Audio-Technica AT-OC9XML Owners Club and Pictorial

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Davey, Oct 26, 2021.

  1. Davey

    Davey NP: Portishead ~ Portishead (1997) Thread Starter

    Location:
    SF Bay Area, USA
    This cartridge seems to be getting extremely popular around here so thought it might be fun for all the owners to post a picture or two of their setup, might lead to some tips and pointers that benefit us all. Maybe include a couple lines about what it's mounted on, table, arm and headshell (as applicable). And maybe the preamp/load/gain you are using with it.

    I'll start it off with mine, I'm using a Micro Seiki BL-91 with MA-505MkIII tonearm, so pretty lightweight. It also has silicone oil damping behind the pivot. I track at a little under 2g, maybe 1.85-1.90g most of the time. The tonearm output goes through Zavino 1877 Spirit MKII OFHC Silver DIN to RCA cable to vintage Partridge 977 (1:6) transformers mounted in my Conrad-Johnson Premier 15 phono preamp. The loading on the cartridge is set to around 660 ohms (23,700 ohms at preamp input reflected through the transformer windings)...


    [​IMG]

    The light green vinyl above is the new Maarja Nuut Hinged album that I've been obsessed with the last few days, really nice sounding record, mastered by Caspar Sutton-Jones at Gearbox Records, same as a couple other big favorites this year from Chihei Hatakeyama and Kevin Cahill/Graham Costello, all very much recommended, though in Maarja's case, very well pressed at the Vinyl Plant in Estonia and released on her own, mailed to me from her farm in Estonia via bandcamp purchase, very cool and adventurous (and fun) record.
     
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  2. punkmusick

    punkmusick Amateur drummer

    Location:
    Brazil
    I'm the newest member of the club

    [​IMG]

    The cartridge arrived this morning and I haven't had the chance to listen carefully yet. Just played a few songs out of two records.

    After reading that I shouldn't be too concerned with compliance resonance and that MC cartridges prefere more rigid headshells I mounted it in my Jelco HS-25 with the Jelco stock cables. Easy set up. Turntable is stock Technics SL-1210GR. Phono stage is the Parasound JC3+. I set VTF to 2g. I have no previous experience with MC cartriges, so I just used the fixed 47k ohm loading in the JC3+, but can try some of the variable 50-550 Ohms later. First thing I noticed is how silent the phono stage is. I had never have a LOMC and was afraid that 64db of gain would produce much hiss but it is actually even more silent than the MM section. Second thing is that I prefer the MM section with RCA but with this cartridge the balanced XLR seems to sound better. Hard to say because of the volume difference but it's my first impression.

    So far it sounds great, can't think of anything I dislike. Seems to have a very natural tonality, with a nice sparkle without being bright. Bass is huge. More to come in the next days and weeks.

    The record is Brant Bjork self-titled album.
     
    Last edited: Oct 26, 2021
    eis01, Dignan2000, McLover and 12 others like this.
  3. struttincool

    struttincool Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    Nice! I was about to get one, but purchased a Rel sub instead. When time for replacement are you going to trade-in or get a 3rd party retip?
     
  4. Davey

    Davey NP: Portishead ~ Portishead (1997) Thread Starter

    Location:
    SF Bay Area, USA
    I'm on my second one, bought it from goknight for $494, and have a tradein pending with AT on the first one. Doesn't really pay to retip unless you have a favorite person that is pretty cheap (tradein is $281).
     
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  5. Ingenieur

    Ingenieur Just a dog looking for a home...

    Location:
    Back in PA
    I plan on joining.
    Can I get the secret handshake?

    I'll be following this thread, should provide some good feedback.
     
  6. struttincool

    struttincool Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    That's not bad at all.
     
    kt66brooklyn and patient_ot like this.
  7. ubiknik

    ubiknik Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago, IL USA
    [​IMG]
    OK, so it's not a ML. But it's an OC9!...
    I can't wait until this baby wears out soze I can get me the ML version.

