Bicycle Mechanics - Time to replace the rear hub?

For the past few months I've noticed that when I apply a lot of torque to the pedals, I hear a clunk and a sudden and temporary loss of resistance in the pedals. It happens on any one of the cassette cogs, though usually it's in the larger cogs because I'm starting off from a stop. It doesn't happen all the time, but it is getting more frequent. I know it's either the chain slipping or the freehub, and I am definitely leaning towards the freehub as the culprit. I have a new chain and the cassette teeth look okay, the only shady part of the drivetrain is the Taiwanese rear hub.

Does this sound like a typical failure mode of a dying freehub? If so, has anyone got any recommendations for a good sturdy 9-speed compatible hub? I'd prefer it to be silent as well, if possible. Thanks!

It's the freehub that's going baloney, so you basically need to replace it. Weakening springs is a typical failure mode, especially if you ride in lots of sticky stuff or below -20 C.

Shimano and Shimano-compatible freehubs are sold separately and relatively easy to change. Last time I changed one, it was 15 or 20 $, installed. Unless you have other problems with the hub or cash to burn, replacing the whole hub (or worst, the entire wheel) is pointless).

Recommendation: Shimano, basically. They are not perfectly silent, but if you compare a Shimano freehub to a DT Hugi, Chris King or Phil Wood, you'll consider the Shimano very quiet indeed.

Other recommendation : learn to pedal most of the time. The freehub clicks only when you coast.

As I don't have the correct tools for this job, I guess I'll drop by the bike shop sometime soon and have them replace the freehub... hopefully the one that's on there now is compatible with Shimano freehubs. I also hope the dang thing comes off without too much effort... who knows if the threads were properly greased before being installed!

Thanks for the help, Michel!