Informations
Product description
The HANA SL MkII is a low-output moving coil (MC) phono cartridge made in Japan by Excel Sound. Building on the original, popular HANA SL, the MkII incorporates trickle-down technology from Hana’s higher-end ML and flagship Umami series, addressing previous minor weaknesses in speed and bass dynamics.
Key Technical Upgrades over the Original SL
-
Tapered Aluminum Cantilever: Replaces the standard straight aluminum tube with a tapered design. This lowers effective tip mass while increasing rigidity, delivering sharper transients and improved tracking precision.
- Re-Engineered Generator: Uses a cross-coil wound with 30-micron high-purity copper wire. Internal coil impedance drops from 30 ohm down to 8 ohm (with an output level of 0.4mV). This improves signal-to-noise ratio, detail retrieval, and compatibility with step-up transformers (SUTs) and phono stages.
- Heavier, Better-Damped Body: Weight increases from 5.0 grams to 8.6 grams. The elastomeric soft-touch coated ABS housing is topped with a threaded brass cap, eliminating annoying nuts during installation and offering far better coupling with mid-to-high mass tonearms.
- Cryogenic Processing: Pure iron pole pieces, yokes, and output pins undergo cryogenic treatment for improved magnetic purity and signal transfer.
Specifications
| Specification | Value |
| Generator Type | Low-Output Moving Coil (LOMC) |
| Stylus Profile | Nude Diamond Shibata |
| Cantilever Material | Tapered Aluminum |
| Output Voltage | 0.4 mV at 1 kHz (down slightly from 0.5 mV on the original) |
| Internal Impedance | 8 Ω |
| Suggested Load Impedance | > 80 Ω (typically set around 100 Ω–400 Ω depending on phono stage) |
| Tracking Force (VTF) | 2.0 grams (recommended) |