Hana is a relatively new name in the hi-fi world’s moving coil cartridge scene, but it has quickly built a reputation for excellent sound and build quality since it first launched back in 2016. The latest offering from this Japanese cartridge specialist is an upgrade to its best-selling S Series, in the form of the new SL Mk II low-output and SH Mk II high-output moving coils. There is also a mono version but we are focusing on the SL and SH variants in this review.

Having recently reviewed Hana’s Umami Blue for StereoNET at roughly three times this price, I was very impressed, and I was keen to get to know these more modestly priced options. And if anyone has the know-how to engineer down to a price, it is surely this company, whose parent Excel Sound has been producing cartridges since 1975 for the likes of Pioneer, Sansui, Trio and Sanyo – plus some high-end cartridge specialists that shall remain nameless. It prides itself on manufacturing and hand-assembling everything in-house.

UP CLOSE

The key element of the Mk II upgrade is a new tapered aluminium cantilever that is claimed to have higher rigidity and reduced effective mass compared to the original SL’s straight-sided type. This is said to improve subjective sound quality. The body of Hana’s more upmarket ML is used, which is made from an engineering thermoplastic called Delrin – a popular material when high stiffness and stability are required, and Hana adds that it provides superior resonance damping, too. The body is also coated with a soft-feel black elastomeric resin paint, again to help damp resonances, and topped with a brass plate with threaded cartridge mounting holes. The addition of that brass plate sees the weight of the Mk II models increase from 5g to 8.6g. Hana says this helps broaden compatibility with a wider range of tonearms and improves bass and dynamics.

The SL II and SH II use the low-impedance Alnico generator from the Umami Blue and ML. Many specialist brands prefer the sound produced by using Alnico as opposed to more modern and more powerful rare-earth magnetic materials such as samarium cobalt. It’s interesting to note that several legendary guitar manufacturers still use Alnico in their guitar pickups – as most musicians, they have found, prefer the sound.

In common with its more expensive siblings, the SL II and SH II magnetic systems use cryogenically treated front and rear yokes, pole pieces and gold-plated terminal pins. They also have fewer coils on the permalloy cross armature and high-purity 30-micron copper wire, which is said to improve the signal-to-noise ratio and moving mass while optimising performance with a broader range of phono stages. Cryogenic treatment is generally regarded as improving the uniformity of a metal's crystalline structure and, as a result, its electrical and magnetic properties.

The SL II has a quoted output of 0.4mV, so it needs a phono stage with a moving coil (MC) setting or a separate step-up transformer or head amplifier. The SH II, with its higher output of 2mV, will run straight into a moving magnet (MM) input, saving the expense of buying a step-up device if your phono stage has no MC input. All the same, it’s worth noting that most true moving magnet cartridges have an output close to twice that – so you will need a reasonably sensitive MM stage.

I mounted both cartridges in a Sorane SA1.2 tonearm (also imported by Hana's UK distributor Air Audio), which has a detachable headshell for easy cartridge swapping, fitted to a Michell GyroDec SE turntable. The phono stage was the excellent Gold Note PH-5 with an Audio Note Meishu Tonmeister amplifier and Russell K Red150 Se or Audio Note AN-J LX Hemp loudspeakers.

THE LISTENING

Starting with the Hana SL II low-output moving coil, and I was immediately struck by how open and expressive this cartridge sounds, given its fairly modest retail price. I have recently rediscovered a great collaboration by piano and guitar legends Dave Grusin and Lee Ritenour. Harlequin has a distinctly Brazilian feel, and its title track came alive with this cartridge. Ivan Lins's vocals were highly animated, while the bass line was tight and moved well with the stabbing, staccato piano that really drove the track along. I could follow the intricacies of Ritenour's guitar playing well, while percussion and drums were clean, syncopated and detailed. All in all, it was a testament to the quality of this cartridge.

This musical fluency is Hana’s defining characteristic and makes classic rock a joy to hear. Linda Ronstadt’s superb cover version of Warren Zevon's Poor Poor Pitiful Me came over full of energy. The SL II conveyed the drum and syn drum in the introduction well, and Waddy Wachtel's superb electric guitar had great bite and edge, yet the subtleties of the tambourine backing were not lost. When the singer really blasted out a note, the SL II easily rose to the challenge. Likewise, Miles Davis' trumpet playing on Human Nature is something special, and the Hana showed why. It captured the nuances of his work very well, alongside the emotion he packed into every devastatingly understated note.

Drums and percussion were also tight and detailed, while the bass line was agile and drove the track's staccato rhythm along with gusto. This is another commendable trait of the Hana, as it’s a very deft design when it comes to reproducing rhythms. I love guitarist Larry Carlton's version of The Doobie Brothers’ Minute by Minute; its energy and drive are a stiff test for any hi-fi. The SL II passed with flying colours and conveyed the rhythmic oomph of this extraordinary track. The bass line was enjoyably fluid, the backing vocals were well separated, and the eloquent guitar play was packed with detail and texture.

The SH II high-output model sounds very similar in tonal balance and overall presentation but not quite identical. On Larry Carlton’s Sleepwalk, I felt that the Fender Rhodes piano on the intro had a little more tonal sparkle and life, whereas the low output SL provided slightly superior insight into the nuances of the guitar playing. I also felt that things hung together musically a little better on the SL, although the SH was still coherent, dynamic and enjoyable. The latter is indisputably a bargain at the price if you have no moving coil input on your amplifier.

THE VERDICT

I came away most impressed with Hana’s new Mk II versions of the SL and SH. Both sound dynamic, detailed and musical – and offer an alluring musicality that’s the hallmark of good moving coil cartridges. This magic quality is extremely rare in moving magnets of any price, by the way. I’d say the value choice is the low-output SL, which is an excellent performer, providing you have a phono stage that’s suitable for low-output moving coils. The SH is always there if your phono stage has no MC input, saving you the cost of an additional step-up device. Both are well worth an audition if you’re in the market for a little piece of budget esoterica.

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