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AudioTechnica ART 9 users - break in, VTF/VTA and loading questions

Just received my new AT ART 9 -- sounds damn good right out of the box... but just thought I would check in with others already using this cart for some time...

- what is break in time you experienced for the sound to ’settle in’?
- what VTF worked well for you? I am at 1.95 grams.
- what VTA works best? I’ve started at usual slight tail-down setting
- what loading does it like best? I am at 1000 ohms

Just for context, my table is VPI Classic 2E with JMW 10.5 CF arm in VTF tower, into an Ayre P5XE.

Initial reaction is very very smooth, sophisticated sound, with a little more life and sparkle up top than the Koetsu Black I have been using previously. Midrange very very sweet and lifelike and bass is strong. Maybe just a touch more groove noise with AT...  

Differences are pretty much what I have been hoping for... Koetsu really lovely, just a little somber/romantic.

Will develop opinions of spatiality/imaging etc etc after more hours running.

Thanks in advance.
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jjss49 OP
6,612 posts
 
thanks avanti

i am experimenting with gain also, using my ayre p5xe at various settings and also a rega aria i just acquired ... also trying a cinemag 1131 xformer into MM stage

what a sweet and transparent sounding unit the art 9 is... hard to imagine it still has improvement left in it
pani
1,215 posts
 
VTF - 1.77 grams
VTA - just slightly tail up
loading - 120 ohms to 150 ohms. 100 ohms sounded a bit too thick in my setup
1000 ohms is super high, try a lower setting.

I use jensen SUT with 1:12 step up into a 37db MM phonostage and the gain is great. 
thepreludeimplicit
27 posts
 
responding to Avanti- : "I’ve had my ART9 running for 3 months (~ 150 to 170 hrs) and it just finally exceeded my wildest expectations. It always sounded good if not great but the treble and transparency finally opened up big time and the sound became much more colorful."

Sounds a lot like when my Grado/MCZ finally "bloomed". It was one tough bugger to get squared away. Looking forward to when my incoming ART-9 blooms.

responding to jjss49 : ;ps - have a zyx r100 coming in ... will try that too before long... ’

Almost went with the ZYX r100 myself, From the posts here lately, it really sounds like the ART-9 is what I was looking for.

p.s. - are you getting the ZYX from juki?

Thanks

harold-not-the-barrel
895 posts
 
ps68,

Blossoms at 250 hours. I still have a long way to go...
Thanks for that vital information, according to other threads about you are the very first to discover that.
I have thought if some carts need a very long break-in time... Interesting.

jbhiller's avatar
jbhiller
1,361 posts
 
I have this cartridge. It replaced a Dynavector 20XH MC.  

The ART-9 met my super high expectations, which were set lofty based on glowing user reviews. 

The cartridge sounded great out of the box. Surface noise plummeted around 10-15 hours of ny memory is right. I kept check VTF during break in and it never changed a bit so there was no adjustment. 

I've got north of 150 hours on it and it sounds fantastic.  I don't even know where it could improve. 

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