Cartridge Recommendation

I am using a Benz Micro Wood SL with my classic one and listen mostly to Classic Rock, Classical and Female Jazz Vocals. My Phono Stage is a Herron VTPH-2.

Under $2K for budget...
I like dynamics and a sound close to live as possible.

Hello Banyon - it would be hard to imagine anything better for you in that price range than the Soundsmith Zephyr, which is a low mass, moving iron cartridge that was designed for the VPI arm/table. I have owned Benz, Lyra, and ZYX and the Zephyr made the analog portion of my system sound far better than the others - just my 2 cents. Good Listening!

The Zyx carts are in general very honest in sound and absolutely uncritical to Tonarms (they guide nearly no energy into the Arm), the VPI will run very good with those. 100RS has a very remarkable Performance for its Price

Am on day five of my Chinook upgrade; it is fed by a Lyra Argo i and this combination is detailed dynamic and warm. Low level ambient and spatial cues are well preserved and the Argo tracks beautifully the most heavily modulated grooves.