Umami Red

CARTRIDGE

When Hana decided to create a high-end cartridge, Master cartridge designer Masao Okada-san applied the concept of Umami combining brilliant materials and classic Japanese techniques with modern audio engineering.

Umami. /ummi/ noun. The fifth taste category after salty, sweet, sour, and bitter. Officially coined Umami in 1908 by Japanese chemist Kikune Ikeda-san, it is that very pleasing or delicious flavor on the palette, a synergistic effect resulting in higher taste intensity.

The HANA-Umami Way

The HANA-Umami Red high-end moving coil cartridge combines brilliant materials and classic Japanese techniques with modern audio engineering. Ebony wood, rare-earth magnets, precision-cut diamond, high-purity copper wires, Urushi lacquering, and CNC machined Duralumin synergize under the vision of Hana designer Okada-san.

The synergistic relationship in MC generators between magnet, armature, and coil windings is a critical aspect of outstanding cartridge design; and like a signature dish at a Michelin 3-star restaurant, every element and detail working in concert results in a memorable and emotional experience.

All the major parts in a HANA-Umami Red are manufactured in house by Excel Sound with its rich history spanning over 50 years. Excels highly trained craftsmen skillfully hand assemble the HANA-Umami Red ensuring an intensely musical experience furthering the HANA Brilliant and Gorgeous sound quality.

Umami Sound – Wonderful Taste in Music

REVIEW & AWARDS

Hana Umami Red MC Phono Cartridge – Read More

“The Umami Red is not just the most engaging cartridge Ive had in my system, but its one of the most engaging cartridges Ive ever heard, and that includes time spent with very high-end systems and cartridges double its price. For listeners like me who have hung out in the 1-2k range of moving coil carts for many years, the Umami Red represents one of the smartest steps up to the high end you can make in my opinion. The sky is the limit when it comes to high-end moving coil cartridges, but I think Hana has presented a very good case here that this could be your end game. I decided it very well might be mine, as I arranged to purchase my demo unit and keep it permanently in my system as a long-term analog reference (my apologies to Ken for his loss). Thats the best endorsement I know how to make.” –Michael Johnson

Hana Umami Red Phono Cartridge – Read More

“The word umami is said to be a fifth element of taste (beyond sweet, sour, salty, and bitter) that results from a perfect combination of the right ingredientsa form of savory deliciousness. The Umami Red is deliciously enjoyable. Color me impressed. ” – Andre Jennings

Hana Umami Red Moving Coil Phono Cartridge – Read More

“Globally speaking, this is a simply superb cartridge, one that consistently performs well above other entrants in its price class. While it may lean a tad to the warmer, smoother side of absolute neutrality, its broadband resolution, nuanced microdynamic expressiveness, macrodynamic control and scaling, inspiring neutrality of timbre, and overall octave-to-octave balance make it an exceptional value. In many ways, it is more reminiscent of the exemplary performance I enjoy from my five times more costly reference cartridge than it is different from it.” –Greg Weaver

Hana Umami Red Phono Cartridge | REVIEW – Read More

“The Hana Umami Red, at $3950, reaches that top level of phono cartridges where it becomes about you, the owneryour priorities and tasteswill dictate whether it will be the cartridge for you. But Ill say it clearlyif you are looking for cartridges in this price range and you dont check out the Umami, youll always wonder if you made the right decision. Im glad I made the decision to grab this cartridge from Mo and experience it for myself. Highly recommended. ” – Marc Phillips

Gramophone Dreams #47: Hana Umami Red, Musical Surroundings Nova III, Ampsandsound Bigger Ben – Read More

“I would compare the most typical differences between the sound of one audio component and another to sharpness and contrast in photography. On this Lead Belly record, the Umami Red displayed sharper, more precisely focused images than the much less expensive Hana ML. More surprisingly, the Umami’s natural-feeling contrast levels, grain-free clarity, and lifelike solidity reminded me a lot of what I experience with My Sonic Lab’s Ultra Eminent Ex ($6995), which also uses a lacquered Duralumin A7075 alloy body, a line-contact stylus, and a boron cantilever. Both cartridges have a similar weight, output, and compliance. And both make pure analog LPs sound like master tapes. ” – Herb Reichert

Review: THE HANA-UMAMI RED MOVING COIL CARTRIDGE – Read More

“This cartridge isnt going to immediately grab you, but if given a bit of time, it could very well win you over. Its beauty is in its subtleties and its balanced tone. Maybe there is something to the fact that HANA meaning Brilliant and Gorgeous. ” – Ken Redmond

Hana Umami Red Cartridge – Read More

“This is an expensive cartridge but I still think it represents something of a bargain, though Im aware that theres going to be some out there who scoff at this. It is a lot of money but it is not as much as you can spend on a quality cartridge and from that perspective, I maintain its bargain status.” – Stuart Smith

Hana Umami Red Cartridge – Read More

“The Hana Umami Red has an ease and effortlessness to the way it approaches music-making that deserves to be heard. It is beautifully detailed and can be particularly enthralling when it comes to acoustic fare, which only serves to make it all the more compelling as a musical companion. And it will rock out too. Umami? Most definitely. At times I was even tempted to describe it as Saiko (stunning).” –Adam Smith

Hana Umami Red MC Phono Cartridge Review – Read More

“High end moving coils all have their own signature sound, and whether you like it or not is, of course, subjective. Whats not up for debate, I think, is the performance level of Hanas Umami Red. Its up there with the best Ive heard at the price in terms of absolute ability. For example, Ortofons similarly priced MC Winfeld Ti is probably its closest rival. It offers a slightly silkier presentation with prodigious detail yet it doesnt have the musicality and momentum of the Japanese contender. As such, this is an essential audition if youre in the market for a top-tier moving coil. ” – David Price

SPECIFICATIONS