    So if this is an offense to the club then have a mod pull this post...
    I picked this up a little over a year ago and it's my first foray into MC, I remember glazing over specs on the OC9 series and I seemed to recall some other differences besides the diamond cut, but for whatever reason I spent the extra 200 clams to get this, I was doing a big trade with HIFiHeaven and I wanted an Art9 but they were sold out, so from that perspective the cost didn't seem so daunting.
    I have no regrets (other than not being a card carrying OC9ML club member) and this cart has really been satisfyingly pulling it's weight (I do a lot of recording with it), and it's a pleasure to listen to.

    Not long after this purchase I got a VM740ML and a VM95ML and now that I'm a little better educated on the stylus profiles I often wonder what the differences are between the two. I know that when this does wear out I will trade it in for the ML version.

    TT is the Marantz tt15s with the Clearaudio carbon arm, phono stage is Channel Islands PEQ-1 w/upgraded PSU.
    I loaded it with 10kohms and 60db gain and that seems to work fine, I wanted to get a SUT but based on how good it sounds like this I begged off.

    Any possible advantages to loading it say with 470 or 100 ohm (those are my only other options)?
     
    eis01, mackeyse, 5-String and 6 others like this.
  8. Davey

    Davey NP: Portishead ~ Portishead (1997) Thread Starter

    Location:
    SF Bay Area, USA
    No, that's fine, I almost said at the end that all OC9X users are welcome, but then decided to just leave it at the ML since it's the most popular one. But you are still welcome :)
     
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  9. ubiknik

    ubiknik Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago, IL USA
    Phew!...

    P.S. this TT doesn't have a dustcover, I use extra mats to keep dust off the platter but the tonearm and cart really take it on the chin dust wise... hence my setup looks not as shiny and spiffy as you other guy's setups.
     
    Last edited: Oct 26, 2021
  10. Davey

    Davey NP: Portishead ~ Portishead (1997) Thread Starter

    Location:
    SF Bay Area, USA
    AT-OC9XEB $123.47
    AT-OC9XEN $178.79
    AT-OC9XML $281.79
    AT-OC9XSH $332.80
    AT-OC9XSL $375.74

     
    Simon A, Big Blue, Ingenieur and 3 others like this.
  11. Davey

    Davey NP: Portishead ~ Portishead (1997) Thread Starter

    Location:
    SF Bay Area, USA
    Mine does live under a dustcover except during picture time, but admittedly I dusted the cartridge body with the record brush before the opening beauty shot, a closeup with flash seems to highlight even those near microscopic dust particles! Still looks like a couple made it through to the final shot, but a little better than my normal work :)
     
    ubiknik likes this.
  12. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    Heard it briefly and it may have been setup issues. I bet a competently installed and matured model sounds excellent and beats most if not all in its price range.
    AT economies of scale at your service....
     
  13. Davey

    Davey NP: Portishead ~ Portishead (1997) Thread Starter

    Location:
    SF Bay Area, USA
    I did post a link to the Melanie De Biasio song "I'm Gonna Leave You" from No Deal the other day in another thread. It's uploaded to my dropbox at Dropbox - biasio.flac - Simplify your life if you want to give it a listen, it's the AT-OC9XML cartridge. Should preface with the disclaimer that it is just sampled with a pretty cheap SoundBlaster card and Audacity, so it loses quite a bit along the way. No feedback in the other thread, which is usually a bad sign, but I did listen to it and thought it sounded OK. It's actually the only cover song on the record, original by Nina Simone.

