Proteus compared to MSL ultra eminent ex

Thanks edgewear. I appreciate your comments. The Proteus really is great. For my system, a cartridge with the type of specs I noted, like the Proteus, seems to work well. Hence my interest in MSL.

What cartridges do you like in terms of having better "dynamic jump and mid bass slam"?

In my experience the best in this regards would be the original Ikeda 9 series, the ones without cantilever. It has the most explosive dynamics I've ever heard. Lots of references to it here, just do a search. The 9 Rex is considered the top of the tree. But this is a very hard to find 'old' cartridge and no longer available new.

Also very strong in dynamics is Ortofon A90, which also fits your requirements. The A95 is very similar and even a bit more refined, but has a slightly higher impedance. Both have been deleted, but they're less hard to find and Ortofon still offers complete rebuilds for them. Another strong contender for dynamics would be the vdHul Colibri, but it has an even higher impedance.

I have no further knowledge of current top MC's, as prices have gone insane.

Thanks edgewear.

Speaking of the Proteus, what’s happened to TransfIguration the brand in the US?

I've read reports that Transfiguration has folded, so the Proteus is now out of production. But it seems there's still some stock floating about, so grab em while you can!