Hana SH vs ortafon 2m Black

It might be worth considering a step-up transformer for your Hana cart.  
Parks Audio makes one that is not too expensive and gets good reviews.  http://parksaudiollc.com/index.html#txt_162
SUTs are used with the MM setting on your phone preamp and will provide a nice boost to the MC signal.  If you read what Art Dudley has been writing about SUTs recently you might gain some useful info.  
Benefits beyond the extra gain you will get are lower noise and greater smoothness of the sound.  

"I don’t have experience with either cartridge, but — "

After acknowledging you don't know either cartridge, you offer a decisive opinion of both. How do you do that, it's a skill I'd like to learn...

"I don’t have experience with either cartridge, but — "

After acknowledging you don't know either cartridge, you offer a decisive opinion of both. How do you do that, it's a skill I'd like to learn...

I wrote:

I don’t have direct experience with either cartridge, but I *do* have experience with the Shibata stylus, high output MM carts, and (relatively) high output MC carts. I also have experience (from playing guitar) with the characteristics of alnico magnets on speakers and guitar pickups.

I only claimed some direct and some tangential experience with various elements of the cartridges in question. If you look at my response, I always present it as an opinion based on these tangential experiences.

The problem as presented by the OP is a rare situation that might not elicit any explicit responses. I was merely trying to present some information that might give the OP something to go on for further inquiry and evaluation, and was never intended nor presented as a definitive answer. 

The OP thanked me for my response. And you are ... what, the response police?

I apologize, Johhny. I was venting.

A few things about audio forums really annoy me — such as pompous ignorance and patronizing arrogance. You committed neither, I hasten to add.

Many people read something somewhere, or heard someone say something, and parrot it back as if they truly have knowledge, often with absolute certainty. They don’t what they read or heard was wrong to begin with, and/or they didn’t understand it. As a result they mislead people.

Others may really be experts, able to answer both basic and very complicated questions — but ask them a basic question, and you’re an idiot for not knowing. If they deign to answer you, it’s dripping with condescension. Rudeness dressed as superiority.

The Spelling & Grammar Police are also annoying. They know it’s just a typo, but they feel some need to criticize your spelling anyway — and they know someone is writing in English as a third or fourth language (and doing it very well) but just have to jump on their grammar.

 Here I was being a “Comment Cop”. Thanks for pointing it out.

Gary-
I have partial experience- but with the Hana EH.
I own a Technics 1210-M5G- had a Denon DL-110 that I grew tired of. I bought a Hana EH. This is all running through my Yamaha RX-A1030 Receiver.

I was immediately floored by just how much sweeter everything sounded. I had AIR, I had separation, I had quiet background, and felt it was an order of magnitude increase in music enjoyment.

Within a couple of weeks- I got a sweet deal on a VPI Scout 1.1(one year old) with Ortofon 2M Black. I was immediately let down as the VPI/2M Black had no life, no separation, and felt dull. I was not too worried- as I felt I needed to understand its alignment, and I was running JUNK interconnects. I have not had the time to play with alignment, BUT I did replace the cables with Blue Jeans- and noticed a huge difference. It was now enjoyable to listen to my table again. Things were no longer dull, and I have decent separation.

I am really comparing apples to oranges- as these 2 cartridges are running on two different tables. Even though the VPI/2M Black combo now sounds great- I feel I got a bigger kick(in musical enjoyment) out of the Hana EH.

I forgot to mention the Hana was very quiet wrt bringing forward ticks and pops compared to the Denon. Along similar lines- the 2M Black is known to be a very revealing cartridge(warts and all) on less than perfect vinyl. I was quite surprised to not hear a lot of imperfections on some of my vinyl.

What I really want to do- is to bring the Hana over to the VPI- but until I have any experience with alignment on the VPI- I'm not touching it.

Chris