Warm sounding phono cartridge


Hello all.  I recently upgraded the phono cartridge on my Marantz TT15S1 from the Clearaudio cartridge that came with the table to a Hana Umami Blue.  I'm overall happy with the purchase.  However, while the Hana has made my well cared for and well recorded LP's sound excellent many of my albums now sound thin to me and noisy. Clicks and pops have been exacerbated to the point that I do not want to play some records even after a run through my Degritter ultrasonic.

I'm looking for a phono cartridge MM, MC or MI in the $1,000 range or less that is warm sounding and less revealing than the Hana.  Any thoughts?  

rfauto

Showing 3 responses by chipcalzone

It sounds like a setup issue to me. Not to play down the OP's skills, knowledge, or experience, but I've tried setting up my Hana ML with a MoFi - Geodisc, and while I got it to sound decent, getting a professional setup guy to do the alignment brought the sound to a whole different level.

Cartridges at the level of the Umami Blue require careful setup and tuning with alignment tools like SMARTracktor or Feickert Alignment Protractor. 

@rfauto A properly set up Umami Blue should not leave you not wanting for a "lesser cartridge"—your description of a thin sound points towards a sub-optimal setup. Either that or something else in the analog chain is causing it.

I would first ask the dealer how it was set up, which alignment system was used, and if VTA and VTF were properly tuned. You mentioned that you traded in your Clearaudio Cart, the Umami Blue should sound warmer compared to that.

I can't stress enough how important professional setup is. I have the ML, before that, I had the SL, and the thin sound is not what comes to mind when describing Hana house sound.   

@lewm One can be serious and enthusiastic about something without personally executing the technical aspects. I can be a car enthusiast who loves driving without needing to tinker with the engine.

I’m fully capable of setting up a cartridge, but if someone with decades of experience, superior skills, and better tools can do it more precisely, I’m happy to pay for their expertise to achieve the best possible sound and mileage from my system.