I have the AT33SA. People say it's "bassy", but to me it's not nearly as bassy as a DL-103 or an Ortofon SPU. And maybe a little less bassy than the AT33EV. It is more than the ART7, though, but it's subtle, not drastic.
there are scattered users of the original ART9 that prefer them overall to the Delos. if the new XI is truly more open sounding than the original it would also seem a worthy competitor. The Cadenza Bronze is the burnished, warmest sounding of the series. The Blue would be more neutral and dynamic and again more of a competitor with the Delos. The Blue is clear, refined and dynamic and a near perfect match for the new G 1200 arms.
i wouldnt mind trying a 7. unfortunately my preamp maxes out at 64db gain and i am not interested in a SUT or upgrade.
So after sending in my ART7 to AT USA to trade in for an ART9XA... They're replying that they don't have any in-stock to trade and won't be getting any for several months. So I guess I'll be riding the AT33SA for a while longer as a substitute than expected.
Great cart selection on your profile. Does the MP500 compare favourably to the others you own, notwithstanding obvious phono stage differences etc, just sonically I mean... Edit: apologies for derail, hopefully can have some Art cart context too!
It's hard to compare MM/MI to MCs because they're such apples vs oranges, in some ways. In terms of value for money, I'd put the MP-500 on par, or maybe a little ahead, of the AT33EV. It's got a more advanced stylus shape, but it's more finnicky about getting alignment just right. If I had to grossly over generalize, the MP-500 does pretty well against similarly priced MC cartridges that use basic stylus shapes (elliptical / conical) and doesn't need as much gain, but it's trickier to align. If I had to choose between, say, a standard DL-103 and the MP-500 to live with for the rest of my life, I'd pick the Nagaoka. Once you get into MCs with higher-end motors and advanced stylus shapes, it falls behind, but not as much as you might think relative to cost. I like the MP-500 enough that I have 2. I doubled down years ago when the prices were lower after I heard my first one, before it got famous.
And has the same stylus as the ART9XA. So good to condition my ears to prepare for a compare-contrast when it comes back.
Ive been looking at eventually trying out an MC cart. I have a Marantz TT-15s1 table, basically a clearaudio. Right now I have the stock Virtuoso with the AT-VM95ML stylus, which sounds fantastic. Would this cart be an upgrade for me, a side step, or just something totally different, but not necessarily better? Is there anything else you guys would recommend if I wanted to get into the world of MC carts coming from what I have now?
When you say "this cart", do you mean the ART9XI? The original ART9 seems to be out of stock. Might be discontinued. As the ART9-series is a MC cart, is your phono stage well set up for MC use? MC's aren't always a step up if the phono stage isn't up to snuff for MC use.
How much gain does it have in MC mode? There is a big output difference between the ART9XI and ART9XA.
I think the Stereophile 3200 review said it has max 100db of gain at terminals (phono stage in this series of amps is the same).
Looks to me like AS-1100 has about 68 db of gain on the MC input, which should be plenty for the .2 mV ART.
I thought I would share these comments from an ART9XA/ XI Thread on A/G- enjoy you ART 9 owners / prospective owners: " hondo 19 posts 08-29-2020 11:18pm I have the ART9XI, ART9XA, and older ART9 cartridges. In my main system I have two turntables one with the XA and other with the XI. My ART9 is warmer sounding than the newer ART9XI. I prefer the ART9XI over the ART9. Classical music accounts for the majority of my listening. The clarity of the ART9XA makes it my classical music favorite. If I arm going to listen to some blues, then it is the ART9XI." -------------------------------------------- bjw54 2 posts 08-31-2020 3:00pm I don’t know about the x1 or x2 because I have not heard them, but I do own the original ART9. I purchased it from Music Direct while wanting for a Sound Smith re-tip. I liked it so much on my VPI Classic 3 with a JMW-10.5 arm, I didn’t really miss the koetsu for the entire 6 month wait!
I apologize if this has been answered, but have you any of you used the ART9 on a Technics 1200 MKII? I am considering the ART9, Denon 103R, Zu Audio Denon 103R, Denon 301 MkII, and the Audio Technica AT33PTG/II. I have been heavily leaning on getting the latter. I currently have a Denon DL 110 which I have liked but it's getting up there in mileage. I have a modified tonearm with dampening materials added, so it's heavier and I use a Zupreme headshell which I also know is heavy. Any help here would be greatly appreciated.
should work fine- same mass arm as the new 1200s and the ART9 sounds awesome on them. Even though it is more expensive it puts your sound into a higher league than its price.
So you think the ART 9 is the clear winner of the cartridges I listed? I was initially waiting to get one until I can afford a 1200 GR to upgrade my table. I initially thought I would end up getting a vpi table but I keep reading all the amazing things about the new technics tables so I may just stick with technics.
yes. the ART9 rivals many more expensive cartridges in the $2K range. My $1900 Ortofon Cadenza Blue barely beats it and I bet the XI will beat it. The Ortofon 2M black and Dynavector DV20X2L are very good ~ $1000 cartridges but the ART9 sounds much better to me and many other music lovers.
I have the Art9 and agree it sounds really good. I also have the Ortofon Quintet Bronze which also sounds fantastic. I rate these 2 about the same: they both sound way better than the price. Harry Weisfeld of VPI rates this particular Ortofon as great bang for the buck. He’s right about that. Two great cartridges.
there must be a huge difference between the ortofon quintet blue to the bronze. the blue in my system was nearly unistenable. even after extended break in it did not sound refined. turned me off forever on entry level LOMCs.
The retail price on some of these cartridges is crazy. For instance, the Cadenza Blue you mention, places like Music Direct charge almost $1900, as you say, yet you can buy them from kron on audiogon for $1150, which puts it at about the same price as the new ART9. Same with Dynavector and Benz Micro and some of the others. Ridiculous markup.
Cheers. Thanks for the advice. I can't find an ART9 below $990. I was hoping to spend ~$500-600. Any comments comparing the Audio Technica AT-OC9/III vs the AT33PTG/II for a 1200? My budget for audio is going to go up substantially in ~1.5-2 years but I will likely need a new cart before then. I am planning on getting a 1200GR with an ART9 around that time, but for now, I'll keep going with my beautiful modded 1200 MKII.
