HANA Umami Black Moving Coil Cartridge

The HANA Umami Black is a tour de force of cartridge engineering, representing the pinnacle of Master Designer Masao Okada-san’s 50+ years of experience. It is a flagship moving coil cartridge that surpasses even the celebrated Umami Red, introducing a category-first Diamond Cantilever and the revolutionary "OKD" High-Efficiency Generator. This uncompromised design combines the hardest material on earth with a high-power rare earth magnet system to deliver a sound of startling purity, speed, and resolution. Finished in exquisite Urushi lacquer, the Umami Black is not just a transducer; it is a work of art dedicated to the "Brilliant and Gorgeous" sound that defines HANA.

Key Features:

• Diamond Cantilever: A HANA first, utilizing a solid diamond cantilever for the ultimate in rigidity and signal transmission speed, ensuring zero loss of detail.
• “OKD” High-Efficiency Generator: A newly developed generator featuring a world-first Integrated Pole Piece/Rear Yoke and Inverted U-shaped Front Yoke for optimized magnetic flux.
• Rare Earth Magnet: Powered by a high-energy Neodymium-Iron-Boron (NdFeB) magnet, exclusive to the Umami Black, for superior dynamic expression.
• Hybrid Carbon Armature: A hand-wound armature made of 78% carbon-infused Permalloy reduces moving mass for effortless tracking and transient response.
• Urushi Lacquer Finish: The Duralumin "Auricle" body is coated in a glossy black Urushi lacquer via a specialized thermosetting process, damping resonance and adding visual elegance.
• Nude Microline Stylus: A precision-cut Nude Microline diamond profile ensures deep groove contact and exceptional high-frequency retrieval.

The Ultimate Signal Path

The Umami Black achieves a new level of transparency through its use of a solid diamond cantilever. As the hardest material known to man, diamond provides the perfect, non-resonant transmission path for groove vibrations, ensuring that the delicate signal picked up by the Nude Microline stylus reaches the generator with absolute fidelity. This results in a soundstage that is incredibly open, with transients that are startlingly fast and lifelike.

Revolutionary "OKD" Generator

At the heart of the cartridge lies the groundbreaking "OKD" generator. This design innovation integrates the pole piece and rear yoke into a single unit, eliminating magnetic loss at the junction points. Combined with an Inverted U-shaped front yoke, this architecture creates a powerful and uniform magnetic field. This precise control allows the moving coils to convert mechanical energy into electrical signals with unprecedented efficiency and linearity.

Rare Earth Power

Distinct from the Alnico magnets used in other HANA models, the Umami Black employs a Neodymium-Iron-Boron (NdFeB) magnet. This rare earth material provides a significantly higher magnetic flux density, allowing for a smaller, lighter generator assembly without sacrificing output. This reduction in mass, combined with the ultra-light hybrid carbon armature, allows the cartridge to start and stop on a dime, rendering micro-dynamics and subtle textures with breathtaking realism.

Functional Artistry

The body of the Umami Black is machined from A7075 "Duralumin," an aerospace-grade aluminum alloy chosen for its stiffness and low resonance. Its "Auricle" shape mimics the curves of the human ear to further disrupt standing waves. This chassis is then finished in a traditional Japanese Urushi black lacquer. This isn't just for beauty; the lacquer acts as a constrained-layer damper, suppressing micro-vibrations and contributing to the cartridge's silent background and rich, organic tone.

The Listening Room Difference

We’re a third-generation family business with a brick-and-mortar showroom in Chestertown, Maryland, and a reputation built on trust, not hype. Whether you’re visiting in person or ordering online, we bring decades of experience, personalized service, and honest guidance to every interaction. We don’t just ship boxes. We help build systems, answer your questions like real humans, and make sure every detail of your setup is right, from the cables to the final connection. Our passion is helping you get the most out of your gear, with support that lasts well beyond the sale.

Specifications