Hana Umami Blue

The Japanese Excel Sound Corporation has made cartridges for other companies for decades. However, since 2016, the brand has made its range of moving coil cartridges under the Hana name. It hit the ground running with some excellent and affordable models. Then, it changed up and produced the superb flagship Umami Red. Today, the Hana Umami Blue joins that flagship. The Umami Blue sits between the ML and Umami Red in price and technology.

Both Umami models feature a boron cantilever and end in a Microline nude diamond stylus. They also share high-purity copper coil wiring, PEEK terminal plates and 24k gold-plated terminals. Both use a permalloy armature, but the differences emerge here. The Blue uses a cross-shaped armature compared to the square one used in the Red. The Red also has a Samarium Cobalt magnet, whereas the Blue uses AlNiCo (aluminium, nickel, cobalt). Both generators are cryogenically treated.

Red meets Blue

There are also slight changes in coil impedance, output level, and compliance between the two. The Hana Urushi Blue weighs 0.3g more than the Red, although I defy anyone to notice. Hana’s Umami Red has a Duralumin body faced with ebony and finished in a red Urushi lacquer. The Hana Umami Blue has Duralumin, POM, and a more conventional blue lacquer.

And anywhere the Umami Red can go, the Blue can go too.

I have the Hana Umami Red. It’s one of my go-to cartridges. The Red is a cartridge that joined the top end of the high-end without a price tag akin to paying five quid in cartridge wear for every LP played. It’s a giant killer, especially if you like a spot of dynamic range and musical energy. The Red is not exuberant but is exceptionally good at digging rock out of the groove. It’s also a subtle and gentle performer with excellent detail resolution.

The Hana Umami Blue has the same subtlety and grace. It has the same degree of detail and precision and an outstanding sense of imagery, image placement and organic-feeling solidity. You get that sense of musicians performing in a three-dimensional space reserved for super-high-end cartridges. Perhaps most significantly, it handles bass lines with depth, power, authority, and charm. Like the Red, the Blue topples giants.

I also like the overall balance of the Hana Umami Blue. The best cartridges are often slightly warm or cool at this level. The Hana Umami Blue is more natural and neutral-sounding than its rivals. The usual trade-off for neutral-sounding cartridges here—honest but a bit veiled—doesn’t count here. It’s just honest and neutral.

I Got Rhythm

The Umami Red justifies its higher price point thanks to extra dynamism and rhythmic drive. I played ‘Are You Alive’ from Orbital’s Optical Delusion LP [Orbital], and the voice is beautifully rendered in both. The Hana Umami Blue plays the ambience, bass, and space around this track exceptionally well. The Red does the same but tightens up the performance, making it sound like an old-school Techno track.

The Umami cartridges more than justify their places in the pantheon of moving coils. The Hana Umami Blue brings that high-end cartridge ‘wow’ factor at a stunning, attainable price. It looks great, and it sounds great. If it were any more Umami, you’d probably want to eat it!

Price and contact details

• Hana Umami Blue: £2,149, $2,500

Manufacturer

Excel Sound

www.youtek.jp

UK distributor

Air Audio Services Ltd.

www.hana-cartridges.co.uk

+44(0)1491 629629

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