2026 Awards: Analogue – Cartridge

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by Editor
Jan 15, 2026

Winner: Analogue - Cartridge

Hana SH Mk II

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Winner: Analogue - Cartridge

Hana SH Mk II

For its high-output SH Mk II (and low-output SL Mk II) moving-coil cartridges, Hana has upgraded the original designs from 2014 to the extent that they now share more in common with the company’s reference Umami models than they do their predecessors.

While the nude diamond Shibata tip remains, it’s now attached to a tapered (as opposed to straight) aluminium cantilever, reducing tip mass. The overall increased mass from 5g to 8.6g (mainly due to a brass top plate) enhances its compatibility with suitable tonearms, while its 2mV output, 47kΩ load impedance and 130Ω internal impedance (the same as before) means it will play ball with the majority of moving magnet phono inputs. The now broadly curved body is coated in a matte black elastomeric paint to provide better resonance control, too.

Closer to reference performance

The upgrades pay off. In his review, Alan Sircom confirms that the new SH is a lot closer in performance to the “exuberant” and more expensive Umami Red than the original SH, “slightly more mellifluous and warmer than the Red, but not so warm that it sounds lush or a little dull”. This is a very coherent cartridge, with excellent soundstaging and a Project Manager-level knack for organisation, plus standout midrange insight. Its balance of warmth, good sense of rhythm and flow, and dynamic power puts it at the head of its sub-£1,000 class.

Given a design tweak that would put your fingers further from the stylus during installation, the Hana SH Mk II would be nigh-on perfect.

Reviewed in Issue 241

Hana • hana-cartridges.co.uk

Read more Hana reviews here

Welcome to a very special hi-fi+ Awards. Fate (and producing a dozen issues a year) has colluded to make this issue a combination of our 250th edition and our annual Awards special edition. We have scoured the last 12 months of issues to find the best products we’ve seen across a range of categories.

In the past, we had very fixed categories for our annual awards, but that doesn’t fully reflect the current shape of the audio industry. While some categories remain constant, others change and branch out into new avenues. For example, a few years ago, there were so few streaming integrated amplifiers that the category did not need to exist. Now, we have enough to make them distinctly different from integrated amplifiers, without the need for a streamer or DAC. It’s not that one has eclipsed the other; it’s not that one is obsolete and the other state-of-the-art. These are now two divergent lines of ‘integrated amplifier’ that demand their own Awards. To lump them all together as ‘integrated amplifiers’ does the reader no favours, as it adds to confusion rather than pointing out the best we’ve tested.

Similarly, we have sometimes found categories where new products were commonplace a few years ago have reached a zenith. Thus, the category hasn’t received as many new products this year. Portable Audio DACs are a fine example. There are doubtless new models coming soon, but there aren’t enough yet for us to choose an example this year.

Each year we say this, but it’s worth repeating. The best in each category may or may not combine to build the best systems. There have been many cases over the years of people buying an Award-winning source, amplifier, and loudspeakers only to find the pairing a sonic mismatch. Our view of our awards is that they are a finger pointing the way. That finger often points to a good dealer who can assemble a system around that component, blending it with other devices like a master cocktail mixologist.

This is also why we include Highly Commended products. Not everyone likes the same things, and not every component works beautifully with every other. Our Highly Commended products are the result of the audio world being so good at its job, picking the very best from the already excellent is sometimes a very nuanced decision. By including Highly Commended products, we introduce a wider selection of outstanding devices to your next shortlist.

Awards and celebrations

Combining this Awards issue with our 250th also means we get to think about past masters in audio. There’s an interesting question surrounding the best of the past with today’s finest products. How do they compare? I think in many respects, the outstanding products this year are as good as we can get at the moment. They hold no comparison with even the finest past glories of 26 years ago; things have moved so far forward.

Sonically speaking, the very best in digital audio today leaves everything from even five years ago in the dust, so looking back to the last century is almost not worth it. And while things might seem less clear-cut in other aspects of audio design, I still maintain that today’s audio outperforms nearly everything from the 1990s, and today’s best is the best you’ll ever hear. Hopefully, that trend continues, and the sound of good audio in five or ten years keeps getting better.

We’re still a long way from achieving sonic realism in the home, and even the best audio systems cannot fully replicate the whole live experience. But they get ever closer; the top-end has the drama, scale, detail and dynamics to take your breath away, but even the most affordable audio gets closer than ever now!

One thing is sure: your next hi-fi product is on the following pages of this magazine! I hope you enjoy the search for the best as much as we did.

By Editor

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2026 Awards: Analogue – Cartridge