← The components

Hana ML MC

Cartridge

Relative price

typical

Among the 89 cartridges in the catalogue, this one is typical.

A band places a component against its peers and carries no price. It is deliberately the only price indicator on this page: a second one, measured against a different set, would narrow the two together far enough to give the figure away.

What it is

Hana M-series with Microline stylus. Lower model is Hana SL.

Competition record

Assessed against 17 rivals across the sixty systems: 2 head-to-heads won, 63 lost.

Where it gives ground

The dimension the engine names as the weakest link, counted across every head-to-head it lost.

  • bass control ×33
  • quietness at rest ×32
  • low-level clarity ×15
  • rhythmic grip ×4

Who it comes up against

van den Hul The Frog

20 lost · Anchored, Artisan, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Characterful, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Twin Arms

Against the Anchored brief, the van den Hul The Frog keeps the slot decisively.

With the Musical Fidelity M8x Vinyl, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

With the Vertere Groove Runner X, the pairing gives up most on bass control.

On its own merits the Hana ML MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

forceful and dynamic bottom five octavesStereophile (HR Vol.42 No.8)

van den Hul The Crimson

15 lost · Anchored, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Characterful, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Twin Arms

Against the Characterful brief, the van den Hul The Crimson keeps the slot decisively.

With the Musical Fidelity M8x Vinyl, the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.

With the Vertere Groove Runner X, the pairing gives up most on bass control.

On its own merits the Hana ML MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

forceful and dynamic bottom five octavesStereophile (HR Vol.42 No.8)

Goldring Eroica HX MC

4 lost · Silent Path

Against the Silent Path brief, the Goldring Eroica HX MC keeps the slot decisively.

With the Whest Audio 60Se Pro, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

On its own merits the Hana ML MC is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Whest Audio 60Se Pro gives up quietness at rest under the Silent Path weighting.

Hana EL MC

4 lost · Anchored, Characterful, Intimate, Romantic

Against the Anchored brief, the Hana EL MC keeps the slot decisively.

With the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

With the ProJect Tonearm 8.6 Carbon (Debut PRO), the pairing gains most on speed stability.

On its own merits the Hana ML MC is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC gives up quietness at rest under the Anchored weighting.

remarkable job tracing groovesPositive Feedback (Gibbs) 2018

Sumiko Blue Point No.3 Low MC

4 lost · Artisan, Cavity-Native, PRaT, Reference

Against the Artisan brief, the Sumiko Blue Point No.3 Low MC keeps the slot decisively.

With the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

With the ProJect Tonearm 8.6 Carbon (Debut PRO), the pairing gains most on bass control.

On its own merits the Hana ML MC is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC gives up quietness at rest under the Artisan weighting.

forceful and dynamic bottom five octavesStereophile (HR Vol.42 No.8)

van den Hul The Colibri

3 lost · Artisan, Reference

Against the Artisan brief, the van den Hul The Colibri keeps the slot clearly.

With the Vertere Groove Runner X, the pairing gives up most on bass control.

On its own merits the Hana ML MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

forceful and dynamic bottom five octavesStereophile (HR Vol.42 No.8)

Linn Kendo MC

2 lost · Twin Arms

Against the Twin Arms brief, the Linn Kendo MC keeps the slot decisively.

On its own merits the Hana ML MC is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the way it sits with the rest of this system under the Twin Arms weighting.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

Etsuro Urushi Gold MC

2 lost · Vocals-First

Against the Vocals-First brief, the Etsuro Urushi Gold MC keeps the slot by a whisker.

On its own merits the Hana ML MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

Etsuro Urushi Cobalt Blue MC

2 lost · Vocals-First

Against the Vocals-First brief, the Etsuro Urushi Cobalt Blue MC keeps the slot by a whisker.

On its own merits the Hana ML MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

van den Hul MC One Special

2 lost · Romantic, Twin Arms

Against the Romantic brief, the van den Hul MC One Special keeps the slot decisively.

