HANA SL MK II Phono Cartridge

The HANA SL MK II is a low-output moving coil phono cartridge that pairs a nude Shibata stylus with a tapered aluminum cantilever and an 8-ohm Alnico-magnet generator carried over from the Umami Blue and ML. Master designer Masao Okada-san built it as the second-generation S Series for buyers who want flagship coil-and-magnet engineering at $850. Output sits at 0.4mV with a recommended load above 80 ohms.

Key Features of HANA SL MK II Phono Cartridge

• Nude Shibata stylus: a hyperelliptical line-contact diamond that tracks the high-frequency information most stereo cartridges round off, particularly inner-groove violin overtones and cymbal decay.
• Tapered aluminum cantilever: stiffer than the straight aluminum tube on the original SL, with reduced effective tip mass for cleaner transient transfer from groove to coil.
• Alnico magnet, cross-coil generator: the same generator architecture used in the Umami Blue and HANA ML, wound with 30-micron high-purity copper at 8-ohm coil impedance.
• Cryogenically treated yoke, pole pieces, and gold terminal pins: Hana cools the critical magnetic and signal-path metal parts to below minus 300F to refine grain structure and lower noise.
• Non-resonant body with brass mounting cap: elastomeric resin body shape modeled on the M Series, with threaded brass top so the headshell screws bite into metal, not plastic.
• 0.4mV output, 8-ohm impedance, 8.6g weight: compatible with most quality MC phono stages and step-up transformers, and heavy enough to load mid-mass tonearms in the 9 to 13 gram effective-mass range.
• Soft Feel matte black finish: elastomeric resin paint on the body damps body resonance and gives the cartridge a fingerprint-resistant matte surface during installation.

Tapered Aluminum Cantilever and the Shibata Stylus

The biggest mechanical change from the original SL is the cantilever profile. The straight aluminum tube on the SL has been replaced by a tapered aluminum cantilever that is thicker at the coil end and thinner at the stylus tip. The result is a cantilever with higher rigidity along its length and lower moving mass at the point where the diamond contacts the groove. Lower tip mass lets the stylus accelerate more quickly when the groove modulation changes direction, which is most of what high-frequency tracing comes down to.

The stylus is a nude Shibata, the same line-contact profile Hana uses on its more expensive S Series. A nude Shibata is a single-piece diamond mounted directly to the cantilever (rather than a tipped diamond bonded to a metal shank), which keeps tip mass low and contact geometry consistent. The Shibata profile sits deeper in the groove than a conical or elliptical, with a longer vertical contact patch that reads more of the recorded modulation per pass and reduces stylus wear at the contact point.

Alnico Generator and Cross-Coil Windings

The SL MK II generator is the same one Hana uses in the Umami Blue and the HANA ML. It is built around an Alnico magnet (an aluminum-nickel-cobalt alloy that holds a stable, predictable field over decades) and a cross-coil armature wound with 30-micron-diameter high-purity copper wire. Coil impedance is 8 ohms, output is 0.4mV at 1kHz, and channel separation measures 28dB. The 8-ohm coil impedance is roughly a quarter of the original SL's, which makes the cartridge easier to load (Hana recommends greater than 80 ohms) and broadens compatibility with more phono preamps and step-up transformers.

Cryogenic Treatment of Critical Parts

The yoke, pole pieces, and gold-plated terminal pins are cryogenically treated. Cryogenic treatment is a slow controlled cool-down to roughly minus 300F followed by a slow return to room temperature. The process refines grain boundaries in the metal, reduces internal stresses left over from machining, and (in audio applications) is associated with lower noise floor and better signal coherence. Hana applies it to the parts of the SL MK II that carry magnetic flux and the signal itself.

Non-Resonant Body and Brass Mounting Cap

The SL MK II body is a redesigned shape based on the M Series, finished in a matte "Soft Feel" elastomeric resin paint. The elastomer damps body-borne resonance, and the new shape is heavier than the original SL at 8.6 grams (up from 5 grams). Heavier cartridges couple more positively to mid-mass tonearms and tend to give more bass authority and dynamic snap. The top plate is a brass cap with built-in threaded mounting holes, so the headshell bolts thread into metal rather than into plastic body inserts. Installation is faster and the mechanical coupling between cartridge and headshell is more consistent over time.

Tonearm and Phono Stage Matching

Effective compliance is 10 x 10-6 cm/dyne at 100Hz, recommended tracking force is 2.0 grams, and cartridge weight is 8.6 grams. That puts the SL MK II in mid-mass tonearm territory. We pair it most often with the Rega RB330, Rega RB880, Michell T8, and Oracle Paris. Buyers stepping up usually move to the Rega RB3000 or Michell TecnoArm 2. On the phono-stage side, the 0.4mV output and 8-ohm coil impedance want a moving-coil input with at least 60dB of gain or an MM stage paired with a step-up transformer (1:10 to 1:20 turns ratio). At this cartridge price, our most common pairings are the Cambridge Audio Alva Duo at $399, the Primare R15 MM/MC at $1,399, and the Chord Electronics Huei at $1,810. Recommended load on the cartridge side is greater than 80 ohms; 100 ohms and 470 ohms are both common starting points.

Explore the HANA Cartridge Lineup

Companions in the S Series MK II line, plus the next step up:

• HANA SH MK II: high-output (2.0mV) version of the same cartridge for MM phono inputs and step-up transformers you would rather skip.
• HANA SL Mono MK II: dedicated mono cartridge for original mono pressings, with a single coil and no vertical compliance noise.
• HANA ML: the one-step upgrade, with a Microline stylus and Delrin body for tighter resonance damping and longer stylus life.

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HANA SL MK II Phono Cartridge Specifications