Sap For Hana Vs Sap On Hana

[Channing Arther]

The food at Hana-hana is very good value. I am not saying you will get top class Japanese food, but for a Japanese omakase meal, this is as cheap and good as it gets and you should leave the place feeling that you will want to go back again.

I thought File 1 was much fuller, better piano reproduction, more intimate, warmer vocals. Any other directives you have for me today short of raking your leaves? (not that i'm above that sort of thing for the right, say, power cables?)

... "simply to provide an ideal and identical playback situation for both cartridges" and you were going to use both cartridges with a current input type amplifier, why did you bother to determine the optimum load into a voltage input type amplifier for either cartridge?

You don't need an expensive usb dac to discern these differences as with either of my Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 or my Steinberg UR22 that can do up to 24192 files for $150, for either one you can easily hear the differences. 2496 sounds superb and 24192 is better, but it is marginal, but still audible. No excuse not to test your hearing and discernment.

to have different "flavors" of cartridges. my "warmer fuller" cartridge sounds awesome on lots of records but unacceptably dull and veiled on the darker ones. my "neutral" cart sounds awesome on lots of records but unacceptably forward on brighter sounding ones. not sure what to do or just live with the best compromise. two arms or tables is too extreme a cure for low grade audiophile nervosa.

A somewhat generic question, Michael. How is a cantilever made from sapphire (or diamond like the Transfiguration Proteus Diamond)? Are they cut off a larger piece...lasercut perhaps? A delicate operation.

I think that your question presupposes a natural or gemstone sapphire. However the cantilevers are made from synthetic sapphire which can be produced in all kinds of shapes and sizes including small rods for use as a phono cartridge cantilever.

has noticeable surface noise, a little thicker around the middle but very extended, dynamic and live sounding, also a touch off center to the left. overall extremely nice. file 2 sounds smooth and more open around the vocals but less extended, less dynamic and slightly gray and hard sounding. if this is the quintet i am ordering the hana ASAP

My ears are not the same since I developed hyperacus but to me file 1 sounds more natural, and musical but has much more surface noise. File 2 is more audiophile like and much more quite in terms of surface noise. Michael, moving forward you should use this same track and record all the cartridges you review and save on your site. , that would be quite helpful! Keep up the good work!

Both have flaws, to my ears. The 1st file renders a top edge to her voice which is annoying and not natural. I would have told the sound engineer that her voice sounds too hot on top. There is also a bit of hashiness to the treble, heard in the crash cymbal. There is also a bit of thinness to the tonality, a bit of a lack of body. All these are criticisms I have, in general, with the sound of a Shibata stylus.

File 2's vocals sound more relaxed and natural, akin to how I would hear it live. It makes her sound more human in a way. On the other hand, there's just a little bit of a milquetoast to the inner detail of her voice. A Grado or Koetsu midrange would have your heart melting with a you-are-there sound.

The percussion is more relaxed, but lacks a bit of tautness to the transients that keeps me a bit less than engaged with the rhythmic aspects to the drum solo. Marrying both worlds of these two cartridges is a trick that you have to spend far more on to get. So at this price range (and I have a lot of experience listening to cartridges at this price point), you have to generally decide which way to go. Hearing this, I'd probably opt for the Hana, as the sort of sound the Ortofon Black provides (many I know prefer the Bronze, by the way, which, having a less extreme stylus, sounds a bit more relaxed) could sound fatiguing in the long run.

Agreed on all points. Ironically, the sort of softness in file 2 reminds me of what I heard from someone else's setup when they used the Quintet Black S, but is contrary to Fremer's description of it above.

But yeah, the low frequency clarity of File 1 is preferable to the relative murk of File 2, but the high frequencies of File 1 are startlingly unpleasant compared to the smooth and natural feel of File 2.

I've noticed that since it seems to be impossible to make a completely flat MC cartridge (due to the rising response) the best ones seem to generally fall into one of the above two camps frequency response wise. Either they go for neutral bass/mids with varying levels of tipped up top (Ortofon Black, Lyra etc..) or they roll off earlier (Zyx, Hana SL etc..) having a top that is closer to neutral at the "expense" of a warmer sound.

I'm also guessing that it's the Hana. I heard it in the Dr. Vinyl room at RMAF on a Pear Audio turntable (I think it was the Kid Howard) with Larsen speakers and I liked the sound so much I went back several times.

