HANA-SL MC Low Output Phono Cartridge [b-Stock]

HANA-SL MC Stereo Low Output Phono Cartridge.

This new line from Japan is named "華" (or hana, which means “brilliant and gorgeous” in the original Japanese) and is going to be highly appreciated more and more. 

HANA Phono Cartridges use high rigidity aluminum cantilevers, Alnico magnets, cross-shaped armatures, providing you with brilliant and gorgeous sound.

Hana “SH” and “SL” use nude natural diamond Shibata-stylus, capable of excellent high frequency response, resulting in supreme transparency and excellent trackability.

“The Hana-SL gives a really sophisticated performance, which is very involving and refined… Both (Hana-SL & Hana-SH) are superb cartridges and are strong challengers to rival big-name brands at the price.”

– Neville Roberts, HiFi Choice (UK)

Introduction to Hana and product details

Hana Cartridges are made by Excel Sound Corporation, coming from a 40 years of fascinating history of Japanese analogue cartridges. 

The Hana cartridges by Excel, featuring the low and high output versions of their E Series and the S Series are very important products in the further development of the analog market. 

Excel has always been one of the key “behind the scenes” Japanese cartridge manufacturers and many audiophiles have no doubt owned an Excel-made cartridge under one of their various OEM brands (including Benz Micro’s entry level models; MC Gold and Silver). 

When an OEM house distributes their own brand, they reserve their best efforts for themselves:

• Hana, translated as “brilliant and gorgeous”, represents Excel’s best materials, including alnico magnets, cross-shaped armatures, and proprietary manufacturing processes. They have excelled at creating MC cartridges noted worldwide for their sound and value, which retain their “musical magic” regardless of the phono stage.
• Weighting only 5 grams, they possess great tracking ability, and are  available in both “L” low and “H” high output versions.
• Hana EL and EH cartridges represent the best way to upgrade from “starter” cartridges that come packaged with turntables. Instead, the SL and SH models can be a very specific choice when when an audiophile and analogue enthusiast is looking for a terrific quality-price ratio product to be installed on an important turntable/tonearm set-up. 

In detail, how do they sound? Normally an MC cartridge of this already moderate price tends to not to be balanced and show irregularities and coloured highs. None of that with the HANA’s, timbre is perfectly smooth and natural, transparent and armonically complete, with a great sense of “real”. 

The High-output models sound slightly more airy, while the low output ones are on the neutral side. 

The distinctive Moss Green body of the EL and EH models houses a sophisticated generator with aluminum cantilever and elliptical stylus. The Hana SL and SH models, distinguished by their black body, provide tighter channel balance, greater channel separation, and improved high-frequency extension as well as an upgraded Shibata stylus. 

Specifications

Dynamic compliance: 10 x 10(-6) cm/dyne at 100Hz is equivalent to about 20 x 10(-6) cm/dyne at 10Hz (theoretical calculation of the dynamic compliance).

“華” (All made and assembled in Japan)

A ´B-Stock´ is a product which has been returned by a customer within their 14/30 Day Money Back Guarantee.

These items are offered at a special, reduced price. Please note, that occasionally the packaging is no longer in pristine condition.

B-Stock products are in full working order and are checked by specialists before releasing them as B-Stock. They come with the full 2 year warranty as any other new product.

Any special comments about a B-Stock product will be noted at the beginning of the article description.