Still looking for a new Moving Coil Cartridge


I noticed that Music Direct has 20% off cartridge sale on select cartridges. I am still using a ZU/Denon DL103 MC cartridge Series 1 with the cartridges tightest tolerances. I purchased it here from “Audiofiel” back in 2010 and have used it sparingly since. I had been using a Dynavector DV20XL cartridge which I bought a couple of years ago but my 6 yo nephew destroyed it (that’s another story) so I am back to the ZU/Denon.

My table is a Technics SL1200G which I truly love. I have been looking at the Hana Low out put MC cartridges. I am interested in the low output “S” series as the $600.00 price is right where I want to be. Now, the million dollar questions: I listen to 95% 60’s, 70’s and 80’s Rock and want whatever cartridge I purchase to make the records sound good without excessive surface noise. Will the Hana S be up to the task? My Mac C2500 tube preamp has cartridge loading from 50 ohms up to 1000 ohms so I should be ok. I just want to be sure this cartridge will be very musical and full bodied sound. I do no want a thin sound. So there you have it, yay or neigh?

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Showing 2 responses by terry9

Delicacy of sound is very important to me as well. Is higher end Koetsu delicate enough? In this respect my higher end Grado is superior to the similarly priced Koetsu which it replaced. Bonus is that Grado tracking is much better. And the holes in my cartridge are threaded.

Mono? Sure, ideally. But my Mayajima Zero mono is not as good, on mono, as my higher end Koetsu stereo. My higher end stereo Grado is better yet. Close, yes - but inferior refinement.