rossb Posted May 24, 2023 Posted May 24, 2023 For sale is my Hana Umami Red MC cartridge, purchased recently from an Australian authorised dealer. The cartridge has had less than 10 hours of use, and is virtually new, with all original packaging and materials. The RRP is $6200 and I believe there is now a 6 month wait for a new one. Please see the reviews below, which I believe accurately describe the Umami's sound quality. I have more cartridges than I need for the foreseeable future and this one is unlikely to get much use for a variety of reasons, so I am putting it up for sale. Reviews have been universally positive: The Absolute Sound Threading the sonic needle nearly perfectly, the Umami Red is, as noted, exceptionally balanced, with upper-tier dynamics, instrumental separation, soundstaging, and realism. If this cartridge is set up properly in a capable system on a quality tonearm and phonostage, many listeners will surrender to its allure. ...The word “umami” is said to be a fifth element of taste (beyond sweet, sour, salty, and bitter) that results from a perfect combination of the right ingredients—a form of savory deliciousness. The Umami Red is deliciously enjoyable. Color me impressed. https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/hana-umami-red-phono-cartridge/ Audiophilia The Umami Red is not just the most engaging cartridge I’ve had in my system, but it’s one of the most engaging cartridges I’ve ever heard, and that includes time spent with very high-end systems and cartridges double its price. For listeners like me who have hung out in the 1-2k range of moving coil carts for many years, the Umami Red represents one of the smartest “steps up” to the high end you can make in my opinion. The sky is the limit when it comes to high-end moving coil cartridges, but I think Hana has presented a very good case here that this could be your “end game”. I decided it very well might be mine, as I arranged to purchase my demo unit and keep it permanently in my system as a long-term analog reference (my apologies to Ken for his loss). That’s the best endorsement I know how to make. https://www.audiophilia.com/reviews/2022/10/24/hana-umami-red-phono-mc-cartridge Hifi Pig This is an expensive cartridge but I still think it represents something of a bargain, though I’m aware that there’s going to be some out there who scoff at this. It is a lot of money but it is not as much as you can spend on a quality cartridge and from that perspective, I maintain its “bargain” status. What you get is a beautifully crafted and wonderfully engineered cartridge that allows you to forget the gear you are listening to and thoroughly get into the music. The speed and surefootedness of the Umami give a wonderfully toe-tapping experience and that carries through whatever you are listening to that has a beat. However, listening to something like Jon Hopkins’ Music For Psychedelic Therapy, you also get that fully immersive experience the music was designed for. On this latter point, I’m going to go out on a limb (and no doubt upset a few folk) and say that the Umami has a digital quality with regards to its preciseness and spatiality, though it is not a digital “sounding” cartridge. Simply put, the Umami Red is superb and fully deserving of our highest accolade! https://www.hifipig.com/hana-umami-red-cartridge/ Stereonet High end moving coils all have their own signature sound, and whether you like it or not is, of course, subjective. What’s not up for debate, I think, is the performance level of Hana’s Umami Red. It’s up there with the best I’ve heard at the price in terms of absolute ability. https://www.stereonet.com/au/reviews/hana-umami-red-mc-phono-cartridge-review Hifi + The Umami Red is that rare jewel in phono cartridges; a design that gives you both the sort of detail and precision of sound that presents whatever music you put on the platter with a laser-guided focus on the recording itself, and musical grace and passion. That makes for some interesting listening sessions, both in terms of ‘depth’ and ‘width’… not just of soundstage, but music collection. ... At each stage, the cartridge tracked sublimely, opened up the recording with detail, scale, imagery, and dynamics, but more importantly got past those observational details and engaged you to the point where a musical snack turned into a full-blown banquet. The Umami Red has a great tonal balance too, perfectly pitched between bright and bland. It’s sophisticated presentation will take time to beguile, but when it does, it will really get under your skin. The Hana ML and MH gets you glimpses of what a really good cartridge can do. The Umami Red gives you the complete picture. It represents the top-end of Hana’s output, but goes toe-to-toe with some exceptionally rare cartridges with some very lofty reputations. And it sacrifices nothing. This is truly top-tier LP replay! https://hifiplus.com/articles/hana-umami-red-moving-coil-cartridge/ Hifi News The Hana Umami Red has an ease and effortlessness to the way it approaches music-making that deserves to be heard. It is beautifully detailed and can be particularly enthralling when it comes to acoustic fare, which only serves to make it all the more compelling as a musical companion. And it will rock out too. Umami? Most definitely. At times I was even tempted to describe it as Saiko (stunning). https://www.hifinews.com/content/hana-umami-red-cartridge Witchdoctor The price and performance of the Umami Red puts it up there in the big league, competing with higher-end offerings from the likes of Koetsu, Benz and Dynavector – and of course, EMT – to name just a few. Though it is still comparably cheaper, it’s nonetheless quite an investment. If you have a system capable of supporting it, however, it’s money well spent and I really think it competes admirably with many much pricier models. For some it may seem crazy – or completely out of the question – to spend that amount on a cartridge but for those wishing to really enhance their music listening experience, taking it to a whole new level, the Umami Red is well worth considering. https://witchdoctor.co.nz/index.php/2021/09/hana-umami-red-moving-coil-cartridge-review/ The Audio Beatnik The Umami Red is one smooth customer, but don’t let that fool you. It delivers when it needs to resolve low-level detail, and dynamics. It performs with power and grace. This cartridge connects you emotionally to the music. It can negotiate virtually anything you throw at it and never get flustered. Its balanced sound always seems to reveal a new interpretation of music that you are familiar with. You will find yourself just wanting to pull out albums and have a listen. This cartridge isn’t going to immediately grab you, but if given a bit of time, it could very well win you over. Its beauty is in its subtleties and its balanced tone. Maybe there is something to the fact that HANA meaning “Brilliant and Gorgeous”. So, my takeaway about this cartridge is this, nothing stands out … yet everything stands out. If you are looking for a cartridge in this price range that you can have a long-lasting relationship with, one that will drive you to be more involved with your vinyl collection and less involved with your equipment, then the Umami Red simply has to be on your shortlist. https://theaudiobeatnik.com/review-the-hana-umami-red-moving-coil-cartridge/ Stereophile: https://www.stereophile.com/content/gramophone-dreams-47-hana-umami-red-musical-surroundings-nova-iii-ampsandsound-bigger-ben Michael Fremer in Analog Planet: https://www.analogplanet.com/content/whos-umami Stereo Magazine: https://stereo-magazine.com/review/hana-umami-red-review Part Time Audiophile: https://parttimeaudiophile.com/2021/09/03/hana-umami-red-phono-cartridge-review/ 2
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