HANA ML Moving Coil Phono Cartridge

The HANA ML is the low-output (0.4mV) M Series cartridge. It pairs a nude Microline stylus and aluminum cantilever with a Delrin (POM) chassis and the 8-ohm Alnico generator Hana later scaled up for the Umami Blue. The Microline tip mimics a mastering lathe cutting head, with a longer narrower contact patch than Shibata for finer detail and longer stylus life. The ML is Hana's cleanest low-output engineering before the Umami line.

Key Features of HANA ML Phono Cartridge

• Nude Microline stylus: a profile shaped like a vinyl mastering lathe's cutting head, with a longer and narrower vertical contact patch than Shibata for finer high-frequency detail and longer stylus life.
• Aluminum cantilever: rigid and light, paired with the nude diamond for low effective tip mass.
• Alnico magnet, pure-iron magnetic circuitry: the same low-impedance generator architecture used in the Umami Blue. Front yoke and pole pieces are pure iron and cryogenically treated; the magnet is Alnico for stable long-term field strength.
• Low-output generator wound for MC stages: 0.4mV at 1kHz with an 8-ohm coil impedance, recommended into a load greater than 100 ohms. The lower coil impedance is associated with cleaner generator behavior and broader phono-stage compatibility.
• Delrin (POM) body with brass cap and threaded mounting: denser than the elastomer-coated body on the S MK II, with measurably better resonance damping. Headshell screws thread into metal, not plastic.
• 9.5g cartridge mass: heavier than the S MK II, mass-matches mid-mass tonearms cleanly and improves bass authority and dynamic snap.
• 30dB channel separation, 12-45,000Hz frequency response: tighter separation specs than the S MK II Shibata models, wider frequency response at the top end.

Microline Stylus and Aluminum Cantilever

The Microline tip is the most distinguishing change between the M Series and the S Series. Where a Shibata stylus has a hyperelliptical line-contact profile that sits relatively deep in the groove, a Microline has a longer and narrower contact patch shaped much closer to the cutting stylus that originally cut the vinyl master. That closer geometric match means the stylus reads finer high-frequency detail per pass, particularly cymbal decay, sibilance overtones, and inner-groove violin information that a Shibata starts to lose. The longer contact patch also spreads stylus wear over more surface area, which translates to longer stylus life under the same tracking force and record-cleanliness conditions. The cantilever is aluminum, rigid, light, and well-matched to the Microline tip's mass. Hana steps up to a boron cantilever on the Umami Blue, which is the next refinement above the aluminum used here.

The 8-Ohm Alnico Generator (Same as Umami Blue)

The ML's generator is the lower-impedance Alnico cross-coil that Hana later scaled up for the Umami Blue. Coil impedance is 8 ohms, output is 0.4mV at 1kHz, and recommended load is greater than 100 ohms. The lower coil impedance is associated with reduced internal damping in the generator (less self-induced loss as the coil moves through the magnetic field) and broader phono-stage compatibility (the cartridge is less sensitive to the exact load resistance set on the phono stage). Channel separation measures 30dB at 1kHz, slightly tighter than the S MK II's 28dB. Frequency response extends from 12Hz to 45kHz, wider at the top than the S MK II's 32kHz ceiling, which the Microline geometry contributes to.

Pure-Iron Yoke, Cryogenic Treatment, and the Alnico Magnet

The ML magnetic circuitry uses pure iron yoke and pole pieces (rather than steel alloys), cryogenically treated. Cryogenic treatment is a slow controlled cool-down to roughly minus 300F followed by a slow return to room temperature, which 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 the treatment to the front yoke and the center and rear magnetic-circuit components. The magnet is Alnico, the same magnet material used in the higher-tier Umami line.

Delrin Body and Brass Mounting Cap

The ML body is injection-molded Delrin (DuPont's brand name for POM, a high-density acetal polymer). Delrin is denser than the elastomer-coated ABS used on the S MK II and damps body-borne resonance more effectively. The body weighs in heavier at 9.5 grams, which couples more positively to mid-mass tonearms and contributes to 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 9.5 grams. That puts the ML in mid-mass tonearm territory. We pair it most often with the Rega RB880, the Michell T8, the Oracle Paris, and the Oracle Origine. Buyers building a longer-term reference setup move up to the Rega RB3000 ($2,445) or the Michell TecnoArm 2 ($1,999). 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). Recommended load is greater than 100 ohms, with 100, 470, and 1k ohms all common starting points.

ML versus MH and the Step Up to Umami Blue

The MH is the high-output sibling to the ML. Same Microline stylus, same aluminum cantilever, same Delrin body, same brass cap, same 9.5-gram weight. Only the coil winding differs: MH is 2.0mV at 130-ohm coil impedance for MM phono inputs; ML is 0.4mV at 8-ohm coil impedance for MC stages. If you have an MC phono stage, the ML's lower coil impedance generally tracks with cleaner generator behavior and is the technically purer choice. The Umami Blue is the step up at $2,500. It uses the same lower-impedance Alnico generator family (the ML was the prototype) and the same Microline tip family, but adds a boron cantilever instead of aluminum and a refined body. Boron is stiffer and lighter than aluminum, which translates to faster transient response and finer high-frequency detail at the top end. Buyers who already run a high-resolution front end (a $4,000-plus turntable, a reference-tier MC phono stage) hear the Umami Blue's added clarity clearly.

Explore the HANA Cartridge Lineup

The M Series stablemate plus the next step up:

• HANA MH: high-output (2.0mV) version of the M Series, runs straight into MM phono inputs. Same Microline stylus, same Delrin body, same $1,200 price point.
• HANA Umami Blue: the upgrade to the Umami line at $2,500. Boron cantilever instead of aluminum, refined body, and the same low-impedance Alnico generator architecture.

The Listening Room Difference

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HANA ML Phono Cartridge Specifications