Avanti, endless thanks, your research solves my misunderstanding. The truth is that I should have been able to track this down on my own, but the subject can be daunting.
Now I know that the XA's compliance is actually in the 15-20 range when using resources like the Vinyl Engine chart. The ART9XA it is, and I'll order the resistors for the Classe tomorrow.
The importance we give these matters might seem obsessive to many, but we really hear this stuff.
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It's an easy swap of two resistors on an old school board. The manual has a detailed list of resistors for fine tuning the output in 2db increments, so I could choose +63, +65, +67, etc (up to +75!). Pretty dang thoughtful of Classe.
Truthfully I'm more concerned about the SME's mass, which is technically in moderate territory, but just barely. The XA wants a low mass arm. Your arm is 9g, mine is 10g with the lightest hardware. Maybe I'm over-thinking it.
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OK so.... I auditioned the ART9, 9XI and 9XA at length using the Lp Gear YouTube through the sketchy bluetooth connection to my primary system.
My main conclusion: I'm never going to intentionally listen to Pink Floyd's "The Wall" again. Clean sound but a studio-contrived facsimile of musical instruments played by talented musicians. Having played it close to 100 times to listen to the AT cartridges, I'm done for life. The only semi-convincing image is the snare, and it still sounds canned. Not a good choice for serious listening. (I did, however, enjoy the kids' chorus - reminded me of grade school.)
That said, I found the 9XA the most spacious, but I'm concerned that part of what I'm hearing is inexact equalization between the .2mV XA and the .5mV XI. Any thoughts?
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Thank you all. The wisdom shared here is invaluable.
I started subscribing to The Absolute Sound at Vol. 6 (mid 70s?) because, having grown up in school orchestras and knowing how instruments sounded, I recognized the writers' abilities to express the sound of musical performances they were hearing through the gear.
It's reassuring to know you folks are out there, having logged millions of hours listening - and more importantly - hearing.
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avanti, thanks very much for the excellent A/B/C comparison video by Lp Gear. As much as I've been reading about various cartridges, I was unaware of these videos - let alone one that gives us the three ART9 models. Very helpful. The SME V's stated effective mass is 10/11, just barely into mid mass range. Cart/arm resonance with the ART9XI is in the high 9's, a more comforting number than the ART9's high 8's. Good point about the combo!
noromance, cantilever is correct; I parroted "stylus" from the Lp Gear site. My bad.
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@dover
Good tip, I checked the gain spec on the Classe a while back but skipped over the minimum MC input. Yes, it is indeed .3mV. Concern with the Classe's gain is one reason I locked in on the original ART9 at .5mV. I don't want to have to pull my old head amp out of the attic.
@mijostyn
Another good tip. My rough calc of upper 9 Hz for the XI/SME included 1/2 g for hardware, so I'm certainly not going to want to be on the light side.
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Thank you Raul. The Classe Six manual says the MC gain is factory preset at +22dB and can be changed in 2dB increments by switching resistors (using silver solder). This morning I did some more research and found the KAB gain calculator, and for .5mV (ART9XI) optimum gain is 56dB, so all would be well.
For .2mV (ART9XA), optimum is 64dB, so it would be best to replace the 2 resistors and bump the gain by 6-8dB. Not a big deal. I don't have the original resistor kit - I bought the Classe as a nearly new trade-in - but the resistance values and color combos for various gain increases are listed in the manual.
Am I on the right track?
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Hit a speed bump. Looking into ordering the XA, I noticed its dynamic compliance is 10 (x10-6 @ 100 Hz) vs. 15 for the XI. 10 seems quite low for the SME V with its 10/11 gram effective mass.
I believe I read somewhere that viscous damping, which the SME has, makes Fres less crucial. Should that alleviate my concern?
Between possibly adding headshell weight and switching out the Classe's resistors to handle the XA, I'm back on the fence re: XI vs. XA.
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My SME V is being overhauled and rewired (one length to preamp) by SME Tonearms in Canada. The Owner, Alfred, liked my choice of AT-ARTXA or XI but suggested the Dynavector xx2 Mk ii, which he happens to be able to get at a great price right now.
Any thoughts: AT-ARTXA (or I) vs. Dynavector xx2 Mk ii?
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Avanti, lots of praise on Audiogon for the XA. The SME V is higher mass than your arm (10-11g) and, unless I swap out a couple resistors in my Classe Six, the gain would only be 57db. As you mentioned back in August, the XI would probably work better with my arm, and I wouldn't have to mod the Classe. The SME is due back in 3 weeks, so I have to pull the trigger soon. The XA sounds so enticing I'm still in a quandary.
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What's the best way to increase the effective mass of the SME V if I select the AT-ART9XA? The XA's dynamic compliance is only 10, and it weighs 8.5 oz. Without increasing the SME's effective mass (10-11g depending on hardware), the resonant frequency would be a bit high. It seems the effective mass should be at least 12g for the XA, according to Vinyl Engine's chart. Is there hardware available for this purpose? How is the proper weight to add determined? https://www.vinylengine.com/cartridge_resonance_evaluator.php?eff_mass=12.0&submit=Submit |
