Hana
Hana Umami Red MC Phono Cartridge
Best high-end moving coil cartridge for discerning vinyl enthusiasts seeking musicality.
The Hana Umami Red MC Phono Cartridge is a hand-built cartridge designed to deliver sublime enjoyment and musical richness. It features a Duralumin body with an Ebony Wood inlay, finished with a gloss Urushi lacquer. The cartridge utilizes a nude Microline natural diamond stylus, a solid Boron cantilever, and a rare-earth Samarium Cobalt magnet generator with high-purity copper coils. Components undergo cryogenic processing for enhanced molecular structure. Manufactured in-house by Excel Sound, it offers exceptional balance, dynamics, and clarity, providing a top-tier LP replay experience that connects emotionally with the music.
$3950.00
Owner Satisfaction
4.7
/ 5
Category Rank
122
/ 1649
#122 in Turntable Accessories
Price vs Category Average
+213%
Above average
Body Material
7075
/ Duralumin (A)
Who it's for
- Audiophiles seeking deep immersion and nuanced musical clarity
- Vinyl enthusiasts prioritizing premium materials and precise tracking
- Listeners valuing emotional connection and rhythmic musical flow
Who should skip it
- Budget-conscious buyers looking for entry-level or mid-range options
- Owners of basic systems lacking advanced phono stage adjustments
- Novice users intimidated by complex alignment and calibration processes
Performance breakdown
Tracking Precision
The nude Microline diamond extracts immense detail from complex record grooves.
Build Integrity
Duralumin and ebony construction provides a rigid, resonance-free foundation for playback.
Transient Response
The solid boron cantilever delivers lightning-fast speed and exceptional micro-dynamic accuracy.
Sonic Richness
High-purity copper coils ensure a lush, harmonically dense musical presentation.
Manufacturing Quality
Hand-built by Excel Sound with decades of refined analog expertise.
Signal Purity
Cryogenic treatment minimizes molecular interference for a cleaner, more transparent signal.
Key Specs
Body Material
Duralumin (A7075)
Body Finish
Gloss Urushi Lacquer / Red
Cantilever
Boron
Stylus
Microline Nude Diamond
Armature Material
Permalloy
Armature Shape
Square
Parts Material
Pure Iron
Magnet
Samarium Cobalt
Features
- Hand-built MC cartridge designed for sublime enjoyment and musical richness.
- Features a Duralumin body with Ebony Wood inlay and a gloss Urushi lacquer finish.
- Utilizes a nude Microline natural diamond stylus for precise groove tracing.
- Solid Boron cantilever transmits micro-dynamics without loss to the generator.
- Rare-earth Samarium Cobalt magnet generator with high-purity copper coils.
- Components treated with cryogenic processing for enhanced molecular structure.
- Exclusive Auricle™ body design for rigid support of the generator.
- Manufactured in-house by Excel Sound with over 50 years of experience.
What customers say
Customers consistently express profound satisfaction with the Hana Umami Red MC Phono Cartridge, frequently highlighting its exceptional sound quality. Reviewers often describe an immersive, detailed, and musically engaging presentation that elevates their listening experience. The cartridge's premium build quality and meticulous craftsmanship also receive widespread acclaim, reinforcing its high end appeal. While positioned at a premium price point, many users perceive its sonic performance and construction as delivering remarkable value, making it a highly coveted component for serious audiophiles.
Know before you buy
The stiff Boron cantilever ensures that micro-vibrations from the record groove are transmitted to the generator without energy loss, while the Microline stylus profile provides precise tracking for improved high-frequency detail and reduced distortion.
Cryogenic processing is used to stabilize the molecular structure of the cartridge components. This process helps to reduce internal stresses, resulting in a more refined, coherent, and transparent sound signature.
Yes, the combination of high-rigidity Duralumin and resonant-damping Ebony wood creates a stable, vibration-resistant housing for the generator. This Auricle™ design ensures that the cartridge body does not color the sound, allowing for greater clarity and dynamics.
The Umami Red features a coil impedance of 6 ohms. You should pair it with a phono stage or step-up transformer that offers a compatible input impedance, ideally between 60 and 100 ohms, to ensure optimal signal transfer and frequency response.
The Umami Red is a medium-compliance cartridge that performs best on medium-mass tonearms. It is a high-precision instrument, so ensure your tonearm is properly balanced and capable of fine-tuning tracking force and anti-skate to get the most out of its Microline stylus.
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$3950