Hana sl = Fantastic

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Tablet Man, Apr 27, 2019.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Davey

    Davey NP: Portishead ~ Portishead (1997)

    Location:
    SF Bay Area, USA
    So what you're saying is that you decided to buy a new model at full price, but with 150 hours on it, instead of a discounted demo model with maybe the same amount of hours on it?

    :)
     
  2. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edmonton
    Dealer says the demo maybe has 10 hours on it and no discount on the demo model. My only criticism of the Moon is that you can't run an MC and MM table concurrently as there is no input selector, but it sounds fantastic for the price point, and my Rotel has a built-in MM phono which is good enough for my Dual 1225.
     
  3. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edmonton
    In fact, Rotel really improved the built-in phono stage for its 10 series amplifiers. My dad has an old 8 series control amp, and as soon as he heard the improvement that my Musical Fidelity had for his Rega P7, he handed me money. So now I don't have to worry about selling my old phono stage :)
     
    HiFi Guy 008 likes this.
  4. Blowby

    Blowby Static lp

    Location:
    Colorado
    Good choice on a new one. I started noticing the first level of change about 50 hours then about 200 or so. Link to my break in experience

    Each night after returning from RMAF I play a few LP’s while the sound comparison is as close, time wise, to the systems there and my personal stuff. The Moon 110LP v2 is dialed in just right or maybe my room treatment, speaker placement is a contributor. I have a low budget system, old cartridge and used albums and it sounds absolutely wonderful ...... I feel the 110LP is playing a big part in the final results. I know you’ll feel compelled to keep this post up to date. Great product for the price, value wise. :righton:
     
    bluemooze and .crystalised. like this.
  5. HiFi Guy 008

    HiFi Guy 008 Forum Resident

    Location:
    New England
    I don't mean to admonish you, but I'd wait until the 300+ hour break in period before considering any further purchase or change of anything.
    It should sound wonderful enough on it's own.
     
    Last edited: Sep 8, 2019
    .crystalised. and Andy Saunders like this.
  6. chipcalzada

    chipcalzada Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Philippines
    I just a good deal on a Hana SL (I was able to trade-in my AT33 PTGii) and I love it. It has better synergy with my tonearm and phono pre. Here are some photos:

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  7. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edmonton
    Well I picked up my new Moon phono pre from the dealer after 8 continuous days of burn in with the Frybaby. That's put roughly 200 hours on the recommended 300 hour burn in time. About to sit down and play some records with the Hana :)
     
  8. Blowby

    Blowby Static lp

    Location:
    Colorado
    ......and?


    What’s taking you so long? :rolleyes:
     
    .crystalised. likes this.
  9. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edmonton
    Sounds great. I'm spinning Julie London's 'All Through The Night' album at the moment and the cymbals sparkle like crystal. Great texture in the bass, much faster and more accurate than the Rondo's bottom was, and the piano is three dimensional. It's a Steinway, but I was never able to notice that before. I can hear Bud Shank's saxophone bouncing off the studio walls. I can't get over the accurate reverb of the Hana. Julie's voice glides effortlessly from the back of the speakers and is perfectly centered and in focus. Very nice.

    The Moon is a lot warmer now that it's had some burn in time. Or rather, it allows the Hana to provide a fuller presentation.
     
    Last edited: Sep 21, 2019
    bluemooze likes this.
  10. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edmonton
    Anybody know if I can stack the Moon on top of my DAC or will that cause possible interference? The Moon is so small that it makes things look unbalanced on the shelf.
     
  11. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edmonton
    Always fun to see photos of a cartridge at work, especially when it's such a steal of a deal :righton:

    Those phono cables are intense.
     
    chipcalzada likes this.
  12. chipcalzada

    chipcalzada Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Philippines
    Thanks, I'm really pleased with the sound of the Hana SL. It has more emphasis on the lower frequencies compared to my previous PTG cart. There's seemingly more body to the sound without sacrificing the airy top end which I loved about the PTG. The only drawback I've noticed is that the Shibata tip is more prone to surface noise compared to the microline tip of the PTG which was more forgiving. But other than that, I'm very happy with what I'm hearing.
     
