• Please note that there are a few updates and clarifications made in the Audiokarma Rules, mostly relating to advertising and the addition of the new "Paying it Forward" & "Giving back" forums in the AudioKarma Audio Marketplace section.

New Hana SH on Technics SL1200mkII

Erik Tracy

Erik Tracy

Everyone's happy when the wizard walks by
I just got my new Hana SH cartridge adjusted and mounted on my Technics SL1200mkII.

I was running the Denon DL-160, which is well regarded for impressive performance and price.

But I wondered just how far could I go with an upgrade, and would it make any difference, or would I be spending too much for what the 1200mkII could handle.

I spent most of this morning getting the cartridge installed on a OEM Technics headshell from KAB USA, and overhang adjusted using the standard Technics overhang gauge.

Got the arm height adjusted to be parallel and set the VTF and anti-skate.

Then picked Pink Floyd Animals as the first LP to listen to.

At first I was like, meh – no OMG this is different moment, but then the more I listened the more I was hearing things I haven’t heard before.

The Hana SH sound is not detailed, as in bright, but rather detailed as in resolving all the information in the groove. I was hearing textures and subtle details to notes as if the songs, while familiar, were now new.

I’m hoping with more time, the sound will improve further as the cartridge suspension breaks in. But so far, I'm impressed!

Hana-SH-1.jpg


Hana-SH-2.jpg
 
Register to hide this ad
Erik Tracy said:
The Hana SH sound is not detailed, as in bright, but rather detailed as in resolving all the information in the groove. I was hearing textures and subtle details to notes as if the songs, while familiar, were now new.
Click to expand...
I heard a Hana (SL, I think) at an audio show last year. All three of us in our group preferred the sound of the Hana over the $2,000 Clearaudio flagship MM cart, the Charisma V2, which came across as bright. (The dealer had mounted on two arms on the same turntable.) The Hana just sounded very musical--a sound you could listen to for hours with no fatigue. Not dull, but it just seemed more fleshed out and full-bodied, yet still revealed a lot of the music in the grooves. The Clearaudio seemed more about being forward and having too much detail (one might even say "etched"...I certainly wasn't impressed by it, especially based on the price).

Enjoy it--it's a keeper! :thumbsup:
 
I have a fancy-schmancy Benz Micro Wood SL MC cartridge in my main system, but I have been listening pretty much exclusively to my bedroom system for the past couple of weeks. It's fronted by a Dual 1009SK2, with an Excel ES70EX4 cartridge that has very low inductance for a MM (almost like an MC). Excel is the company that makes the Hana line, BTW.

I'd like to hear a Hana low output MC. I bet they sound amazing.
 
needlestein said:
(unless the worn Koetsu counts against that--but the Koetsu needs a new tip and won't work on any turntable)
Click to expand...
OT...but, I had to retire my XX2 since for some reason, it just hasn't been tracking well at all. (I got it directly from Dynavector--I may send it back to have them inspect it. I certainly haven't used it enough to wear it out.) I debated the Hana SL, but I figured the ART7 I bought instead would have a better tracking ability, and indeed, it is so far the best tracking MC cart I've ever owned. Some of the congestion and sibilance I heard on a few recordings is completely gone now, and I'm not even done setting it up properly. ;)

Still...if I had extra dosh lying around, I would have bought a Hana SL out of curiosity, to see how it worked in my setup. It has a lush and inviting sound.
 
Erik Tracy said:
I just got my new Hana SH cartridge adjusted and mounted on my Technics SL1200mkII.

I was running the Denon DL-160, which is well regarded for impressive performance and price.

But I wondered just how far could I go with an upgrade, and would it make any difference, or would I be spending too much for what the 1200mkII could handle.

I spent most of this morning getting the cartridge installed on a OEM Technics headshell from KAB USA, and overhang adjusted using the standard Technics overhang gauge.

Got the arm height adjusted to be parallel and set the VTF and anti-skate.

Then picked Pink Floyd Animals as the first LP to listen to.

At first I was like, meh – no OMG this is different moment, but then the more I listened the more I was hearing things I haven’t heard before.

