The HANA-Umami Blue cartridge follows in the Hana “Brilliant and Gorgeous” tradition of providing the listener with sublime enjoyment. Embodying the true sense of synergy, the HANA-Umami Blue combines the essential ingredients of the Umami Red and Hana ML to establish a new standard for musical performance and value.

HANA UMAMI BLUE

HANA means “brilliant and gorgeous” in the Japanese language, “華” Moving coil cartridges by HANA, bestow the most “brilliant and gorgeous” analog sound for audiophiles and music lovers regardless of their budget.

Handmade in Japan

The HANA way…

HANA UR FLWRBG 800X1000.jpg

50 Years of Cartridge Design


Excel Sound Corporation developed the HANA MC cartridge, combining their 50 years of cartridge design with parts manufacturing expertise using modern industrial technologies. Excel realizes these designs with high quality materials and long established hand assembling techniques for the most musical sound quality.

 
HANA ML 800X1000.jpg

Excel Sound Cartridge Master


Masao Okada-san, who began researching phono cartridge design in 1964, opened the Excel factory in Tokyo in 1970. His skills and expertise have been shared with the artisans employed by Excel Sound who build HANA cartridges.

 
HANA SL 800X1000.jpg

Skillfully Hand Assembled


Excel Sound artisan builders hand assemble all the parts into a perfectly finished product. This precise hand assembly and the fine adjustments by Excel Sound's renown craftsman achieve the consistent "brilliant and gorgeous” HANA sound.

 
HANA EL 800X1000.jpg

Exceptional Quality Assured


HANA phono cartridges are constructed of delicate parts, carefully hand assembled by skilled craftsman, and laboratory tested at the Japanese factory. This ensures both very high reliability and durability, providing years of musical enjoyment.



 
Hana-SL-Rega-Turntable-800h.jpg

Origins of HANA

In 2015, it was very fortunate to once again meet Masao Okada-san, founder of Excel Sound, who I had the pleasure of knowing for almost 40 years. With the renewed interest in LP playback, Okada-san developed the HANA line of moving coil cartridges for our exclusive export. We are privileged to be partners with Excel Sound and without our long-standing friendship, HANA moving coil cartridges would never have been launched.

The HANA “brilliant and gorgeous” sound is now globally available to all music lovers, without an extreme financial burden on your equipment budget. Indeed, a HANA purchase allows you to buy more of your favourite vinyl records - which is the real reason for buying a good phono cartridge in the first place!  

Hiroshi Ishihara, Youtek Corporation