Who it comes up against
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 SL MkII MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
locked to the grooves, no tracking errorsTAS (Jennings) 2025
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 SL MkII MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
locked to the grooves, no tracking errorsTAS (Jennings) 2025
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 SL MkII MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
locked to the grooves, no tracking errorsTAS (Jennings) 2025
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 SL MkII 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.
locked to the grooves, no tracking errorsTAS (Jennings) 2025
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 SL MkII 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.
locked to the grooves, no tracking errorsTAS (Jennings) 2025
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 SL MkII MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.
2 lost · Twin Arms
Against the Twin Arms brief, the Linn Kendo MC keeps the slot decisively.
On its own merits the Hana SL MkII 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.
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 SL MkII MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.
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 SL MkII MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.
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 SL MkII 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.
locked to the grooves, no tracking errorsTAS (Jennings) 2025
1 lost · Twin Arms
Against the Twin Arms brief, the Koetsu Azule Platinum MC keeps the slot clearly.
On its own merits the Hana SL MkII MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.
1 lost · Twin Arms
Against the Twin Arms brief, the Koetsu Onyx Platinum MC keeps the slot clearly.
On its own merits the Hana SL MkII MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.
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 SL MkII MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
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 SL MkII MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.
locked to the grooves, no tracking errorsTAS (Jennings) 2025
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 SL MkII 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.
rounded bassPROXY: AT-OC9 platform
0 lost· 1 won · Twin Arms
Against the Twin Arms brief, the Hana SL MkII MC takes the slot decisively.
On its own merits the Hana SL MkII MC is the stronger cartridge for that brief.
0 lost· 1 won · Twin Arms
Against the Twin Arms brief, the Hana SL MkII MC takes the slot clearly.
On its own merits the Hana SL MkII MC is the stronger cartridge for that brief.