Hana would be a good replacement for a Transfiguration
Apparently ZYX or Dynavector would be the way to go when replacements are needed.
Not Dynavector IMO. Any of the Ortofon 'bronze' range depending on budget. The Quintet is 90% of the Cadenza. Hana maybe or an AudioNote Io Gold if you have a SUT to cope with the low output
i agree with Rocky and partly with Monty. A Zyx, I would think, would be similar tonally. Hana? I'd be happy if true, but surprised nonetheless.
I tried to buy a used Orpheus but that failed, then picked up a new Proteus just over 5 years ago (gosh, THAT long ago?). It replaced a lovely Benz Ebony and the outstanding thing about it (as others have found) is that it doesn't actually HAVE a tonal signature. It's simply transparent in the true sense. Neutral? Warm? Nope, none of these, just a totally open and thrilling window. Impossible to pigeon-hole or criticise.
Other benefits, I've found, are that the stylus rarely needs brushing/cleaning, and, at around the 800 hours mark, it still sounds as good as when run in. That exemplary 1 ohm internal resistance must be largely responsible for its performance, yet the output is still perfectly adequate at just under 0.3 mV (at 5 cms/sec). Graham Tricker, who's had a few upmarket cart's, rates the Proteus very highly indeed. This may have been (shame it's in the past) their flagship, but the rest of the range displays similar attributes.
Like Dimitry, I'll be at a loss when it needs attention; Monty (I remember his thread) has at least found an answer but what a pity it's in the States.
Looking at my records, it seems that I had the Proteus on my 12" PU7 initially but changed to my 12" Ace Anna in 2016. Very different presentation but equally beguiling. Changed back to PU7 sometime later. My comments on each session simply ran out of superlatives, even vis S'capped Superline/552, but when I went valved pre. with onboard stages, things even got better..
Need to move it back to the unipivot soon, just to reacquaint myself with my long-resting Urushi Vermillion (which prefers gimballed arms). Chalk and cheese cart's, those, but in the nicest sense!