🎵 Hana SL Series MC Cartridges Review

I've been reading reviews of the Hana SL cartridge for about two years and finally decided to take the plunge and buy it. Reviews say it's so close to a $2,000 cartridge that you can get it for less than $1,000. It is true. The reviews also say that while it's exceptional right away, it opens up after 100+ hours and becomes even more exciting than you might expect. This is also valid. What the reviews don't say is that the sheer listening pleasure of this cartridge will make you smile from ear…

I have been involved with vinyl for over 50 years and have owned several turntables and cartridges over the years. Most pickups are MM, but I have a pair of Denon MC pickups for around $300. After researching opinions on various MC cartridges under $1,000, I finally ordered the Hana SL cartridge. Audio critics say it's a lot better than the sub-$500 cartridges, and some say it's on par with other $2,000+ cartridges. I've been using it for seven months now and I agree with all the praise this…

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…