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Model: | OC-9 |
Category: | Phono Cartridge |
Suggested Retail Price: | $199 |
Description: | Moving coil phono cartridge |
Manufacturer URL: | Audio Technica |
Review by mark111 (A) on September 16, 2006 at 09:01:14 IP Address: 65.175.198.47 | Add Your Review for the OC-9 |
This review is for the ml/II.This is the best cartridge I have had in my system to date.I have had this cart in my setup for 6 months now.I began looking for something to replace the Grado Silver after deciding I didn't want to deal with the silibance issues any longer.The Grado was a beautiful sounding cartidge otherwise.
The OC9 is a little heavy for the 8.5 gram effective mass arm on my 'table , but hasn't had any problems working in this arm.I had to set the cartridge as far back in the headshell as it would go to align it with the Turntable Basics alignment protractor,but it did fit.
The OC9 sounded great out of the box,though the treble had a bit of extra energy,and it improved somewhat in bass weight and the treble settled in after a couple of weeks.
This is a very balanced sounding cartridge.It has the most open sound I have encountered in my system.Surface noise is very low,no inner grove distortion,bass weight that betters the Grado(and that's saying something),incredible detail and separation between intruments and between individual voices in a chorus like I've never heard.I don't hear any odd artifacts or distortion with this cart.About the only thing the Grado did better was that it brought out the texture of instruments and voices a little better than the AT does.
At $285.00 on the web,this shows that sometimes you actually do get what you paid for.
Product Weakness: | May be too heavy for lighter tonearms. |
Product Strengths: | Open,balanced,smooth,weighty bass,clean and undistorted. |
Associated Equipment for this Review: | |
Amplifier: | Rotel RSX-1065 reciever |
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): | na |
Sources (CDP/Turntable): | Thorens TD-295-mkIV |
Speakers: | CV AT-12 |
Cables/Interconnects: | generic |
Music Used (Genre/Selections): | mixed |
Room Size (LxWxH): | . x . x . |
Room Comments/Treatments: | . |
Time Period/Length of Audition: | 6 months |
Other (Power Conditioner etc.): | ma |
Type of Audition/Review: | Product Owner |
Your System (if other than home audition): | . |
Follow Ups:
I run mine on a Michell TecnoArm A tonearm. Recently I played a warped second-hand record with this setup - the most badly warped record I've ever tried to play. The OC9/Michell stuck to it like glue and the sound was in no way compromised, although it almost made me sea-sick to watch it. I've since de-warped the record using the plate glass sandwich in a cool oven method, but there really was no need to do so. No other cartridge I've ever owned, mm or mc, would have tracked this record.The rest of your critique is accurate. I listen to classical music exclusively - large scale symphonic and operatic in the main - and the OC9 excels in this repertoire.
Thanks for the review.I've never owned an MC cartridge; I understand the stylus is not replaceable. Any idea how much it would cost to retip?
With any reasonable LP cleaning regimen, the stylus will last several thousand hours. By then, you'll want to try something different, not extend the life of your old cartridge. AT may even have come out with a new model to arouse your lust.
will send you a new oc9II if you send in the old one. they are in ohio. it took a fair amount of time for mine to return but it was about $153.
...regards...tr
That doesn't seem too bad, considering the initial price.
and brand new.
...regards...tr
Apparently AT will do it.I don't remember what the cost was.Mabey a search of the archives would reveal that.
enjoy,
mark
Second your review. Short and to the point. I found that moving from a Shure v15xmr to te AT, the amount of surface noise seemed to deminish (not that the Shure was bad in this regard) and the noise floor was lowered. It is indeed a very well balanced cartridge. It would benefit from just that little bit of the 103R's midrange. But this becomes a matter of taste and synergy.
I am playing with a line stylus cartridge and find it to be quieter as well. The quieter noise floor makes listening more fun and I find vocals are fuller and well presented as well. I wonder if this is a by-product of a fine line stylus?
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