No sibilance or grit or buzziness to the tone here. And if there was one issue I had with my Hana EH it's that on some of my worn records which also have lengthy sides, the inner grooves were just too much for it. The Art9 plows through them with grace and efficiency. I had to tear myself away last night. Made it to 1:30 am and just record after record was almost revelatory. And I'm still using the built-in amp on my Anthem 710!
Im going to have to get myself one of these carts when the time is right! The way you guys go on and on about it has got me wanting to hear it. If its as good as you guys are preaching it is, and the way I get involved with my music, I'm sure I will shed a tear or two....lol!
Cameras a Nikon D90. Heck, I listened for 10 hours yesterday while it rained cat's & dog's. Really enjoy those days, home, alone, having it my way. Wife quit asking me 'what did you do today' on those rainy days while she was at work. And all this talk has me revisiting my alignment. Went from Stevenson to Baerwald. I use 2 different methods. The Feickert & double check with a mirrored protractor although I'm not sure I have a real grasp on how to use the mirrored protractor. I mainly play 45's on the VPI so the Stevenson alignment wasn't warranted. Sounds great with the Baerwald setup. Tracking @ 1.77 slight tail up and there's a FOZ XT-R downstream of the Sutherland PH3D. Passive volume control Using Intact Audio TVC. Lower left amp was finished a few weeks ago. SE 45 using Electra Print iron. Base is my second attempt. Third might be a keeper? First attempt turned into kindling. Don't mind the wires. It's all in a closet and nobody looks in here but yours truly. Wires that cross do so at a 45. This setup is dead quiet with no source playing. I thought the Stereomour was quiet.
Well it sure as heck ain't that^, haha. But, for what it is - a $900 refurb bought strategically after the 720's dropped, I have to say it's been pretty wonderful. I use ARC and bass management so I'm actually converting analog output to digital and back. The net gain is worth any tradeoffs - of which I honestly hear none - in this small, irregular space I call my audio room. I can easily put the two subs I have completely out of the picture when warranted or bring them into full song on your favorite hard rock and metal album where they really add that last bit of excitement to the story. The amp in the Anthem has terrific image width and depth and really gets out of the way of the music as far as I can tell. It's revealing of different tonearm cables, cartridges, and phono preamp settings so it's doing something well. Once I get my Odyssey Stratos Plus back from Klaus, it'll take over the heavy lifting. I've had an end-to-end analog system and because of my use case, I prefer the Anthem in every way. It's more ergonomic, more convenient, and I basically use it like an integrated amp these days. If I didn't own an outboard power amp, I wouldn't mind. I'm withholding comment on comparing it to the Odyssey because it went back for a reason and I don't think it was performing optimally. If it was... I really don't have a justification for using it in place of the Anthem, if that tells you anything.
Does anyone know if this cart will work on a Clearaudio Concept with Verify arm? This thread has me excited.
The Verify arm effective mass is ~ 9.5g from what I could find. My tonearm is 10g and it works perfectly, yours should be fine.
Musical Surroundings suggested a Hana SL would be a good match to the Concept. Would appreciate your thoughts on your ART9 vs. your previous Hana.
Great info on this thread. I'm looking at the ART9 for my next cart. I've been using a Lyra Delos on a VPI Classic. As a side note, I'm also considering getting the 3D tonearm. Has anyone compared the ART9 with the Delos? I'm interested in what the differences will be. I'm particularly concerned that the ART9 might sound "thinner" or "leaner" than the Delos. Also, any additional thoughts on ART9 would be welcome.
My next cart will likely be the ART9 or the AT33SA. They seem to be relatively close in price but don't know anyone who has tried the SA.
I'd do some research before getting the 3D arm. I've seen some reports of hum issues from those who have upgraded. If your arm is performing well, I'd leave it be.
reports on a-gon from people who have used the delos mention that it has a rising treble response and sounds artificially bright compared to the ART9.
