Best loading for Audio-Technica ART-9?

I’m currently trying out an AT ART-9 cartridge into my SuperLine / HiCapDR.

Any suggestions for best loading?

I think all AT moving coil cartridges are specified as requiring a 100 ohm or greater load. My understanding is that any lower then the bass may be light.
Having said that, I had a number of conversations before buying an AT33 ptg ii, because the EAR 834P has an input impedance of 40 ohms. I am happy, accepting that with my equipment, in my room I am never going to get earth shaking or window rattling bass.

Too low a loading makes the bass flabby, too high and it gets light and the top starts to shout a bit. You can use the cap loading socket for a second R plug to try trimming using the values you have to hand, use the parallel resistor formula but it’s slightly complicated by the plugs being labelled for the resulting resistance when in parallel with the internal 10k load of the Superline, the 1k is good for checking if slightly lower is better. Find the right loading then order a Z plug of that value from Naim.

best is determined by personal preference, but for AT MC, S loading (470 ohm
IIRC)would be a starting point. ( that’s what I would do if I was playing with the ART 7 or 9 )

I am curious to see what you think of the cartridge.
Which arm are you using?

Indeed - not the 9, but I’m using the ART1000 into the S boards of my 52 and it sounds right to me.

That’s cool.

On which arm?

Kuma

Thanks, you have helped to confirm my suspicions that starting somewhere around 500 Ohm makes sense.

I’m using a vertere MG-1 turntable with a SG-1 Mk11 arm.

I’ll report back after further experimentation

On an Ekos SE/1. My original demo was on an Aro, and it works very well in either arm.

Steve, I can’t answer your question but it prompts a happy recollection of hearing the ART 1 on a LP12/ Ekos in the early nineties. Just so right.

C.

Thanks to everyone so far. The experimentation has just begun but I can say 470 Ohm is so far a huge improvement.

Nice!

Curious to find how does it sounds compared to others.

Which cartridge were you using before?

It’s great that you got to listen to it before the purchase. What other cartridges did you compared to? ( sorry OP for thread jacking! I’ll stop soon. )

IIRC, it’s a strange design where the coils are directly mounted to a cantilever?

Technically, there’s no cantilever. :wink:

I moved from a Kandid and compared it to Kleos SL, XV1s (not the T that day), and a Kiseki something or other. When I originally picked the Kandid I compared that to a bunch of others as well.

I wasn’t in the market for a cartridge, but I was hooked from very much the first note - it really sounded more “right” than any of the others by orders of magnitude.

Kuma

No probs, interesting in learning all I can.

The vertere MG-1 with SH-1 MkII is new to me and the AT is a suggestion to go with it. The Rega RP10 made me realise there was life after a LP12 so I’m trying alternatives. So far this is very promising.

Wow. London Decca calling! :astonished:
You’re lucky you found something you like. I don’t think there is a demo opportunity in the US, but I was thinking trying ART 7. Or better yet, love to listen to an elusive ART1!

Your Vertere must be way better than the RP10. I got to listen to one a few weeks ago and I was more impressed by their new Planar 8!
Were you using Apheta before ?

Well, I should have been clearer. There’s a cantilever, but all the action happens at the stylus end. The cantilever is kinda “not on the signal path”. I think the Decca really doesn’t have one, right?

Depends what you call a cantilever:

A mono wired London Maroon has impressed me in my 282/250 system and no mistracking on an Aro.

Quite different in execution. Trying to remove a fibre that’s wrapped itself around the business end might be fun.

I think it something gets wrapped there I’m sending it back to the factory for removal. :-p Don’t think there’s a safe way of touching the coils.

I asked AT about what to use for cleaning the stylus and they told me to use the brush it comes with or their solid AT617a pad only - not even their classic 637 vibrating cleaner.

Kuma

Yes, I was using an Apheta II and latterly a Linn Krystal. 500 Ohms was better than 470 so I now have 560 and 576 to try.

It would be something if your ART9 betters both cart as they are twice as much. One thing is tho ART9’s output voltage is much higher than either Apheta or Krystal. Do you have a Superline E or standard?

That looks to be quite fragile. I would also be worried to clean dust accumulated from playing records as I am not always fastidious cleaning records. ( I only clean if it was really noisy )[quote=“ricsimas, post:18, topic:1505, full:true”]
I think it something gets wrapped there I’m sending it back to the factory for removal. :-p Don’t think there’s a safe way of touching the coils.