The takeover offer
We’ve got some good news for Hana cartridges owners! The brand is now offering a trade-in scheme for your old Hana cartridges, enabling you to benefit from a trade-in of 22% of the value of the old cell when you buy a new one from an equivalent or higher range. So you can upgrade your Hi-Fi system for less!
It couldn’t be easier: just send an email to our experts, and they’ll tell you what to do. Once we’ve received your old cartridges, we’ll give you a code to add when you order your new Hana cartridges!
A little history: Hana, a young brand with over 50 years’ expertise
Hana is the result of years of research and development by Excel Sound Corporation. The project originated with Masao Okada-san, who set up Excel Sound Corporation in 1970 to manufacture phono cells for leading Japanese and European brands. The brand quickly gained recognition and expertise, producing up to 50,000 cartridges a month.
The arrival of the CD format in the 80s marked a turning point for the entire vinyl industry, and more specifically for Excel Sound Corporation. As a result of the fall in demand, the company set about creating top-of-the-range MC cartridges, and invested in in-depth research. At the same time, the company continued to manufacture phono cartridges for a number of major brands.
We’ll have to wait until 2015 to see the first Hana model. Masao Okada-san and Hiroshi Ishihara will work together to produce the E and S models, and launch the prestigious Hana brand. The mantra of this brand is to offer the best in music and high-fidelity in a democratic way. It was a risky gamble that was widely acclaimed and rewarded by the specialist press. It didn’t take long for these cartridges to make a name for themselves with everyone in the analogue world: enthusiasts, audiophiles and the specialist press. Its years of experience, rigorous work ethic and traditionalism, coupled with its constant quest for innovation, have made this brand a major player in the moving coil cartridges market.
Hana, complementary ranges
Hana already has a number of models to satisfy all types of audiophile.
It all began with the E series, back in 2015. Presented as an entry-level model, the company emphasises that “entry-level doesn’t always mean low-end”. This is a phono cartridges with an elliptically cut diamond, housed in a green ABS cartridge. The aim of this cell is to introduce music lovers to moving-coil cells.
Then comes the S series, which, once again according to the brand itself, represents the best value for money. This time the diamond is cut in Nude Shibata, at the end of an aluminium cantilever, all once again in a black ABS case. The reproduction of this phono cartridges remains impressive for such a price.
Later in 2018, Hana is launching the M series. It is aimed more at people who are looking for dynamics, transparency and musicality. The diamond is cut in full nude, a shape comparable to the burin used to engrave vinyl records. The diamond therefore captures every nuance of the music, just as it was imagined. The diamond is placed in a black POM cartridge, overlaid with a layer of gold-plated brass. The aim here is to minimise vibrations and save weight. To assemble the terminal blocks, Hana uses the ‘cold annealing’ method, or cryogenics.
Then came the most prestigious cartridges. The Umami Red, unveiled in 2020, boasts all the know-how and expertise the brand has acquired over the years. The diamond shape is cut from a full microline, while the cantilever is made from boron. The cartridge has also been changed, to metallic red-tinted duralium, set with an ebony wood insert bearing the brand’s logo. Once again, Hana has used cold annealing and the internal components are of the highest quality. This cartridge delivers a very transparent and balanced sound reproduction. Thanks to the low noise levels it reproduces, it’s almost possible to watch artists perform in your living room. Spatialisation and reproduction are impressive. The challenge has been met!
And last but not least, the Umami Blue cell was unveiled a few weeks ago, and will be the subject of a dedicated article. Once again, this is a top-quality cartridges, expertly designed for lovers of good music.
It’s worth remembering that the brand offers all these series in two versions: High for high level, and Low for low level. The S series also offers a mono version.
If you have any questions about our products or our trade-in offer, please don’t hesitate to contact us by email or telephone. If you would like to find out more about MC cartridges, please refer to our dedicated article.