Jensen Mc-2RR ISO-max or Bellari MT502 mu

I own both the Hana EL and the Jensen mc-2rr-L. It is a great combo. The Jensen was designed with the Denon 103 in mind, which so happens to have specs that are close to the Hana’s, with exception of the weight. The Denon is 30 ohms, while the Hana is @ 40. They both require 400 ohms loading or more. In use, the cartridge sees about 430 ohms when connected to the Jensen. You can find these specs on their website. The Jensen is also a 1/10 step up, so 20 dB gain, perfect for the Hana.

My preamp is the Tavish Design classic. I'm running all NOS tubes in it. 

How did you connect it to classic preamp.

By using a second set of phono specific cables. Turntable grounded to the preamp only. The cable from the SUT goes to moving magnet input of preamp. I'm using two .5 meter Atlas element Integra turntable phono cables.

Here is a review of the Jensen...https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/jensen-mc-2rr-iso-max-moving-coil-phono-cartridge-step-up-transformer/

The price has jumped to $649 since this review , available at cable solutions.

Ok thanks what tubes are you running in classic.

Using NOS 7025 RCA short gray plate in center position, a GE 12au7 rear, and a SYLVANIA 5751 disc getter in front position.

The GE tube I got from Kevin @ Upscale. The other two were bought from Ebay years ago. According to Scott @ Tavish. the center tube will change the sound the most. The GE and the Sylvania both have helicoil filament that glow pretty brightly for a small preamp tube the RCA hardly glows at all.

I Would like to try an RCA 7025 black plate, but getting harder to locate. Brent/Jesse has a few I believe.

I will eventually sell both the classic and the Jensen SUT, as I want to buy the Tavish Adagio. It has the SUT built in and uses Jensen transformers.

What do you think of that Hana EL? I think for the money it cannot be beat! It’s a wonderful cartridge.

It has Something to do with those Alnico magnets. Not a lot of info on the stylus, except that it is an synthetic elliptical diamond, I assume nude. I prefer it to the higher priced SL and ML for ease of alignmemt. It is less critical to get the VTA/SRA just right. Although I do run mine slightly A$$ down, as it sounds better to me this way.

Although not advisable by Avid, I plan to run the Hana EL in my Avid Ingenium plug and play. It will replace to unbadged Rega Carbon that is installed from factory. The Hana should work well as it is within the parameters of the tonearm, an unbadged Rega RB 110.

According to someone I spoke with at Avid, the Hana EL Is a popular upgrade on that turntable. 

I use tung-sol black plates which I brought from Brent Jesse.I did not that you can run different manufacturers in different positions In my tavish vintage. I love the sound that comes from using the Hana el my turntable that I use is a gem dandy poly table.

Very nice! Tung sol are great tubes. Yes, you can mix and match tubes to your liking/taste. There are no hard fast rules. When it comes to the various tune types, 12ax7, 12au7, 5751, etc...some manufactures were known or recognized as being the best at a certain tube, for instance RCA are renown in both the audiophile and guitar Amp world for producing a great 12ax7/7025 tube. Another example is the Sylvania triple mica 5751 tube, very sought after. 

I noticed that you are thinking about upgrade classic to a tavish adagio.At some point I will think about upgrading my preamp. I love sound of tubes preamp with my vinyl.