Hana

Hana Cartridges is best known for its carefully made moving coil cartridges, designed for vinyl listeners who want a more expressive and refined performance from their turntable. The range covers both low output and high output MC cartridges, giving owners of different phono stages a practical route into Hana’s sound, from accessible models through to more advanced designs. Read more info ↓
FOUNDED
2015
HEADQUARTERS
Japan
Hana

The Hana catalogue. 1 range. 12 products.

01 12 PRODUCTS | £499 – £8,249

Hana Cartridges

Handmade in Japan, HANA moving-coil cartridges draw on more than 50 years of cartridge design and manufacturing experience, pairing carefully selected materials with a focus on musical, detailed analogue playback.

12 PRODUCTS
£499 – £8,249

Things people ask
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A few things we get asked most often. If your question isn't here, our team is happy to talk it through.

Hana cartridges are designed and hand-assembled in Japan by Excel Sound Corporation, a specialist cartridge manufacturer with more than 50 years of experience building moving-coil generators. Excel spent many years producing cartridges for other audio brands before launching Hana under its own name in 2015.

Hana specialises entirely in moving-coil phono cartridges. The range has become particularly popular with vinyl listeners looking to move beyond moving-magnet designs without immediately entering ultra-high-end pricing, although the Umami models now take Hana firmly into reference territory.

The phono stage you already own is the best place to start. Hana’s high-output models are designed to work with a standard MM input, while low-output versions require a proper MC phono stage, high-gain input or suitable step-up transformer. A low-output model is not automatically the better choice if the rest of the system is better suited to high output.

The differences go well beyond price. Entry models use elliptical styli and simpler bodies, while moving further up introduces Shibata and Microline profiles, improved cantilevers, lower-resonance bodies, more sophisticated generators and higher-grade materials. The Umami range takes this further with machined metal bodies, boron or diamond cantilevers and increasingly elaborate magnetic systems.

Both are advanced line-contact profiles designed to trace more of the record groove than a conventional elliptical stylus. Hana uses Shibata styli in its S Series, while the M and Umami ranges move to Microline designs. Microline profiles are particularly good at following fine groove information and maintaining clean tracking towards the end of a record side.

It is crucial. Output voltage and recommended loading vary considerably between Hana models, particularly between high- and low-output versions. For example, the low-output Hana ML is designed for an MC or high-gain phono stage, while the MH version is intended for a standard 47kΩ MM input. Matching the cartridge properly can matter more than simply buying the more expensive model.

Not automatically. Cartridge weight, compliance and the effective mass of the tonearm all affect the match, and the heavier M and Umami models may suit a different range of arms from the lighter E Series. Alignment, tracking force and phono-stage loading also need to be set correctly, so it is worth checking compatibility before moving to a higher-level cartridge.

More info about Hana.

The name Hana is often associated with a smooth, open and musical presentation. Rather than chasing an overly analytical sound, Hana cartridges tend to appeal to listeners who want detail, texture and natural flow from their records. They are a popular choice for turntable upgrades, particularly for systems where the cartridge needs to bring out more space, tone and tracking ability without becoming harsh or tiring.

The range includes elliptical stylus models for those moving up from a basic cartridge, as well as more advanced Shibata and microline stylus designs for greater groove contact and finer retrieval of information. This makes Hana a useful brand for many vinyl setups, whether you are improving an existing turntable or matching a cartridge to a more capable tonearm and phono stage.

High output Hana cartridges can work with many moving magnet phono inputs, which is helpful if your amplifier or phono stage does not have a dedicated low output MC option. Low output models, meanwhile, are suited to systems with a proper moving coil phono stage or step-up transformer, giving more scope for serious vinyl replay.

For anyone looking at Hana cartridges in the UK, the key appeal is balance. They offer the character and precision expected from a good MC cartridge, while keeping the range approachable and easy to understand. From the EL and EH models to the S Series, M Series and Umami cartridges, Hana gives vinyl enthusiasts a clear upgrade path as their system develops.

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