Cart Recommendations

Dyn Xv1-s fits that description and would slot right in with your current phono stage settings. Really a big jump from XX-2 to Xv1-s if you like the Dyn house sound..
ATB,
Mark

theothergregg, 

I have a friend who has a VPI HRX table has owned the cadenza bronze, the kiseki purple heart, and now a Transfiguration Proteus (his reference cartridge). Also comments on the Transfiguration Axia below.  Here are some of his comments from an email he sent me  (he works with the same audio dealer I do, and I can get you in touch with the dealer who has Transfiguration, Ortofon, Soundsmith, and Miyajima cartridges).  Here are his thoughts on some of the cartridges mentioned:

"I think the Purple Heart sounded good, but I'd probably put it just belowthe Candenza Black/Bronze......It sounded great, but it never did the 3d thing like I thought it would and it didn't really get out of the way like a 3k plus cartridge should.......I found myself listening to the system,
and not the music, and I'm really trying to get away from that......... I thought the Kiseki did so many things well, and there wasn't anything that I didn't like about the cartridge, but my dealer got two Proteus's and I tried it for a week or so and fell in love with it....... I would characterize the Proteus versus the Kiseki as less veiled, and it gets out of the way of the music more than any other cartridge I've owned, but that's not a surprise for what it costs.

Tonight we had our first audio group at the dealer's house and we listened to several records with the Proteus and the Axia back to back and I was stunned at how close the Axia was.....It is CLEARLY cut from the same cloth......I dismissed the Axia when I got the Proteus because I thought I would end up upgrading in the future, but I should have listened to an Axia for a week because I'm all about value and if it's within a few percentage points of a cartridge triple the price, I would go with it..........
I love the Proteus, but there's no question the Axia is a far better value overall and it still gets out of the way and just lets the music come through, which is what I've been after through all this succession of a dozen or so cartridges over the past 8 or so years....."

I using this same cartridge with a Graham 2.2T. You might want to consider to see if your arm can be upgraded to 2.2T level, or even to upgrade the arm instead of the cartridge. Even the level of fluid in the bearing can affect the dynamics of the cartridge.

I think an upgraded cart would bring more performance than the tonearm upgrade, but this is debatable. Not sure what your budget is, but  my vote would be a Soundsmith Paua (if funds allow), Ortofon Cadenza, or Transfiguration ( a little more aggressive than the other 2 carts).  

The Soundsmith cartridge doesn't sound like its presentation is in your favorable wishes.  The Ortofon Winfield is an excellent cartridge, almost their highest level....but it has no sound of its own (which is why I like it).  The Benz LPS is more "organic" which is what you seem to prefer on your post.  The Winfield I got new was 3k....a steal at the price.