Manufacturer
Hana ML Low Output Moving Coil Cartridge
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Hana ML Low Output Moving Coil Cartridge

  (5 Reviews)

'outstanding' Hi-Fi World review by Editor Noel Keywood, March 2019 

.... 'Beyond wonderful .... I've never heard such a good sound as this before.'

It (ML) gave more insight into Marianne Thorsen's violin ... than I have ever heard before .... it was the best I've heard from this 'difficult' LP .... the slight sense of shimmer I often hear was replaced by a steady confidence in transcription .... I've never heard such a good sound as this before.

.... Carol Kenyon's 'Dance with me' was similarly fast, impactful and better resolved that I have ever heard it; there was more insight and retrieval of fine detail, again a sense of open spaciousness yet no glare or edginess.

No intermittent buzz from obvious mistracking, or the loss of confidence from weak groove contact.

The Hana ML was wonderfully insightful, had tonal poise and good firm bass ... placing it ahead of most else .... At the price, this is a great moving coil, well worth buying.

The MH .... equally revealing.

$1,324.47    
$1,103.73 Exc. VAT |  |

Hana ML Low Output Moving Coil Cartridge

M stands for Micro-line, the design of the nude diamond stylus tip used on this range of two cartridges, the ML (low output) and MH (high output).

In line with the Hana philosophy of offering highly musical cartridges at competitive prices, the ML and MH options are set to offer a great sound and great value for money. 

Low Output

Otherwise identical to the MH model, the high-purity copper wound coil in the ML delivers just 0.4mV per channel. The impedance is 8Ω and it is recommended to load it with an impedance of greater than 100Ω.

Hana M-Series

The Hana M Series cartridge bodies are made from black polyoxymethylene (POM) which is a very hard, extremely rigid and very strong thermoplastic Excel using a particular formulation of POM manufactured by DuPont that sells under the trademarked name ‘Delrin’. Both cartridges have nude Microline styluses and aluminium cantilevers. The shape of the nude Microline stylus, mimics that of the cutting stylus used in the cutting lathe and therefore fits precisely into the vinyl groove.

Components

This enhanced tracking ability enables the Hana M Series cartridges to capture the most delicate musical details with better frequency resolution, channel balance and stereo imaging as well as lower distortion.’ Hana cartridge parts are manufactured for maximum performance and consistency then assembled by hand at the company’s facility in Yokohama, Japan. Several of the components used in the magnetic circuit including the front yoke, are cryogenically treated— a process Excel claims results in the creation of a more precise and controlled magnetic flux field that in turn enables greater linearity and more musical sound quality.

 

Stylus: Nude Microline
Cantilever: Aluminium
Magnet: Alnico
Coil Wire: Very High Purity Copper
Cartridge Housing/Base: POM/Brass
Output Level: 0.2mV (ML)
Output Level: 2.0mV (MH)

Channel Balance: <1dB/1kHz
Rec. Tracking Force: 2g
Trackability: 70µ/2g
Compliance: 10×10-6 cm/dyne
Channel Separation: 30dB @ 1kHz
Frequency Range: 12Hz to 45kHz
Impedance: 8Ω (ML)
Impedance: 100Ω (MH)

Suggested Load Impedance: >100Ω (ML)
Suggested Load Impedance: 47kΩ (MH)

Cartridge Weight: 9.5g
Body Colour: Black

Average Rating (5 Reviews):  
Write a Review and share your opinions!

Rating:  
Do I think it's worth it...?
16 October 2023  | 

...I've given it five stars so the answer is yes.
It's the most expensive cartridge I've ever bought. I was using a Denon 103r which is a superb cartridge for the money, around £300 (the DL110 is also a great value cartridge). At just over £1K the Hana is not four times better but extracts more information from the groove (I'm always amazed how a groove in a bit of plastic can conjure up so much), separates instruments and is superb on vocals, both lead and backing. One example that stood out for me was on the track "Auntie Aviator" from John and Beverley Martin's "Road to Ruin" album. The drummer plays a ride cymbal mixed fairly low but you can follow it sparkling through the song and hear the different stick hits. I've been listening to the album since I bought it in 1970 and had never noticed that cymbal. It's those small details that bring a song to life and push it along.
I have never heard very high end cartridges and I imagine the law of diminishing returns applies as you go up the price scale. However, for me the improvements, while not night and day, and my increased enjoyment of the music have been worth the price.

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1 of 1 people found this review helpful.


Rating:  
Gave my wife goosebumps
12 December 2021  | 

I could write a review which describes how the Hana ML sounds supremely detailed, with airy natural vocals, and a very solid and powerful, but not overbearing, bass. I could mention the breathtaking instrument separation and clarity of presentation. I could also go on about the fact that I originally bought this cartridge to go into a secondary system but because it sounds so good it’s now it’s my main rig. There are probably many more things I could say but I’ll keep it simple:

I don’t know if I miraculously stumbled upon the ideal set up for this cart but, straight out of the box, this Hana ML is something else! I’d been running a Dynavector KV Karat 17DX (about 400 hours) which is a fantastic cart but when I swapped it out for the Hana, its difficult to describe it but I ‘felt’ the music, rather than just hearing it. Whether it was AC/DC, Beethoven or Zappa (or anything else in between, for that matter), everything just came alive.

For an objective test, I enrolled my wife (a true hifi sceptic) to listen to her favourite album (Dark Side of the Moon). I put it on, she listened, and at the end she said it sounded so amazing it had given her goosebumps. Pretty much says it all.

P.S. The Dynavector is happily singing away in the other system, and still sounding fantastic. Horses for courses, maybe?

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5 of 5 people found this review helpful.


Rating:  
Hana ML cartridge
18 October 2021  | 

Reviewing a cartridge is quite difficult if you only have one turntable!
Having used a Hana EL for several years, which I found to have superb sound quality and fantastic value for money, it was time for an upgrade. Having exhausted myself with reviews and various forum threads I opted for the Hana ML cartridge, no rhyme or reason for this apart from I'd had experience of another Hana cartridge. Well I was blown away with the performance of the ML, superb detail, beautiful mid-range and full and solid bass. Never really understood all the fuss about MC cart's, I do now, what a revelation to my ears, well that's my opinion anyway. Music and the sound of the equipment is very subjective and that will be down to the individual, the Hana ML will sound stunning in any system apart from Fisher-price.

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5 of 5 people found this review helpful.


Rating:  
Hana ML
23 August 2020  | 

Thanks to Analogue Seduction for sorting out the ordering problem, they provided good communications and quickly resolved the problem.
Great Cartridge

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0 of 9 people found this review helpful.


Rating:  
Hana ML
05 June 2020  | 

Much better than I expected.

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1 of 6 people found this review helpful.

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