Benz Ruby 2 vs. Van Den Hul Frog

I own a Frog. The cartridge is very good but the service from this company is plain awful. After less than 250 hours, the tip and cantilever collapsed while it was being installed in a brand new tone arm (by a professional installer supplied by the dealer). The U.S. distributor of van den Hul determined this was due to a "structural defect" and said there would be no charge to repair it. Initially, I was told to expect a 2 week turnaround. Then, I was told 4-5 weeks. It is now 7 weeks and I still don't have a cartridge. If you go to van den Hul's website, you will search in vain for a "contact us" option: no email address, no phone number, no fax number. The only contact information is the distributors. When I contacted the distributor, he told me the only information he could solicit from van den Hul was when their next scheduled shipment from the factory in the Netherlands would be; he could not inquire as to the status of a specific repair. Indeed, there's no way to confirm that they even received the cartridge; for all either of us know, it could have fallen off of someone's desk into a trash can. There are lots of high end cartridges available. Do yourself a favor: don't buy a van den Hul.

van den Hul does indeed make great sounding cartridges, yet as you've witnessed, their service is the worst in the industry.

It is a real shame, their Tube Research Copper Hopper CHA Grasshopper is a favorite. It's no wonder that there has been multiple US distributors since introduction to the "States". It should also concern anyone why a manufacturer would be hesitant to supply direct contact info.

I compared Benz cartridges to the Van Den Hull Frog several years ago and chose the Van Den Hull. I've been very happy with it. It's fast, extended top and bottom and very musical. I do load it down a bit (100) to warm it up a tad. The Benz cartridges were slightly colored, just a tad euphonic. Since the rest of my system could be described as a tad euphonic (Conrad Johnson Premier 12's, Spendor FL9, etc), the last thing in the world I needed was a cartridge that was other than neutral. That said, if your system is a bit dry sounding, you might be better off with the Benz.

Three years ago after a "misadventure" with the cantalever on a Benz Glider, I traded up to a MO9. I enjoyed the rich, warm sound it provided along with the HW19 TT, EAR tubed line/phono, Vac PA100/100 gear I owned at the time. Microdynamics were not the strong suit of the system but the sound sure felt good. Having sold everything on agon, I purchased a used VDH Frog from a fellow agon member cross-country based on the VDH Frog Stereophile review. The VDH Frog offered to my ears live,in person detail, speed, tighter bass without the euphoric overtones I experienced with the MO9. My current analoge set up including the VDH Frog is far more neutral allowing me to experiment with a variety of nos tubes to dial in the sound desired. As my VDH Frog was purchased used, I needed a rebuild in Fall 2001. Living in the Bay Area I brought the Frog to a retail dealer in San Jose. He shipped the Frog in late October 2001. My rebuilt cartridge did not return from Van Den Hul until last week!! In its absence I was loaned another cartridge. Although I did not purchase the VDH Frog from the dealer in San Jose, I did my Oracle Delphi MK V. No doubt that helped my circumstance. To own a VDH product, local support is vital. Or consider owning a back up cartridge if the Frog is that pleasing in your system. I would do just that if VDH were not localy represented in my town. It is difficult to appreciate something as fragile as a cartridge when you are left hanging with lousy support. Hweiss is right to be outraged with the treatment he's received. VDH probably lost a customer. Musical Surroundings/Benz on the other hand is awsome with their support and trade up policy. For many folks trying to just play the vinyl they love, that is more important.