    Anyway, I'll try to do a better one in the future with more care taken in recording and source, I had this one on my computer captured for someone else awhile back, so just reupped it to dropbox for that other thread. It's 24/96 flac, so download before playing. It's not edited other than normalizing peaks to -3dB, so there's a few extra seconds on both ends. I'll try to pick something a little more well known next time :)
     
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  14. 5-String

    5-String μηδὲν ἄγαν

    Location:
    Sunshine State
    Beautiful photos everybody! Keep them coming.
    I do not own a OC9XML but I love my ART9.
     
    plastico and macster like this.
  15. okc_craft

    okc_craft It All Matters

    Location:
    Okc
    I’m running mine on a VPI Aries Scout into a RCA 12399 SUT then into my Parasound JC3jr. I also have the Art9xa, but honestly the OC9 is a cartridge I could live with regardless of having the Art9. I have also used the OC9 on my SOTA Sapphire with my Eminent Technologies arm as well as my stock 1200 mk2.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
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  16. Davey

    Davey NP: Portishead ~ Portishead (1997) Thread Starter

    Location:
    SF Bay Area, USA
    I uploaded another AT-OC9XML recording, this one has been around a bit longer, "Basin Street Blues" by Duke Ellington and Johnny Hodges from the 1959 album Back To Back, this one the 1995 Classic Records reissue cut by Bernie Grundman. Same setup and comments as above, 24-96 FLAC at Dropbox - Basin_Street_Blues.flac - Simplify your life

    Edit: fixed dropbox link
     
    Last edited: Oct 27, 2021
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  17. warp2600

    warp2600 Forum Addict

    Location:
    Hungary
    Why don't you have a dustcover made to order by a polycarbonate sheet bending enterprise?
    I have had a beautiful one made locally, and you can do the same. Of course, I instructed them to make cutouts at the side for my fingers and the back for the cables. I think I still have those dimensions/designs saved somewhere if you need them. It cost me $25.
    As a matter of fact I did a quick search for your area and found Alro Plastic in Chicago
    Look them up and contact them.
    Click here to see mine.
     
  18. punkmusick

    punkmusick Amateur drummer

    Location:
    Brazil
    Could you please educate me about MC loading? What should I expect by changing it from 47k to something between 50-500 ohm? In what should I pay attention while doing that?
     
  19. Sterling1

    Sterling1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    [​IMG] Here's mine, attached to an AT-LH11H Headshell, which promoted exacting cartridge alignment to Technics tracking error scheme. On the Technics SL-1210GR's tonearm the cart/headshell peak resonance is at 6.559 Hz but is not problematic.
     
    eis01, bluemooze, timind and 5 others like this.
  20. ubiknik

    ubiknik Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago, IL USA
    That is a nice dust cover, my Marantz sits on a butcher block and there is no room around it for a dust cover to rest.
    [​IMG]
     
    Mr. Dean, Kyhl, timind and 2 others like this.
  21. warp2600

    warp2600 Forum Addict

    Location:
    Hungary
    I see.
    How come you have the carbon tonearm?

    Edit: Sorry guys for the off topic change.
     
  22. ubiknik

    ubiknik Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago, IL USA
    I switched it from an older high end Clearaudio table that I traded in.
    The original owner of that older table had purchased it for that deck which originally came with the aluminum arm, so when I traded that deck to the hifi store I switched arms.
     
    warp2600 likes this.
  23. punkmusick

    punkmusick Amateur drummer

    Location:
    Brazil
    Looks great with that headshell.
     
    C.Ludwig likes this.
  24. okc_craft

    okc_craft It All Matters

    Location:
    Okc
    Looks great!
     
    C.Ludwig likes this.
  25. Davey

    Davey NP: Portishead ~ Portishead (1997) Thread Starter

    Location:
    SF Bay Area, USA
    It's probably better not to have much of an expectation bias when testing the loading, just try it. I wouldn't personally go below 100, I'd first just switch bewteen 47K and 500 and listen to each for awhile, just listen for the overall balance. Some of the change is dependent on your preamp, and some on the cabling, you are affecting the ultrasonic input filtering in the preamp in addition to the cartridge compliance change, there are a lot of distributed variables at work so there isn't really a right answer, set it where it sounds best to you.

    And after you do, come back and talk about where you wound up and how you got there!
     

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