Review on 🎵 Hana SL Series MC Cartridges by Adan Hudson

Although I grew up on vinyl, I collected CDs and only got back to vinyl last year. Hana SL is one of two cartridges I bought. It's so good I don't feel like trying Kiseki's Purple Heart just yet (still in the box and saving for later)! It was quite difficult for me to learn how to set up the cartridge. To start I added a 3.2mm Delrin pickup disc and longer cartridge mounting screws (both ebay) to keep the 12" VPI tuning arm parallel to the recording on the VPI Classic 4 turntable. Later, VTA/SRA was measured with a microscope. just over 92 degrees. Set the reference weight to approximately 2.2 g and adjust the stylus alignment using the Feukert protractor (Lofgren curve). A very stable mood, proper lighting and magnifying glasses will help. I followed Michael Fremer's video (for setting the VPI) and connected a nylon wire to the base of the vertical bar on the anti-roll device, this provided the shortest cantilever and hence maximum pull. Then I dropped the needle into the unpressed flat space of the test plate between the exit grooves and watched. This was recommended by the Sound Smith website: With proper anti-skating, the needle should move VERY slowly towards the spindle at a much slower speed (by comparison, without anti-skating, the needle moves very quickly towards the spindle Spindle). . Center). In the end only one o-ring was added on the horizontal console (usually as a bumper). I then checked the 2.2g weight and proceeded to the azimuth adjustment which is the most tedious part. The tuning arm counterweight needs to be rotated off-center to allow the Hana SL to twist slightly (I learned this from Michael Fremer's review of the Hana SL). If you look at the front of the carriage (with the silkscreened letter) with a microscope, you can see that the pen arm is slightly tilted, not perfectly centered. I used only the Left and Right 1kHz reference test tracks from Analogue Productions Ultimate Analogue Test LP while viewing the left and right phono stage outputs on the oscilloscope. Adjust the angle of the counterbalance until roughly the same crosstalk/leakage was achieved when the two tracks were played forward and backward. Since the counterweight was being moved during azimuth adjustment, it was necessary to reconfirm the reference weight (I ended up at 2.15g, which is enough). In terms of gain/load I tested various combinations and finally settled on 66dB and 1kΩ on a Pass Labs XP-17 connected to a low Z Audience SX phono stage on my system. After 50 hours of burning the SL opened up and sounds fantastic. Overall it reminds me of a tube amp I've had before, perhaps not the lightning fast and surgically accurate, but very smooth, natural, relentless enjoyment of music. The soundstage is wide and detailed, mids are full and bright, bass is powerful and punchy, and highs are smooth and airy (something CDs typically lack); For starters, I recommend Sheffield Lab-5, Dave Gruzin's Discovered Again, and Thelma Houston's Sheffield Lab-2, I've Got the Music in Me. Direct-to-disc recording is magic and is sure to yield the best instrumental and vocal sounds from the studio. The instrumental tracks are instantaneous, widespread, full disclosure that almost knocked me out of my chair with great feeling and bravo at the end! Vocals are also a strong point of this car. Esther sounds fluid and crystalline, with lots of air and body; Impossible not to fall in love with her voice! Willie Nelson - Stardust 45 RPM is another great record worth checking out. Mr. Nelson's voice has been rendered with that unique grainy texture and decay to convey that slow-burning emotion that will last forever. 45rpm records like Janice Ian's "Breaking Silence" and Fiona Boyce's "The Blues" Professin provide additional power in the mids and lows. The SL delivers rich sound that makes my Devore 3XL + REL S3 SHO sound like a pair of large floorstanding speakers! Lowell Graham - Winds of War and Peace, Track 1 Liberty fanfare can fully demonstrate dynamics and depths. The giant drum will surprise you with colossal volume and resonance! Given that the SL has a unique tube like highs and mids, playing classic strings like Salvatore Accardo's Rossini/String Sonatas (PHILIPS 6769024) is a pleasure and silky through and through. Overall, SL is definitely a goalkeeper. Listening to these recordings, I wonder how much better Kiseki Purple Heart will perform compared to this one (I assume it will bring out a different level of detail, layers, expansion and musicality). Honestly, if I just want to enjoy the music, I can live with the SL being my only cart. To keep the stylus clean, I made a habit of using ONZOW ZeroDust every time I finished playing a side of a record. Simply lift the ONZOW ZeroDust slightly and leave the needle on the gel, then lower and remove. This plus an anti-static gun (before listening) and cleaning the record (after listening) will help keep dust and pops to a minimum. In summary, I've had SL on my desk for a long time and am very happy with it. Worth learning and highly recommended!