Well, I’ve been playing the Hana cartridge continuously for several days in a row and I’ve accumulated about 50 hours of use on it. Time for a new assessment.
It certainly is an accurate cartridge. I’m hearing details I’ve never heard before.
But, unlike my former cartridge, it is unforgiving of mediocre sounding recordings. Unfortunately, I have several of those. On audiophile quality records it really sounds wonderful. Especially good are smaller groups, Jazz and pop. On orchestral recordings, unless they’re audiophile quality pressings, the results are less favorable.
The reason I started on this adventure of purchasing a new phono preamp and moving coil cartridge was to bring my analog side closer to the quality of my digital side. I’ve more or less succeeded in that. However, as stated, with my setup, digital is more consistent and reliable.
I know this is not true for everyone. You’re experience may certainly vary from mine. It’s also possible, given more break-in, things will change.
I’m not sorry I pursued this path. I’m really enjoying a lot of what this cartridge can do. I just wish it worked better with the majority of orchestral recordings.
