This article first appeared in HIFI AND MUSIC SOURCE, the publication for news, reviews and views, with whom PMA Magazine has a content sharing program.

Introduction

For audiophiles and vinyl connoisseurs, the name “Hana” has become synonymous with musicality, precision, and meticulous Japanese engineering. The heritage, craftsmanship, and innovation of Hana moving coil (MC) cartridges offer a gateway to the purest analogue sound.

Hana, which means “brilliant and gorgeous” in Japanese, is a brand created by Excel Sound Corporation, a renowned manufacturer with decades of experience in phono cartridge design and production. The company, based in Yokohama, Japan, has been manufacturing cartridges since the 1960s, supplying both domestic and international brands. With the introduction of the Hana brand, Excel Sound sought to bring their expertise directly to enthusiasts, delivering high-quality, hand-built cartridges at accessible prices.

Design and Engineering Excellence

Each Hana cartridge is hand-assembled using premium materials and advanced techniques, featuring precision-wound copper coils, aluminium, boron, or sapphire cantilevers, a nude diamond Shibata stylus, and robust composite resin or aluminium bodies to minimise resonance and vibration. Stringent quality control ensures reliable performance, while cryogenically treated components and an enhanced non-resonant body inspired by the M Series—complete with brass top cap and matte Soft Feel Black resin paint—improve bass response and compatibility with various tonearms. The SL MK II generator, found in Umami Blue and ML models, uses an Alnico magnet, cross-coil design, 30-micron high-purity copper wire, and 8Ω impedance to optimise signal-to-noise and lower moving mass, collectively delivering higher resolution and traceability across phono stages.

Installing and Matching

Proper setup is crucial to unleash the full potential of any cartridge. I spent many years setting up turntables with numerous brands and types of cartridges, and I have continued to this day in my own system. I currently use a Technics SL1300G turntable, my second foray into direct drive (I once owned a JBE Slate), and I am loving it. I’ve used belt drives since the 70s, but I had always fancied a Technics direct drive, so I took the plunge recently. As an enthusiast and reviewer, I need a consistent and reliable turntable with a detachable head shell for convenience. The SL1300G fits the bill perfectly, and I also heard that the Hana cartridges love the Technics models.

The Hana SL Mk2 is a low-output moving coil, so you need to use a preamp that has a dedicated MC input or use a separate phono stage that can handle low-output MC cartridges. I recently built a very high-quality valve phono stage in kit form from Mellow Tone Amps (MTA) in Canada, and I will be reporting on this in due course. The other requirement I needed was that, as the MTA phono stage is only a moving magnet, I needed to get an MC step-up transformer to run it. I did this by obtaining the excellent budget Pure Sound T10, a bargain for under £400. Purists state that using an MC step up into an MM input is the best way to amplify the very low output voltage anyway.

I ran the Hana in for a solid 48 hours as recommended by Michael Osborn of Air Audio Distribution Ltd, who imports Hana cartridges, before serious listening commenced.

A two-year warranty and a replacement program are provided on Hana cartridges.

The Essence of Moving Coil Technology

To comprehend the appeal of Hana MC cartridges, it’s essential to understand the principles of moving coil design. Unlike moving magnet (MM) cartridges, where the magnet moves within a fixed coil, MC cartridges have the coil attached to the cantilever and move within a fixed magnetic field. This design allows for:

• Lower mass in the moving system — enabling more accurate groove tracking and superior transient response.
• Greater detail and resolution — the lighter coil assembly responds more faithfully to vinyl groove modulations.
• Sonic refinement — many audiophiles prefer MC cartridges for their subtlety, dynamics, and lifelike presentation.

Hana moving coil cartridges are celebrated for their ability to reveal the soul of music, capturing micro-dynamics, texture, and spatial cues that lesser cartridges may obscure.

Sonic Signature and Listening Experience

The SL Mk2 Hana moving coil cartridge is very musical. It has a natural tonal balance—neither too bright nor too dark, offering a realistic and immersive presentation. The dynamics conveyed both the subtlest micro-dynamics and large-scale swings in progressive rock tracks, a genre I particularly enjoy, but worked very well in Jazz, electronic, pop, female vocal, etc. Rickie Lee Jones’ eponymous debut album from 1979 is a brilliant example, highlighting a fabulous recording and superb group of musicians. It’s an album I never tire of, and all the tracks are sublime. The soundstage reaches out with depth, width and three dimensionality, especially when you have a great phono stage and the Technics SL1300G as a fabulous foundation supporting the whole performance. The surface noise was very low due to an excellent pressing, the superb valves in the MTA phono stage, and T10 step up. I had no tracking issues at the recommended weight of 2 grams, unlike some moving coils of old. I also use a Shure V15 111 with a JICO stylus that has legendary tracking abilities. The Hana kept up no problem.

Whatever genre of music I played, the Hana SL Mk2 inspired confidence and total enjoyment of the recordings. Bob James is a personal favourite. His albums, such as “Ivory Coast”, floated into my listening room, stimulating the pleasure centre in my brain. Music is an emotional experience, and a good system, whether it’s budget or high-end, is a joy to behold. I reckon any of the Hana range would please most enthusiasts still into vinyl. The range is wide and varied to suit all pockets.

Value and Reputation

Hana cartridges, while hand-built in Japan to the highest standards, remain relatively affordable compared to boutique brands, making true high-end analogue performance attainable for a wider audience at £650 in the UK. I’ve had many moving coils, my first was a Supex 900 on my Grace 707 tone arm and Linn Sondek LP12 back in the late 70s and then many since. Are moving coils better than moving magnet cartridges, you may ask? That’s for another discussion, another time. Modern moving magnets have come a long way and compete with moving coils in many ways. As I like to swap around with my cartridges, the beauty of being an audiophile allows one to choose and change at will.

Overall

The Hana SL Mk2 moving coil cartridge is more than a transducer—it is an instrument that unlocks the emotion, nuance, and artistry encoded in the grooves of vinyl records. Whether you’re building your first serious analogue system or seeking the next level in musical enjoyment, Hana MC cartridges deliver a harmonious blend of engineering precision, musical warmth, and lasting value. For those wishing to rediscover or deepen their connection with music, a Hana moving coil cartridge is an excellent choice, offering great value for money. About 10 years ago, I reviewed both a Hana low-output and high-output moving coil cartridge when Michael Osborn first started importing them. I liked them both back then, but now, they are even better.

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