Головки звукоснимателя — HANA SL Mono MK II

The HANA SL Mono MK II is a moving-coil cartridge with low output, built for mono records, part of the second-generation S Series from Excel Sound in Japan. Designer Masao Okada based it on the stereo SL MK II and uses a two-coil generator tailored to mono playback. The US retail price is USD 850, the body is black, and the guarantee period is two years.

Key specs that matter

The Shibata diamond is carried by a tapered aluminium cantilever. Its output is 0.4 mV at 1 kHz, the internal impedance is 23 ohms at 1 kHz and the suggested load is 230 ohms or higher. Frequency response spans 15 Hz to 32,000 Hz. Output balance between the two outputs is under 1.5 dB. Vertical tracking force is 2 g, with trackability of 70 microns at that force. Weight is 8.6 g.

Engineering and use context

The mono version differs from the stereo SL MK II in its generator, with a two-coil design optimised for mono grooves, and this gives a higher coil impedance than in the stereo model. The rest of the construction follows the MK II update. The tapered cantilever is stiffer and lighter at the stylus end, and according to HANA this improves the transfer of groove modulation to the generator. The Shibata profile gives a long contact line along the groove wall. Cryogenic treatment is applied to critical metal parts, such as the yoke, pole pieces and gold output pins. The non-resonant body borrows its outline from the M line and is damped by a matte black elastomeric resin coating, with a brass cap and threaded fittings for the mounting screws. HANA increased the weight of the MK II body to improve coupling with the tonearm and to broaden arm compatibility. The cartridge still has two output channels, so it connects to a normal stereo tonearm cable and phono stage.

Pairing

With its low output, the SL Mono MK II needs a phono stage with moving-coil gain, a step-up transformer or a head amplifier. The suggested minimum load is higher than for the stereo SL MK II, so check the load options of an active MC stage or the input impedance a transformer presents. A turntable with a detachable headshell makes it easy to swap between this mono cartridge and a stereo one for different parts of a record collection.

Alternatives

For stereo records HANA makes the SL MK II, with the same output but a lower coil impedance and suggested load.