Me too. VLC had and has many many qualities, but mpv is so slick and versatile while VLC is a bit of a kitchen sink.
I even use mpv on windows...
I really like PotPlayer. mpv is great but requires a bit of tinkering, whereas PP comes with some ready to go defaults and as much flexibility as MPC-HC.
Seconding PotPlayer.
On Windows, I have not found a better alternative than PotPlayer.
Try SMPlayer.
Going to second SMPlayer. My daily driver over VLC easily.