Zyx vs. Van Den Hul

I would not draw conclusions about ZYX based on experience with Monster carts.

And if the compliances are quite different, then you need to think about Cart-tonearm matching. What tonearm are you using?

ZYX sounds more like music. It does not sound like the old Monster even though it is made by the same company. Natural, fun, balanced. VDH more etched (and that's not intended to be a positive), more unit to unit variation, fragile. I sell neither, have no affiliation with either.

Hey Frogman, I would have thought that you would have gone for a VDH Frog and not the MC1S :-)

The ZYX output figures are based on a different velocity (I think that's the parameter). Not sure about the technical details, but it results in a real world output that is quite a bit higher than the spec would suggest. You may want to talk to Mehran @ Sorasound who will give you the "skinny" on that. In the $2K range, you might be surprised at how far up the ZYX line he can get you. Disclaimer- Never heard a VDH cart.

Agree that Mehran at Sorasound is great to work with. He also often has ZYX carts from folks who have traded up. And he has these inspected by ZYX before reselling them, so you can buy with confidence.