I've had three in question (but not a shibata Hana) Hana EH - for the money, just a magnificent cartridge. Wasn't as good a tracker as I hoped on my setup but Jim @ Osage is convinced something's off with my alignment. Once I get my Mint tractor and align it that way, I'll give it another shot. Ample, well-defined bass, great midrange tone but lacking a little in clarity and definition. Paints a very musical picture and was frankly shocking at how much it delivers for a reasonable $495 price. Lyra Delos - I moved up to this from a DV 20X2L and used it on a Classic 2 with a JMW 10.5i tonearm. The Delos had a clarity and level of detail I was not prepared to hear. And, ultimately, something about it just didn't move me. It took about a month for me to realize how much I missed the total package of the DV 20X2L even though the DV, at least on price, had no business competing with the Delos. And it didn't, but for my music (rock, metal, hard rock; basically dynamic music with a lot of midbass, not necessarily "sparkly" recordings, and music that can be grating with too much emphasis on detail and not enough on tone. That is to say the DV whalloped the Delos in the vocal range, to my ears and tastes), the DV was just a better cartridge. If I listened to other genres and styles more heavily, the Delos would still be in the house. Art 9 - I'm probably only at about 20 hours into this thing plus 10-12 trips around the AP test record's two "break-in" bands, but if I were to take the PRAT and emotional character of the DV and fuse it with the detail and instrument separation of the Delos, I'd have the Art 9. That's exactly what I was hoping it would be and, so far, it is and then some. I got it because I really, really like the AT-150MLX that came with the Music Hall I bought used. Exceptional tracking (IG whaaaaa?), rewards a careful alignment, and life. I had heard the Art 9 was everything the 150MLX was but more of it. And I think I guessed correctly. Paired with the Jelco 750L arm, a Kimber tonearm cable and the iPhono V2, I'm getting it all. Foot-tapping power and dynamic capability, the ability to easily discern one instrument from another even when there are a dozen other things going on and I've got the volume at 11. Tracking is as good or better than the 150. I get just enough midrange "glow" for lack of a better term that the music doesn't feel cold or that I'm listening to some idealistic version of what's on the disc but it's not so colored as to be obtrusive or off-putting. It's got width and depth wherever the recording allows and it picks up colors and textures of sound that are hard to describe. I'd have to check my notes - and granted I've been so engaged by this whole combo I just stopped taking them - but hopefully I took note of one of the first albums I listened to with the Art 9. I could hear the singer's voice seemingly outline the little box he was in when he recorded the vocal. It's going to sound really hokey but if you've ever seen the appalling DareDevil movie (with Benifer in it), you'll notice how they use CGI to show how he "sees" room shapes with his hearing when he smacks his little baton on something. That's what this kinda felt like. The way the sound captured the space, the way it almost visually collected into the little corners and bounced out on the decay of the vocal was amazing. And the only other time I heard my system do that was so long ago with a very carefully built digital system. Only this time, I also got to spoon the vinyl gravy over the top of the whole mess and just got lost in it. So there you have it. So far, to say I'm a fan goes without saying. I can't honestly wait until it's actually broken in
Very well written and very convincing review of the Art9. Will go to the top of my short list. Thanks!
toddrhodes--seems like we've been on a similar journey with carts. I had the DV20xh before the Delos. Both really good carts with different character. The DV is on the warm side, colored but not in an unpleasant way to my ears. The Delos definitely is a step up in clarity and detail, but loses some of the "body" present in the DVs presentation. If the ART9 combines the best of both carts, that may be the way to go. I've heard higher end Lyra carts that give me what I'm looking for, but at three-to-five times the cost of the ART9.
Still enjoying the ART9 but coming to a crossroads soon. I have over 55 hrs. on it and am giving it to 100 Hrs to fully break in. At that point (~ 3 weeks) I will probably swap in the DV20X2L with Soundmith retip just to get another compare. Although I really love the sound it seems just a little on the polite side- possibly what gives it its clean, natural character. It plays record after record quite enjoyably- and that should be enough- but it's all about compromises. The DV/SS will likely thrill a little more on some records but probably sound overblown and less natural on others. We'll see.
I'd just add my $.02 on this cartridge which I've been running for about 6 months. It certainly outperforms anything I have had, the last cartridge being a Shelter 501II, and the same with a Soundsmith OCR retip. I use it in a VPI 3d arm and it's a perfect match: moderately light arm and moderately high compliance cartridge. I ran the combo through the Shure Era V record looking for the low frequency resonance, and for the first time ever in my experience there was none. On the Audiogon thread there is a long list of multi-kilobuck cartridges said to be outperformed by the Art9. Just shows what modern manufacturing techniques can turn out at a reasonable cost compared with small scale. Possibly it can be outperformed by a cartridge with a Shibata or VdH tip that better mimics the groove. But to get the best out of these IMO you have to be especially fastidious about SRA, perhaps adjusting to various record thicknesses. Not for me.
I agree with the idea that a company like AT with lots of revenue through high volume mainstream product sale, in-house engineering and manufacturing resources, expertise and facilities should be able to produce a high performing high value product. They can also go "low volume" state of the art as in the amazing ART1000 cartridge. Not always the case but it can be done. Like some people on AG have mentioned- the only thing wrong with the ART9 is its price.
I bet you're going to love it compared to the 2M Bronze. I've got the same 'table and tonearm as you (except mine is not the carbon fiber version of the Satisfy), AND I started with a 2M Bronze before moving to a Clearaudio Concept MC, so I'll be particularity interested in your impressions.
