Hana Umami Black MC Cartridge

Hana Umami Black MC Cartridge Crafted by a Master Master cartridge designer Masao Okada-san of Excel Sound celebrates over five decades of innovation and excellence. His deep expertise brings Umami Sound to life, blending state-of-the-art materials with time-honoured Japanese craftsmanship and continued advancements in audio engineering. Through his unique approach, he balances tradition with technological innovation, creating components that offer a deeply emotional and immersive listening experience. The HANA Umami Legacy The HANA-Umami Black continues the brand’s legacy of “Brilliant and Gorgeous” sound. In 2020, the HANA-Umami Red introduced the concept of Umami Sound to the world, receiving widespread acclaim. The 2023 launch of the HANA-Umami Blue further demonstrated how these core design principles could bring a profoundly emotional experience to a broader audience. With the arrival of the new flagship model, the HANA-Umami Black, Okada-san’s vision reaches new levels of sonic expression, deepening the philosophy of Umami Sound for the most discerning audiophiles. A New Reference in Analogue Playback The HANA-Umami Black is Okada-san’s new masterpiece, establishing a new reference in analogue playback. It features a diamond cantilever and the innovative “OKD” High-Efficiency Moving Coil Generator, offering pure musical enjoyment that elevates the listener’s experience. The diamond cantilever, a first for HANA, is the hardest known material, ensuring maximum rigidity for precise transmission of groove modulations. Combined with the groundbreaking OKD Generator—featuring the world’s first Integrated Pole Piece and Rear Yoke—it delivers exceptional signal purity and minimises resonance through cryogenic treatment and precision engineering. Engineering Innovations The Inverted U-shaped Front Yoke in the Umami Black is engineered for superior magnetic alignment and resonance control. Its unique structure reduces overtone energy and improves flux field uniformity, resulting in highly accurate cantilever positioning and virtually eliminating tracing error. A powerful neodymium-iron-boron magnet powers the high-efficiency generator, while a hybrid carbon permalloy armature—hand-wound with ultra-pure copper wire—delivers an output of 0.3mV at 5 ohms. This configuration ensures ideal performance with both modern moving coil phono stages and traditional step-up transformers. Artistry and Craftsmanship The heart of the Umami series is the exclusive Auricle™ body design, inspired by the shape of the human outer ear. Machined from A7075 aircraft-grade aluminium and featuring a black zirconia inlay, the body ensures rigidity, resonance control, and elegant aesthetics. Its threaded mounting holes provide excellent tonearm compatibility. The stunning Urushi lacquer finish, applied through a high-temperature bonding process, not only adds visual beauty but also enhances sonic performance by controlling resonance and improving bass and imaging. A nude natural diamond Microline stylus, precisely mounted to the cantilever, mirrors the shape of a record-cutting head and captures the finest musical detail. All key components undergo deep cryogenic processing to refine conductivity and tonal purity, culminating in a cartridge that defines the essence of Umami Sound. Specifications Body: Duralumin (A7075) Structure: Auricle open air Finish: Urushi lacquer through thermosetting process Cantilever: Diamond Stylus: Microline Nude Diamond Structure: “OKD” generator with Inverted U Front Yoke and Integrated Pole Piece and Rear Yoke Armature Material: Permalloy, 78% carbon-infused nickel-iron Armature Shape: 2mm Square Plate Parts Material: Pure Iron Magnet: Neodymium (NdFeB) Coil Impedance: 5Ω Output Voltage: 0.3mV Load Impedance: ≥50Ω Cryogenic: “OKD” generator with U Front Yoke, Integrated Pole Piece and Rear Yoke, Gold-plated Output Pins Frequency Response: 15–50,000Hz Output Balance: 0.5dB/1kHz Channel Separation: 30dB/1kHz Tracking Weight: 2g Trackability: 70μm/2g Dynamic Compliance: 10 x 10⁻⁶ cm/dyne (100Hz), estimated at 17 x 10⁻⁶ cm/dyne at 10Hz Cartridge Weight: 11.3g Quick view Add to wishlist Add to basket Skyanalog P1 Moving Coil Cartridges £475.00 Quick view Add to wishlist Add to basket DS AUDIO DS-E1 OPTICAL CARTRIDGE £2,400.00 Quick view Add to wishlist Add to basket IKEDA SAI MC CARTRIDGE £5,795.00 Quick view Add to wishlist Select options DS Audio DS-W3 Optical Cartridge £4,995.00 – £12,995.00 Quick view Add to wishlist Add to basket Benz Micro Lukascheck PP1 MC Transformer (with RIAA Equalizer) £2,195.00 Quick view Add to wishlist Select options Nagaoka MP150 MM Cartridge £219.00 – £399.00 HotNew Quick view Add to wishlist Select options DS Audio PS-001 Phono Cable £1,995.00 Quick view Add to wishlist Add to basket Acoustical Systems – Fideles m/m Cartridge £950.00 Quick view Add to wishlist Select options Nagaoka MP-700 Flagship MM Cartridge £599.00 – £1,250.00 Quick view Add to wishlist Add to basket Benz Micro LP-S Cartridge £3,450.00 Quick view Add to wishlist Add to basket DS Audio TB-100 Phono Equalizer £17,500.00 Quick view Add to wishlist Select options DS Audio Master 3 Optical Phono Cartridge £8,330.00 – £22,995.00 Quick view Add to wishlist Select options Nagaoka JT-80 LB MM Cartridge £139.00 – £219.00 HotNew Quick view Add to wishlist Select options Hana MH / ML Moving Coil Cartridge £1,039.00