Here we have the Audio Technica ART 1000 moving coil cartridge. I am mentioning MC as AT became famous for their brilliant MM carts, in the US under their Signet brand. I am proud to own a small collection on these having been advised by my “AT partner” in Sydney 😉. Okay, they also got their fabulous 50th Anniversary MC  (ANV) which I like very much too. Being popular in Japan and the US for many years in Europe Audio Technica carrys a “Poor Man’s Moody Blues Image” which is absolutely not justified.

As I wrote here about my impressions of the Victor L-1000 Laboratory and the Neumann DST which bear the same technological principle, in these designs the coils are coming close to the diamond. The principle is shown below:

How does it sound? I listened to the ART 1000 via my EMT JPA phono pre being supplied by an Ortofon SPU T-100 SUT.

After 20 hours running time I have to admit it is a great sounding cart, and somehow superior to the Victor. While the Victor needs to be played just a little louder providing a full range sound (without external SUT one gets a better matching at 1 mV, 200 Ohm)  the AT is supporting a sheer wide band, creating a very harmonous sound. In comparison to the Neumann DST it’s more on the warm side but not as dynamical as the vintage design.

Audio Technica designed a wonderful transponder producing a stable, warm and lush sound. It is voluminous, well-tempered, harmonious and comes with a good resolution. Regarding the three-dimensionality is does not deliver the wide and open space the Palladian does. But it wouldn’t be fair to call this a disadvantage. It is just another way of listening habit you go along with. Audiophiles who dislike the sheer dynamics and high resolution of the Lyra Atlas may be catered well with the ART 1000.

I listened with these two records and will report after having collected more impressions: