Yelp! Im not surprised....my good friend Catcher 10 told me some time ago about test records...so I got one and boy.....what a valuable tool one must have if he is to make sure his cart is set correctly.
Soundstage opened up and imaging showed a real improvement. The procedure sounds more complicated than it is. Checked azimuth on My Pioneer also and it was spot on. I have a Hot Tuna Live recording that like surround sound. Wish all my Lp's were like this. IMO most studio recordings lack in this area.
As I wrote before, with a very close inspection I found that the stylus and cantilever of my Art9 to be as perfectly centered and straight as can be---to my eyes and under my loupe. Consequently, what I do is use a small penlight shining on the front of the cartridge and comparing with its reflection on a record while playing. Two horizontal lines perfectly parallel. From time to time, because I use a VPI arm with its exposed wire, this level gets upset very slightly and I can hear it in the sound. Not exactly scientific, but it works for me.
rocky dennis, any update on how the ART9 is shaping up ? Since I have also used the Delos and Skala before the ART9 it will be interesting to know what you feel.
Because of a crazy past few weeks of work and home improvement projects, I haven't been able to post my thoughts on the ART9 until now. My initial impressions of the ART9 hasn't changed much from my earlier post. Overall, I'd say the change from the Delos to the ART9 is a lateral move. That's actually a compliment to the ART9 considering it costs half as much. The ART9 sounds more neutral across the frequency spectrum. Where I prefer the Delos is in the tone, which I find slightly sweeter and to my ears more attractive on most records. One significant improvement in the last 50 hours is how the ART9 handles surface noise. It now beats the Delos in that regard. Now, the big news. I recently replaced the JMW10 arm on my Classic 'table with the 3D printed arm. With the ART9 on the new arm, my system has never sounded better. The 3D arm is a significant improvement, imparting a fuller sound that brings my system that much closer to reproducing the sound of live music.
I am also using the Art-9 in a VPI 3D arm, in my case a 12" arm. As I wrote way above I am quite satisfied. I speculate that the 3D arm is a relatively light weight arm that pairs better with the relatively high compliance Art-9 ("relatively" here references against the generally heavier arms and low compliance cartridges generally favored these days) . When I ran this combination through the Shure Era V test record, which is supposed to find the high arm-cartridge resonance, to my surprise I could not find any! That, and of course the quality of the arm too.
Well that's good to know being as I dropped some cash down on a 3D arm and the adjustable VTA Base for my Classic 1. Although I'm running a Lyra Delos cart.
kind of mirrors the opinions of the thread on AG where people are happy making the comparison to the much costlier Delos. my ART9 continues to impress me and seems to be evolving even after ~ 100 hrs or so. Clarity is improving yet without any additional groove noise in an already extremely clean, quiet sounding cart. For the heck of it I swapped in my Ortofon 2M black and it sounds awful in comparison- harder edged, clinical and unfriendly- which is hard to imagine because I used to love it.
You make me not want too upgrade...I love the way my 2MBlack sounds.... It cost too much money to sound awful. Might as well save my loot!
I've had a pretty good, varied night of listening tonight - Maiden, My Morning Jacket, RATM, and now Clapton Unplugged to finish off the night. The Art9 continues to impress me and yes, I can't quit coming back to comparing it to the Delos. IMO, for my tastes, the Art9 is superior. I would argue that tonally, they are similar but I find the Art9 to be just a touch warmer, enough to really draw me into music. The Delos seemed to beg me to analyze the music. So, maybe there's a little less detail or extreme topend on the Art9 but that's not really my bailey wick anyway. I suppose what I'm getting at is that the midbass and lower midrange of the Art9 sounds more appealing to me than the Delos but, full disclosure, that was on a totally different table/arm than what the Art9 sits on. My only hope is that the new line of AT carts offers something as brilliant as the Art9. I know she ain't gonna last forever
So far they have only changed the MM range and looking at like for like specs of models available in UK it appears to have facilitated the opportunity for a price rise. This makes the MCs look even better value against the higher MM models. How big a leap is the ART9 over the AT33 models?
Unfortunately I've never had an AT33 but I do have an AT-150MLX that I've used on this table and its predecessor, a Music Hall 7.1 which now sits upstairs with the 150MLX and in all respects, the Art9 is heads and shoulders above the 150 which is, frankly, a pretty good cart to begin with.
I had the AT-33 ptg before the ART9 for sometime. In fact that is how I discovered ART9. I liked the at33 a lot but it lacked the ultimate resolution and dynamics of a high end cart so I took a leap on the best AT cart available and it was ART9 (2 years back). It turned out to be a cartridge that totally got me off the cartridge switching merry go round. In the last 2 years I have not visited the audiogon cartridge sale section even once. The ART9 is multiple folds better than at33 ptg. Totally they are same/similar tonality but ART9 is more studio neutral With a much higher dynamic range and resolution. It is like going from CD to high Rez 24 bit/192khz
I tried the ART7 and neutral it was not, very etched in the high end. On a blind test only one person chose the ART7 vs the PTG/II so here is a differing opinion on the ART series
From what I've read and understand, the Art 7 and Art 9 aren't all that comparable in terms of what they sound like. Not sure why that would be as it doesn't make much sense, but I read very similar opinions on the 7 that almost swayed me from getting the 9 but further research led to wildly contrasting opinions of the 9 relative to the 7. I can say the 9 is not bright, not etched, not harsh or sibilant. It combines sweetness and air with impeccable tracking and bass authority. Like many of the rest here, I want not for a different cartridge. Others I've had in my setup: AT-150MLX CA Maestro Wood V1 Hana EH DV 20X2L Concept MM Lyra Helikon Lyra Delos I think that's it. My two past favorites were the 20X2L and the Delos. The 9 is like those two had a very pretty baby (IMO).
You guys...I just sent my Phono Pre to Rogue Audio for an upgrade, as soon as it gets back I'm thinking there will be an Art 9 not too behind.
