Головки звукоснимателя — HANA EL

The HANA EL is an MC phono cartridge of low output, made by Excel Sound in Japan and assembled by hand. Together with its higher-output sibling, the EH, it forms the E Series, the entry point of the HANA range, and the maker positions both as a step up from cartridges bundled with turntables. The EL carries a US retail price of about USD 475 and comes with two years of warranty cover. Its body is finished in moss green.

Key specs that matter

A nude synthetic elliptical diamond rides on an aluminium cantilever. Output is 0.5 mV at 1 kHz, with an internal coil impedance of 30 ohms at the same frequency and a suggested load above 400 ohms. Frequency response is quoted as 15 Hz to 25,000 Hz, and channel separation as 25 dB at 1 kHz. Output balance between the channels is given as under 2 dB. The recommended vertical tracking force is 2 g, and trackability is stated as 70 microns at that force. The whole cartridge weighs only 5 g and stands 15 mm tall.

Engineering and use context

The generator follows the same design approach used across the HANA catalogue, with Alnico magnets in the magnetic circuit and a cross-shaped armature, combined with proprietary manufacturing steps at Excel Sound. The body is moulded from ABS and painted, which keeps mass down and gives the low overall weight. That light build matters for arm matching, because such a light cartridge adds little to the effective mass of the tonearm, so medium and lighter arms can reach a workable resonance point, while very heavy arms may need extra headshell weight to balance. The body height is useful to note when checking the tonearm height adjustment range and setting the arm parallel to the record. The EL and the EH share stylus, cantilever and weight, while the EL has a lower coil impedance and a lower output.

Pairing

With its low output, the EL requires proper MC gain in the phono stage, or else an SUT or head amp placed before an MM input. The maker describes it as a good match for modern high-gain phono stages, and the low coil impedance works well into a step-up transformer intended for coils of modest impedance. Any load setting above the suggested minimum is suitable, so preamplifiers with a fixed 470 ohm or 1 kohm MC load can be used without adjustment. A tonearm in the light to medium effective mass range is the natural partner for this light body.

Alternatives

The HANA EH uses the same elliptical stylus, aluminium cantilever and body but raises output to 2 mV for use with standard moving-magnet phono inputs.