Would have been nice to see the same price range Dynavector 20X2L included here. While other Stereophile writers have discussed it, you have never written a review Michael. Yes it is in the Gruvies, but without your detailed opinions. It is a key cart from one of the classic manufacturers. In fact, I can't remember any Dynavector carts reviews from you, at least recently.

Well, normally I would agree with you re: google but I have been attempting to peel this onion for quite some time now and finally got as close to a definitive answer as I think there is from U.S. Hana Distributor Garth Leerer who says that the compliance for the SL is 12. Prior to that I had called nearly every major U.S. vendor and gotten a few 20's and a couple of 10's. Oh, and are dear leader MF was unsure as well so I'm not certain (because I don't know better, and not that your definitively wrong) that XXcu is the measurement that defines compliance in this case. I'm eager to learn more though.

I am glad I found this article. I needed to choose between a Hana SL cartridge and a Sumiko Blackbird, not the Ortofon. But still, this article was a great help in understanding all the nuances.
My guess is that File #1 is Ortofon and File #2 is the Hana SL. Judging by what Michael posted, of course. I have never heard either of them. It would be great if we knew which is which .

File one sounds open and more natural to me, especially with vocals and percussion. I feel more relaxed listening to it. Two seemed more condensed; I felt tense and tight, the way I do just before I feel a headache coming on. That's exaggerating of course, but that's what I was reminded of. I'm guessing file one was the ortofon but I've never heard a quintet nor a hana before now. Some of these preferences could be caused in part or whole to the kinds of carts we've been listening to for years and have grown accustomed to. I've owed only two: an ortofon stylus 30 and a dl-103.

Great timing! I am currently considering both cartridges as a needed replacement/upgrade to my much loved but well worn Ortofon 2M Black (MM, shibata). Given what I hear here it seems my replacement will be #2...the Hana I assume...and I look forward to the results! Thank you for all you knowledgeably impart Mikey!

Very interesting when you do these comparison reviews. This is exactly what everyone does when they make their purchasing decisions, so guidance from someone who has the time and opportunity to compare similar products is very welcome.

I hope you get the opportunity to review one of the great Audio-Technica cartridges around or below 1000.
The AT33Sa is a very close competitor to the Quintet Black S, costing 949 and sporting a Shibata stylus on a boron cantilever.
It is a better cartidge than the old Quintet Black was, but I have not heard the new S version.

The cheaper AT33PTG/II (a true best buy) and the slightly more expensive At-ART9 are also great buys, that should be more widely known.
I suspect the marketing depat at Audio-Technica could do a better job of sending their product out for review.

Finally had a chance to listen to these. The cart in File 1 is much better and I assume that's the Orto. One need just listen to the bass guitar and drums to hear a clear difference. 2 is muddy which reminds me of when SRA is too low. 1 sounds like it should once it's dialed in. Bass isn't boomy and notes are more clearly defined. No question, 1 is superior.

I'm new here and I take this comparative test to post my first comment! I admit having a preference for File 2, and this, from the very first seconds! It seems that less surface noise is heard on file 2 than on file 1. By prolonging the listening, the sibilants are a little less pronounced on file 2 than on file 1! The sound is a little warmer and sweet on file 2 than on file 1, without lack of definition! File 1 may seem more definite and dynamic compared to file 2 but I think it's a false impression! The sound of file 2 has more body, it is a more materialized! To conclude, I think that the file 2 corresponds more to my modest hifi system (Linn Majik i , Majik DS, Majik 109, Rega P3 / 24 (RB301) ! Sorry for my bad english ( Thank you Google translat )

File 1 was way more dynamic! The drums and the percussive slam, that makes a piano sound like a piano, was superior. File 1 was more alive. File 2 however, had much better detail. The nuances of her voice were much more apparent in file 2. I thought the timber was a little closer to correct, and the bass was more well defined on file 2. The soundstage was pretty close with File 2 being a bit deeper. I loved file 2, with all the extra details, I was just not excited about the lack of dynamics. File 2 just seemed to be lacking in dynamics, much like my AT-OC0/MLII compared to my Van den Hul MC-10. I'm not really sure which I could give up. the livelyness or the details. Tough decision.

There are differences I noted however. File 1 cartridge tracked a bit less quietly than file 2s did. File one had an amazingly alive quality in the vocal. Made my hair stand up hearing it. Very nice! The drums kit sounded very nice and well balanced.

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