Bob;
I don't like to play games with people's heads, but I did own a Virtuos, and do own A Maestro Wood, and the midrange is just great. What ever is in the grooves will be reproduced. The Maestro Wood corrects the Virtuoso's flaws and adds improvements. The Van den Hul MC 10 Special is very good and exhibits details and tones so good it is unbelieveable.
If you get 25 people to give an opinion you'll get 25 different answers. Many people have mismatched equipment such as cables,preamps,amps and speakers. Also improper break can cause miss judgements. Improper allignment is an issue. Speaker placement and room acoustics are yet another issue. If you have a great table, tonearm,phono stage,preamp,& amp, then I suggest you spend the extra bucks and get a cartride at a level of no less quality. No point in buying a Ferrari and putting bald tires on it.