The Hana SH sound is not detailed, as in bright, but rather detailed as in resolving all the information in the groove. I was hearing textures and subtle details to notes as if the songs, while familiar, were now new.

I’m hoping with more time, the sound will improve further as the cartridge suspension breaks in. But so far, I'm impressed!

Hana-SH-1.jpg


Hana-SH-2.jpg
Click to expand...

Those photos are beautiful, your review is really superb. Nice setup!
 
More break in time and the Hana SH is just fun and addictive.

Bass articulation/accuracy/tone is amazing.

The shibata stylus will not hide snap, crackle, or pop. Nor will it mask groove damage (I have a few dumpster finds that have that permanent groove crackle).

But, soundstaging is big, tonal accuracy is alluringly real, and buried detail is now audible with balanced presentation.

I haven't played a CD in a week - instead playing LPs; heavily played, or ignored for decades. Everything sounds new.
 
Not to sound like a jerk, but shouldn't you be hearing what you're hearing due to the different diamond types? A shibata should give more detail than the 160, and should make everything sound as new as it digs deeper into the walls. Again, I don't want to sound like a jerk, or come off like one, but I would compare using 2 like stylus profiles if possible.
 
JFRACE said:
Not to sound like a jerk, but shouldn't you be hearing what you're hearing due to the different diamond types? A shibata should give more detail than the 160, and should make everything sound as new as it digs deeper into the walls. Again, I don't want to sound like a jerk, or come off like one, but I would compare using 2 like stylus profiles if possible.
Click to expand...
Well, when I have another $750 for another cartridge, you know to be fair - I'll keep you posted.
 
The stylus type doesn't determine sound quality alone--the easygoing and musical nature is just a characteristic of how Hana builds their cartridges. Cantilevers, the coil windings, even the cartridge body materials can make a difference. (The resonances of those materials can make a difference--my Dynavector XX2 had a resonance around 27kHz that you couldn't quite hear, but could easily see on a spectrum analysis.) The comparison I heard between the Hana SL and the top moving magnet Clearaudio (which also has a stylus profile in the "line contact" family) couldn't have sounded more different. I would imagine the Hana EL and Hana SL sound very much alike (based on reviews I've read of each), despite each having a different stylus tip.
 
"The major sonic advantage to be found would most likely be a result of the Shibata tips being nude mounted while the ellipticals are decent quality bonded mounts. They are decent but not awesome terms of degree of finish. That’s not a slight, though, because decent bonded mounts obviously sound excellent and have proven their durability and ability to make excellent music."

Can you explain a little more why a nude stylus has a "sonic advantage" over a bonded stylus? Having had a few bonded diamonds break off their mount, I always thought the advantage was more durability.
 
needlestein said:
Hmmmm. Well, the sonic advantage, as I understand it, is due to a lower effective tip mass which allows for finer tracing of the groove modulations. I admit that in my experience, I only really hear a difference with moving iron cartridges. For whatever reason, nude mounted diamonds on, for example, Pickering XV-15, Stanton 680/681, Grado and others do have a tad more delicacy than bonded counterparts. If diasa counts among bonded, then it is an exception since the diasa mount Empire styli I have also exhibit this extra fine resolution, detail, smoothness, something . . .

However, I do not notice the difference as much (at all?) with moving coil or moving magnet cartridges.
Click to expand...

Yes, it has to do with reduced tip mass, which in turn supports a number of other design advantages. Bonded styli are less expensive to produce and also heavier due to the addition of the metal bushing. Basically, the heaver the tip, the more difficult it is for the stylus to change directions while tracing the record grooves due to inertia. I have heard the difference it makes in both MM and MI. There are several good articles on stylus design, including one by Shure from long ago and also one from Soundsmith.

Here is the one from Shure: http://www.shure.com/americas/suppo...delity-phonograph-cartridge-technical-seminar
Here is the one from Soundsmith: https://www.sound-smith.com/articles/stylus-shape-information
 
I hope the breaking in improves it. Like others, I have been interested in the Hana, but have not yet pulled the trigger on one (leaning towards the SL myself as my first MC cart).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom