Pladespilleren.dk
Audio Technia ART-1 - an old reference com to life
Only to be bough used. Price was 8.000,- DKR (1989) - approx. 1050 Euro
Latest updae 24 March 2021
From Japan 1989 to Denmark 2021 - A virgin cartridge is unpacked
The story about two friends named "Niels"
It
was back in 1991 or 1992. Niels Nørby had just developed the
Ascolta speaker system for Dansk Audio Teknik. I was invited to
Niels' house at the time. Primarily to hear the speakers. It was
definitely a positive experience and a nice evening, with good coffee
and a lot of good music. Back then only from vinyl, CD was not as
developed. But one of the things I also remember was his cartridge.
What it was used with and which turntable (probably a Mørch) is
lost in the mists, but the beautiful black/gray Audio Technica ART-1 I
remember vividly. When the cartridge was launched in 1989, the price
was about 8,000,- DKR. Too much for my budget, but you could dream.
According to the price index, this equates to approx. DKK 15,000 in
today's prices (2000 Euro). Still a lot of money, but compared to
several of the cartridges I play with today, that's a very
reasonable price.
The very well known Danish reviewer K.S.
Møller successfully reviewed ART-1 in HIGHfidelity No. 11/1990 and
2/1991. PDF can be downloaded here (in Danish): HIGHfidelity LINK
Some
years before visiting Niels Nørby, I had started writing for
HIGHfidelity (1989). The visit thus became an article, which you can
probably find in the old magazines. In the early 1990s, I regularly
went around visiting the Danish hifi shops in Copenhagen. KT-Radio,
AudioScan, LydKilden, Audio Art, Audio Consult, Bristol Stereo
Center and of course Hifi Entusiasten on Tagensvej. Here you could have
a nice cup of coffee at Henrik Kofoed and listen to many exciting
speakers and good equipment. Some of my hard-earned money was
put to use in this store. In fact, the owner of the store was Matrix,
which was responsible for the import of several hifi brands. The man
behind Matrix was/is Niels Nørgaard. I'm still in touch with him, and
now we're getting to the present.
Fast forward to 2021
At
Facbook there was a lively debate about turntables – there often is.
Niels Nørgaard mentioned his great Thorens Prestige as well as some
good stuff from when the store existed. Among other things, he
mentioned was an Aurex (Toshiba) Electret
Condenser Cartridge as well as the very fine Audio Technica
ART-1 cartridge from 1989. (Now we're back to the year I
started rewieving at HIGHfidelity). The ring is closed – one Niels
reminded me of the other Niels. It all led back to the ART-1. I
contacted Niels Nørgaard and bought the ART-1.
ART-1 - Audio Technica Reference Transducer
It
is rare to have the opportunity opening a 32 year old box with
expensive hifi. Even more rare is when it comes to such a fine and
historic cartridge. However, I've tried it a few times before, both
with pickups and with a Denon DP-80 turntable. It was with some
curiosity the plastic was broken. Niels Nørgaard was present and we
both enjoyed the big moment! Does it work or is it defective? I have
experienced similar old cartridges. which are just "dead in the
wrapper". There must be some kind of corrosion of the small copper
cables, or the rubber suspension is hard as stone and the
cartridge is to no use.
ART-1 was then Audio Technica's
flagship. All sails were set to mark the company's 25th anniversary. At
the same time as the Ortofons MC-3000 the ART-1 should be able to
compete in all areas with the many new initiatives seen by competitors.
It was the first time we saw PCOCC 6N copper cables internally. I
guess that it's probably also one of the first times you see
neodymium magnets in a cartridge. The body itself is made in
titanium (like the later MC7500 from Ortofon), but the entire bottom is
dampened with a powerful rubber/silicone mixture specially developed to
suppress resonances.
The canitlever is borong damped wiht
diamond dust. The needle itself is a 0.1 mm nude square diamond
with MicroLinear shape. Internally, Audio Technica's proprietary
vertical stabilizer is used, which they also use in AT-OC9. The entire
coil system is anchored in a ceramic material with good contact to the
house.
Specifications:
Weight 9 grams
Needle pressure 1.4
to 1.8 grams (AT-OC9 is mistakenly mentioned in the manual, but
probably too late to shoot the proof reader!)
Compliance 30 x 10^-6 cm static, 8 x 10^-6 cm/dynamic at 100Hz (about 16 at 20 Hz)
Output 0.35mV
Channel separation: 30 dB
Frequency range: 10 to 50,000 Hz.
Internal impedance: 12 ohm
Recommended load: 100 ohm for active MC / 20 ohm for SUT
Magnetic system: Neodymium
All
in all, data that one of today's top cartridges would boast about. It
was going to be very exciting to listen. Does it sound dusty and
old-fashioned, or is this still one of the best Audio Technica har
ever made?
Sound through the system
Yes,
it worked. No hard or soft suspension. Mounted in my Glanz MH124s 12"
arm, via Dyrholm's X Series tonearm cable into my Accuphase C27
RIAA. The load was 100 ohm (higher and lower loads were also tried).
There was music! I immediately dropped a message to Niels, and told him
that the deal was perfectly OK - I had bought a "still alive"
cartrdige that worked. The first impression was an immediate
smooth and fine-grained reproduction. It should definitely have a few
more hours before being fully awakened from its Sleeping Beauty sleep.
It then played constantly for a few days.
Right now Paul
Simon's album with his own name from 1972 (when I left school) is
playing. The first thing he did after the breakup with Art Garfunkel.
The track "Mother & Child reunion" flows from the speakers. The
record gets to continue, lots of life and detail. A quick shift to my
Hana Umami Red reveals a little more body and detail in the voices, but
the soundstage is the same - wide and detailed. Yes, the old ART-1 can
definitely join in.
One of my most often played records –
Jussuf/Cat Stevens – Tea for the Tillerman, should also have the
chance. Nice and large soundstage. More smooth and light-legged than
I'm used to from my Hana Umami Red, but definitely with just as much
detail. It is less physical in its way of rendering, somehow more
fine-grained and delicate. In other words, a "delicate sound".
The
peak of delicate sound must almost be Sade. Here the 1988 album
"Stronger than this". Yes, ART-1 reward the listener with
lots of lovely liquid and delicious tones, though still with some body.
There is also a delicious soundstage with depth and as much detail as i
have ever heard from this record. Definitely a pleasure.
I
also just tried ART-1 via my Lundahl LL1933Ag SUT, Now both into my
Accuphase and an Auda Flight RIAA. Via the SUT there was more body
and a somewhat fuller sound. Definitely an advantage, because all the
other details were still intact. Maybe again a cartridge that
finds itself best loaded with a SUT.
So how does it fare in
relation to another top-notch cartridge? I have compared it to my Hana
Umami Red, who has a more physical and bodily reproduction. The voices
have more power. But upwards in the upper octaves, ART-1 can easily be
included. The bottom is also a little less nuanced on ART-1, but it is
not so that it in any way falls through, Here it must also be said,
that the two dartridges sat in two different arms, which definitely
also makes a difference. But all things are doing amazingly well. A
smooth and accurate rendition where you just want to listen
to more music.
What will the future bring?
Now I
have included the ART-1 into my collection of cartridges. The new top
cartridge from Audio Technica is AT-1000. At some time 30 years into
the future there might be a chance that one has forgotten one at a
shelf somewhere. The price is around 40.000,- DKR (aprox. 4800
Euro) so in year 2051 i may be able to buy it at a reasonably
price (if there is anything like money at that time). Anyway if I
should still live in 2051 i would be close to 100. The question is
– can I still hear anything at that time?
BACK TO THE FRONTPAGE (IN DANISH)