    Ontheone and .crystalised. like this.
  13. bluemooze

    bluemooze Senior Member

    Location:
    Frenchtown NJ USA
    Love the way my 110LP sounds with my Ortofon Quintet Black. :)
     
    .crystalised. likes this.
  14. bluemooze

    bluemooze Senior Member

    Location:
    Frenchtown NJ USA
    :righton:
     
  15. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edmonton
    What do you load it at for the Quintet? I though Ortofon recommended a weird impedance around 50 ohms. Or maybe I'm thinking of the Cadenza loading?

    The Quintet Black was my second choice for new cartridge but the cheaper price of the Hana SL won me over. One thing I'll miss about running an Ortofon is the midrange bloom.
     
    Last edited: Sep 21, 2019
  16. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edmonton
    The Hana is quiet in the groove and imparts a nice black background onto the music, but I agree that as soon as it passes over a significant amount of noise, those pops are exaggerated. I find noise is overtly emphasized with microline and all other advanced stylus types I've heard as well, but perhaps less so than Shibata. It probably has something to do with the wider stereo imaging of an advanced tip. Conical and elliptical are by far the most forgiving shapes for noisy pressings. They also can't track as well. There's always a trade-off :)
     
    Last edited: Sep 21, 2019
    Pythonman and chipcalzada like this.
  17. PaulGardner612

    PaulGardner612 New Member

    Location:
    Minneapolis

    The Musical Surroundings Phonomena II+ preamp is great. I'm using it with the Hana SL and it's a great pairing. the MS pre has a bunch of load settings on the back too. Extremely quiet pre and cart is an awesome combo.
     
    Kyle Mooney and .crystalised. like this.
  18. HiFi Guy 008

    HiFi Guy 008 Forum Resident

    Location:
    New England
    Hmm. The Lyra Titan was one of the quietest, and most musical, real-sounding cartridges I've ever heard.
    I don't think it was an elliptical or Shibata.
     
    .crystalised. likes this.
  19. 5-String

    5-String μηδὲν ἄγαν

    Location:
    Sunshine State
    Ortofon does not recommend a specific loading, they just suggest > 20 ohms. The Quintet Black has a 5 Ohm impedance and usually you want to load the cart approximately 10 times the internal impedance which gives you 50 ohms.
    All this is very system dependent and also it depends on your personal preferences.
    When I owned the Quintet Black I was loading it at 100 ohms and it sounded absolutely fantastic.
     
    .crystalised. likes this.
  20. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edmonton
    It should be, based on its MSRP.
     
    PaulGardner612 likes this.
  21. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edmonton
    Boy, is this cartridge ever sensitive to alignment. If things are off by a millimeter, there's lots of sibilance.

    My dealer was trying to convince me that a Rega arm's mounting distance isn't quite 222 mm (despite specs to the contrary), so he aligned for a 221 mm distance. The sibilance bothered me to such an extent I finally realigned it to 1 mm forward this evening and now the sibilance has reduced, and the imaging has improved.

    Thanks to its small frame, the Hana can be aligned to Baerwald spec on a Rega arm, but has anyone gone with Stevenson for this little guy instead? I wonder if it would sound any different. I still get a little sibilance with dialed in Baerwald. Is there a preferred alignment method for shibata styli?
     
  22. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edmonton
    I'm enjoying the Hana but TBH I miss the Ortofon sound. Their cartridges have a "je ne sais quoi" about them. Vocals and trumpets were gentle and emotional with a palpable texture on the Rondo, and instead they are forward and exciting with the Hana. Still enjoyable, but a different listening experience :)

    Could also be the synergy of my components that make the two cartridges sound so different, but the Ortofon was probably a touch flatter in the mids where the Hana seems to be a little recessed.
     
    Last edited: Dec 5, 2019
  23. 5-String

    5-String μηδὲν ἄγαν

    Location:
    Sunshine State
    Yes, I hear you. I am an Ortofon fanboy :D
    There is a house sound in all Ortofon cartridges that I have used that fits perfectly my idea of great sound. They are detailed without being harsh, and energetic and without being fatiguing. In the right system, they shine like no other cartridge.
     
    GyroT and .crystalised. like this.
  24. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    No, you haven't! Detailed review now that you've had months with it to compare, please! :)
     
    Pythonman likes this.
  25. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edmonton
    Has anyone tried loading the SL to 1k with good results?
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine