AUDIO TECHNICA AT-OC9XEB Review Part II with SOUND CLIPS! 

Great demo! I'm probably going to buy the OC9XML for my first MC ever. Audio-Technica is always good value it seems. I've got a VM95ML that is more or less fantastic. The mega-buck carts like Koetsu doesn't seem to be better at well anything if you look at the measurements, and they are as we all (hopefully) know everything. Actually, I've got a hard time seeing any advantage for MCs over MMs other than the MCs being less sensitive to loading and it being easier to a achieve a flat response with a MC. But I still want to try one.

Really liking your videos. Bought this cartridge primarily on your recommendation. Have a Mani 2 and Skoll set to 100 ohms and 100 pf on each. 60 db gain on Mani 2 and 70 db on Skoll. Cart is breaking in nicely. Tracking at 2 grams with VTA and Azimuth set on a light arm. Sound is mostly great but the mids could be a little sweeter. They are slightly grainy. Will this improve with break in since I have only about 5 hours on it or should I try another preamp? You seemed to like the Douk t4 plus. Also my old Rega turntable is not grounded well and there is some audible hum. But I need to fiddle with the cables more. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks

If you compare the official audio of this track on yt then AT is much more like original audio.

Great review! I have the exact same cart, fitted to a direct drive record player (that probably isn´t nowhere near reckoned to be among so called hi fidelity players) from Pioneer, namely the PLX-500. I had a Rega Planar 3 which I nearly lost my mind listening to. I know it´s hailed as a supposedly great mid range budget record player, but how people find that Planar 3 (with an Rega Exact cart MM) so great is actually... beyond me. It is prone for hum, distorts more and more as it nears the spindle, and you have to almost establish a NASA project if you wish to swap to a cartridge house of a taller build. So no. Not impressed. So I went for a direct drive more of a cheapo player, not falling for hi fi sales persons "recommendations" of upping the game. Along with Pioneer I purchased this AT-OC9XEB, fitted it with ease and dialled it in with even more ease with the vertically tracking that comes with the Pioneer. Begone hum and distortion - enter detailed soundstage and whole lot better mid range. No listening fatigue, not even once after 1 year of ownership. I run it through a Project Box S2, so nothing fancy there, but it sounds brilliant to my ears, without having to break the bank. Nice one!

I have the VM95e and I like it. So I would like the other one you showed. I used to have a pioneer PC 3MC and that was nice too. My set up is very basic; early 90s JVC receiver and Magnat speakers so I don’t know if it makes much sense to transition to an Ortofon, which I have been thinking of buying next. I have a Pioneer PL 505 turntable and I love it. I hardly ever see that anywhere for sale. Never gonna get rid of that. Good video and thanks for the examples.

Have you ever checked out any Sumiko carts? I bought my Sumiko Moonstone specifically because my Ortofon 2M Red was too bright. I love the Moonstone, so much so that I’m gonna stick to Sumiko when I upgrade. I’ll probably go with an Amethyst but I am curious about trying the MC Songbird

Hey, man. Great review. I’m using a stock DL103r cart right now, and it sounds fantastic. Can I ask what mods VAS did to yours? What kind of cantilever and stylus did you have put on it? How dyou like the damping, and was it deadened at all? When it comes time to retip my Denon cart, I’ll probably have a micro line stylus put on it, but I don’t want the tonality and balance of it messed with. Great sound clips. Thanks for another excellent vid. 🔊🎶👍

I have a Denon 103, and a denuded Denon 103 on cocobolo, and yours sounds completely different from my 103's ! Might it be a 103R? And not just a 103?

3:45 Yeah I fully agree, those AT-OC9 cartriges have a great soundstage. Plenty of depth. I think it's typical for MC vs MM, because my Denon DL-103R and Ortofon MC200 have a deep soundstage too! And yes, it tracks well... that's typical for AT cartridges. I've not found an AT cartridge that doesn't track well. I would call those AT-OC9 cartridges "warm" sounding, in contrast to their MM counterparts. The Denon DL103/103R are way more neutral sounding, with some sparkly highs.

I have a VAS Modified DL-103 and I hate it. Not because of VAS, they did what they said they did. I just have to admit that I cannot stand the DL-103 in any context. The OC-9mlII is my favorite of the OC-9s fwiw.

That's quite a difference between the Denon and A-T. The question is which is correct? Is the Denon artificially emphasizing the highs, or is the A-T muting them? It certainly lays to rest the claim that the A-T is an overly bright cartridge.

Should have been a comparison with the ATO9XEN to have two nude elliptical diamonds...

Сan't you look at the needle through the microscope? Is it whole or composite? mс head with glued diamond, nonsense!

Review, did you say? When did that happen? Please spare a thought for those of us who have a life, so don't have time to stare at a screen for 15 minutes while NOTHING HAPPENS. If you have something to say, say it.