enjoyed mine immensely ever since installing it.   It just takes itself out of the equation and totally disappears leaving only the music.  Highly recommended.

Frank

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oregonpapa OP
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