Upgrade from Sumiko Blue Point #2


 On the market for a cartridge. Considering Audio Technica.A little confused on the product line up difference between at33 and oc9 series. Anyone have experience with the new oc9x series vs oc9 iii. I would imagine e few in the new series would be an improvement but not all based on the fact price points they cover widely. Looking to upgrade the blue point no2 on my Pro Ject RPM5. Looking for a bit more inner detail, bigger soundstage and overall sq, don’t want to give up warmth. Rest of system is Pro Ject phono ds, Levinson 380s, Levinson 334 and the late 90s kef ref model threes. I noticed the original retail of the oc9 iii was over 1k at one point and seems to spec better in channel balance and separation. The at33 series seams to occupy similar price points are the voiced different? Thanks for any input. Upgrading my phono stage to Pro Ject RS also considering Ortofon Quintet bronze or Black.
yankee6000
So the Dynavector has been in the system for a few weeks and approaching the 30 hour plus mark give or take. I will begin by saying my initial impressions with my initial loading were not good. I had my phono stage setup 40db gain ,47k imp and no capacitance added (basically the settings I has for my high output Sumiko blue no2. The sound had more defined and focused high frequencies but that's were the benefits ended. The stage sounded flat the presence sounded squeezed and "choked" was the word that kept on coming to mind. I decided to change the impedance to 1000ohms and kick the output to 50db of gain. That was a game changer. Now the sense of presence and dynamics actually became assets. The soundstage had much needed added depth and everything came together, Everything also had a bit more transparency (such an over used term but while I'm shooting every other audiophile term in the book out there what the hell). Basically the proverbial windex on the glass everything sound cleaner thing going on here. Now at the same time albums that had excess  sibilant highs are no longer an issue for the most part  when compared to the Sumiko.I do fell the Sumiko is probably no slouch in it's price range and even had some qualities I feel better the Dyna particularly a slightly wider stage and a bit more unleashed in the upper mids and highs.This sometimes comes across enjoyable,exiting and dynamic and other times can be a hindrance causing slight fatigue , The Dyna has better punch and deeper bass also gives less congestion with better distinction of the instruments on passages with complex amounts of tracks in the recording. Sometimes I feel the Sumiko has a nicer way of overall layering during vocal harmonies although the Dyna has better ability to define the individual backing singers from one another. The Dyna seams to deliver the music in delightfully distributed morsels in the manor a well seasoned chef puts a quality meal together. Tonearm set to 1.9 grams and VTA 8mm above the level height to attempt to achieve 92' stylus rake without digital microscope accounting that with a 9" arm 4mm of height = aprox 1' of rake. There goes it my very first review of an audio product. I just received a Pro Ject phono RS with aftermarket linear outboard power supply so off to give it a listen. Cheers
German ClearAudio generator is nothing but a cheap Japanese Audio-Technica, it’s been said in MM thread years ago.

A real Audio-Technica top models from the past are superior and even cheaper than modern ClearAudio.