But the Shibata is a fine line stylus, not quite as fine as the MicroLine/MicroRidge, but pretty close. That said, I would be more tempted if it had the MicroLine stylus as opposed to Shibata, though I guess that shape has a pretty strong following now, and I'd guess most of us would have a hard time telling them apart in a controlled listening test where stylus shape is the only variable, which of course is not possible here.
Generally speaking no. They just listen and if sounds fine to them they think it's okay. Most hi-fi retailers don't have the proper gear anymore to inspect styli either. One guy here that has had a shop for decades told me the following: "Diamonds don't wear out, it's the suspension that wears out first". Obviously that is a load of b.s. if you have ever looked at microscope photos of advanced styli at various hours of usage. I think that guy was using a 30x loupe or something to look at styli, which is insufficient and not the same thing as a microscope inspection under 200X+ magnification and good lighting. I really wish manufacturers would update their wear numbers based on current tracking forces. Seems unlikely that they will at this point, since most manufacturers aren't selling as many carts as they did back in the 70s or 80s. A lot depends on how manufacturers define wear. Some are very strict and use test records with a 15k test tone and when distortion exceeds a certain point, the stylus is considered "worn". Others define wear as when the stylus is likely to start carving up records. Personally I used to follow manufacturer's recommendations but I am much more conservative with my replacement schedule these days based on current information.
My XA has more surface noise than other carts including the original '9 which was luxuriously quiet. I don't think is is the Shibata more so than the need to add so much gain to the .2mv output compared to the .5mv '9 and ART9XI.
But if you are listening at the same volume level, I don't understand why surface noise would be any louder just because the preamp gain is higher? Everything should be increased by the same amount. Maybe you are just noticing more background noise from your preamp at that increased gain?
Now I’m confused. Isn’t the XI a microline? Thought it was. I don’t have a lot of surface noise. Was using a MLX150 before… Microline, right?
I don’t find my XA to be excessively noisy, now did I find it to be worse for surface noise than the XI when I was demoing both. I have the XA gain set at 66db and was using the XI at 56db. I do run a passive preamp though and my amps only have 11db of gain in their circuit, so maybe it could be my lower gain system.
The XI is the same as the old ART9, what they term special line contact, not MicroLine... and yes, the AT150MLX was MicroLine ... the ART9XI has a different stylus attachment to the boron rod, and the stylus is rectangular, so it's possible the tip mass is lower, which may be why they like it so much even though it is fatter and doesn't have as much contact area ... Stylus Curvature Radius SLC: 1.5 x 0.28 mil ML: 2.2 x 0.12 mil
Wow I had no idea. I am a proponent of the XI and its SLC. It sounds great to my ear and way more resolving than the MLX. also less surface noise on the XI. So seeing the XA having more noise is surprising.
Well, SLC stands as the most expensive cut Audio-Technica lists, but in terms of specs they claim it is basically a refined Shibata. So while fatter than ML and Shibata, it stands high in the A-T line still. For sound it should be definitely better than Shibata that is on XA model. Plus I remember a lot of users noticed that 2M Black (also has Shibata cut) is kinda noisy on less than mint records. P.S. Just for reference from A-T: 6.5 x 67.5 μm - Shibata 7 x 38 μm - SLC 3 x 56 μm – Microline
Yes, the AT33SA has a Shibata but was noticeably quieter than the ART9XA. But I feel you are hearing more from the ART9XA what’s on the record whether good or bad.
not preamp noise, more like clicks and pops slightly more noticeable. theoretically the clicks should have the same relative level vs signal at an equivalent litening level low output higher gain vs higher output lower gain but somehow it sounds like clicks are slightly more prominent with the ultra low output cartridge.
still a baby! the sound should continue to improve through 100 to 200 hrs. many art9 users have reported.
I am not sure what the advantage of the XA is over the XI, frankly, and why people choose it. it has a lesser stylus profile. It’s harder to drive/amplify. what advantage does it pose?
Primarily the non-magnetic (air) core the coils are wound around for very low inductance, XI on top, XA on bottom ... the XA looks to have the normal bird beak glued stylus from Namiki (drawing below isn't accurate in that area), not sure on the SLC tip on the XI, looks more like the slotted boron tips on Dynavector carts, so I suspect it doesn't come from Namiki, maybe Ogura ...
in addition to what Davey said you also hear more explosive micro and macro dynamics. this is where it really excells imho. however i would caution to use a step up transformer with the XA.
Did some tweaking to my setup today and I think I’ve dialled the ART9XA in a little better. Everything I played today sounded perfect. That slightly clinical bright sound has gone from the early days. Now it just sounds full, warm and plenty of detail at the top end. It’s definitely improving with run in and tweaking the setup.