With the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

With the Technics S-shape magnesium tonearm (SL-1200G), the pairing gives up most on bass control.

On its own merits the Hana ML MC is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC gives up quietness at rest under the Romantic weighting.

forceful and dynamic bottom five octavesStereophile (HR Vol.42 No.8)
almost total lack of groove noise and distortionSoundStage! (Lyle) 2001

Koetsu Azule Platinum MC

1 lost · Twin Arms

Against the Twin Arms brief, the Koetsu Azule Platinum MC keeps the slot clearly.

On its own merits the Hana ML MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

Koetsu Onyx Platinum MC

1 lost · Twin Arms

Against the Twin Arms brief, the Koetsu Onyx Platinum MC keeps the slot decisively.

On its own merits the Hana ML MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

Ortofon MC Quintet Black S

1 lost · Vocals-First

Against the Vocals-First brief, the Ortofon MC Quintet Black S keeps the slot by a whisker.

On its own merits the Hana ML MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

Rega Nd3 MM

1 lost · Silent Path

Against the Silent Path brief, the Rega Nd3 MM keeps the slot decisively.

With the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

On its own merits the Hana ML MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

Linn Koil MC

1 lost · BBC Sound

Against the BBC Sound brief, the Linn Koil MC keeps the slot decisively.

With the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC, the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.

With the ProJect Tonearm 8.6 Carbon (Debut PRO), the pairing gives up most on bass control.

On its own merits the Hana ML MC is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC gives up low-level clarity under the BBC Sound weighting.

forceful and dynamic bottom five octavesStereophile (HR Vol.42 No.8)

Goldring Eroica LX MC

0 lost· 1 won · Twin Arms

Against the Twin Arms brief, the Hana ML MC takes the slot clearly.

On its own merits the Hana ML MC is the stronger cartridge for that brief.

Goldring 1042 MM

0 lost· 1 won · Twin Arms

Against the Twin Arms brief, the Hana ML MC takes the slot clearly.

On its own merits the Hana ML MC is the stronger cartridge for that brief.

What the reviewers said

beguiling, tubelike sound Stereophile Recommended Components 2021/2022/2023 (HR Vol.42 No.8)· Tonal body
tendency to smooth out those natural textures Stereophile (HR Vol.42 No.8)· Harmonic texture
brilliant and conspicuously in the room Stereophile (HR Vol.42 No.8)· Presence & articulation
forceful and dynamic bottom five octaves Stereophile (HR Vol.42 No.8)· Bass control
unusual force and extremely pure transients Stereophile (HR on Varèse Ionisation, Vol.42 No.8)· Physical impact
reach deep into the mix and extract subtle effects The Audiophile Man (Paul Rigby)· Micro-dynamic resolution
wonderfully insightful, had tonal poise and good firm bass Hi-Fi World review· Spatial naturalness
extremely pure transients Stereophile (HR, Vol.42 No.8)· Transient attack
could not out-rock or out-reggae the Zu/Denon Stereophile (HR, Vol.42 No.8)· Dynamic coherence
leaps ahead of the SL Stereophile (HR Vol.42 No.8)
left hand of Ito Ema's piano was better toned Stereophile (HR Vol.42 No.8)· Tonal body

How it scores

Voice

  • Tonal body 76 from listening evidence
  • Presence & articulation 76 from listening evidence
  • Harmonic texture 70 from listening evidence
  • Spatial naturalness 76 from listening evidence

Rhythm

  • Transient attack 76 from listening evidence

Bass

  • Physical impact 76 from listening evidence

LowerVolume

  • Micro-dynamic resolution 76 from listening evidence
  • Tonal consistency 76 from listening evidence

Specifications

cartridge typeMC
output mv0.4
internal impedance ohm7.0
recommended load ohm400
tracking force g1.8/2.2
compliance dynamic um per mn17
weight g8.8
stylus profileMicroline
cantilever materialaluminium
notes