Hana Unami Red Moving Coil Cartridge

[Saxman]

Hi All,
Sometime ago I purchased a Hana MH at the time their latest model of MC cartridges.I remember one guy suggested I was a brave man because it was high output.
Well it turned out to be very good indeed albeit most reviews believed the ML was slightly better.
Time moves on. In September Hana launched their latest cartridge called a Umami Red. At the time there was no reviews on it only Hanas sales pitch explaining all the technical specifications.
I have a audiophile colleague in Scotland who went out and bought one.
At or about the same time The Audio Beatnik produced a review written by a guy called Ken Redmond,never heard of him by the way.
Apart from the normal lead in he wasn’t of the opinion that the umami hit you in the face as soon as the stylus hit the record more that it was a cartridge that grows on you the more you play it.
One thing he did say which I am extremely sceptical about was that a difference of point one made a difference up or down to soundstage,midrange and hardness.
All I can say is he must have the ears of a bat to detect such nuansces.
Let’s get to it . It is a lovely looking cartridge with a easy to fit head shell.
I tracked at 2grams withe the arm parallel to the turntable. Impedance set at a hundred ohms and capacitance at zero.
At first I thought yes this sounds nice but nothing dramatic .Which echoed the Audio Beatnik Review .
After about six hours it exploded.
I kid you not I have a Dynavector xvit and a London Reference,The Umami outclasses both of them.
I could not believe the sound this cartridge produces it is stunning.
I could ramble on about soundstage,clarity,punch,distortion etc but I am not.
Simply put this cartridge provides a musical presence the like of which I have never heard anywhere before.
I rest my case there except to say if you fell like a nice Xmas present then go for other half in agreement of course.
I got mine from a company in Edinburgh called Audiophilia.
A guy called Carlo owns very nice person ,if you do decide to go for one mention my name and he would probably give you discount.
Re cost will leave that to your own enquiries.
One thing I do assure yo of is you will not regret it.
Kindest Regards
Alan

[Ivor]

Thanks Alan,
That pretty much mirrors my own experience with the HANA ML I fitted last June and I suspect Dave F, a fellow HANA ML owner would also concur. Impressive enough from the first day but gradually improving. 25 hours, 50 hours, 100 hours and counting.... while is a hugely impressive and likeable cartridge it is also very subtle. I like subtle. Priced at about €1300 it is pitched firmly at the higher, if not the highest, end of the cartridge market.

As Alan pointed out reviews of the HANA Umami Red (circa €3800 btw) have been scarce. HANA seem to have deliberately had a "Soft launch" with this unit, it was actually with distributors with no press release quite a while ago. The few "reviews" I saw were from small time UK dealers, maybe wholesalers... but not to be taken too seriously.

The cheapest HANA carts start around a modest €450 and at that entry level they have their devotees.
the HANA brand & sound has it's fans and I'm among them, I'm already plotting how to grab a second HANA cart!


https://www.analogueseduction.net/cartridges2.htm

[Diapason]

I'd read about the Umami Red a few weeks back and I'm DELIGHTED to see a local review. Intriguing indeed!

[Saxman]

I heard that the Hifi Plus magazine were doing a review and naming it cartridge of the year.
Wait and see.

[cybot]

Another great review Alan. Looks like it's a keeper for life. Enjoy!

[Ivor]

I heard that the Hifi Plus magazine were doing a review and naming it cartridge of the year.
Wait and see.

That magazine definitely like HANA carts! It was probably the quote below that swung it for me. Buying a cart without hearing it is not something I normally do.

"As it stands, this is the best £3,000 – £4,000 cartridge you can buy...for £995."
– Alan Sircom, Hi-Fi+. 2019 Phono Cartridge of the Year Award

[Saxman]

I remember that I was the same it's not a bad magazine.
Only trouble with Ireland and Hifi is there is a limited number of dealers to go and listen to various products.
Saying that cartridges where possible should be tried in your own system, a big ask of dealers I know.

[Fran]

Congratulations on the purchase Saxman!

They certainly seem to have a great reputation at the moment, and very very few unhappy owners. The Umami is their top of the line, so should be an amazing listen - while my benz is going grand at the moment, at some point I'll be faced with a decision to replace it, and its good to hear of the positive experiences with Hana. The Umami is above the area I would be looking at, but I have been tempted strongly by the benz ruby in the past.

Lets see how it goes!!

Fran

[Saxman]

Hi Fran
Thanks, I can't say I have a lot of experience with benz albeit they have a good reputation. Have you thought of the Hana ML that is supposed to be a stunning cartridge. I had the MH which was stunning as well but the ML had the better reviews
I traded in my MH when I purchased the Umami and got a brilliant deal.
Wish you well on making your decision.
Cheers
Alan

[Cyndale]

There is a great review of the Hana Umami Red MC Cartridge in the December 2020 edition of Hi-Fi News!