Audio Technica ART9

Well I got 6 hrs on this cart so far. It has very similar dimensions to the Dl-301 so installation was a snap. Oh, I stuck a little dab of blue tack on the nuts and stuck in place on the cart so screwing the screws from the top was a breeze! Oh man, the magnet on this thing could pick up nails from a roofing job! Anyways the first thing I noticed was the soundstage; how huge it is! And the soundstage on the DL-301 is no slouch. The ART9 has better highs, detail and bass than the DL-301. But then again its in a different snack bracket! And everybody kept asking me how much better can it get? It was hard to imagine cause the Denon is a great cart for the price. I just wanted a cart to end my quest for a great table/cart combo; to retire with. I read that it takes up to 100hrs to fully break-in. Oh, the first thing that I noticed when I played a old Nancy Sinatra record was the BLAT from the horns! Just great!
Cheers, Doug

 

My Art9 is breaking nicely. Got about 13 hrs on it. Had some guys over last night and when I played a older regular pressing of Valdy (Cdn folk singer), one of the guys told me that he has heard him live several times; 5 rows away at one time, and this playback was better! And this cart is still breaking in!
Cheers, Doug