Anyone upgraded from Hana ML to Umami Red?

@solypsa That’s a good question, one that I am not sure I have an answer for (other than better everything!).

I don’t have any experience with good quality carts beyond the Hana, and prior to that I had an AT33ev but on a different TT/Phono stage.

I don’t listen to a lot of classical (not that I don’t enjoy some). Or a lot of hard rock (again not that I dont like).

I lean more towards, Jazz, female vocalists, progressive rock, I have a few MOFI Dire Straits that sound fantastic and older rock and blues and I’m a huge Tom Petty fan. Point being I do have a decent amount of very good quality vinyl.

Re-tipping and/or upgrade programs are of interest. 

Not sure if that helps?

Lastly, I do know how to set up a cart but don’t have and have never used any of the fancy tools. The Hana was set up by the dealer I bought the TT from for free (also bought the cart from him).

@macg19 Great point about setup- reserve a little budget for a decent protractor and vtf gauge! Developing self sufficiency in setup and dialing in is a great skill to have.

I also +1 the preference for dealing with a cart manufacturer that offers full service ( retip and rebuild ) as that's a long term savings.

I am in the trade and when I picked the two cart manufacturers I chose to represent ( Aidas & Tedeska ) they had to be excellent sounding of course, but offering full service was of paramount importance in the decision making process. 

Happy hunting :)

What have you decided? I have a hana Umami Red, and love it! Has anybody compared it to Etsuro Cobalt Blue?

@portoalegre I went with the Aidas Durawood Bee which was a huge upgrade from the Hana ML (still have it but it’s looking for a new home) as I’ve moved on to a new TT and  MSL Signature Platinum, along with microscopy analysis and full toolset from WallyTools - which as far as I’m concerned is essential if you are serious about analogue.