Analog Gear News

The celebrated cartridge manufacturer Excel Sound Corporation — who make the Hana Umami cartridges many of us know quite well — recently announced a new flagship addition to their tasty Umami series of moving-coil pickups: the Hana Umami Black MC cartridge.

The Hana Umami Black is a step above the original Umami Red cartridge that was first released in 2020, and the company wants to emphasize what sets it apart from — and puts it above — the rest of the Umami line, including the Umami Blue.

First, the Umami Black cart is created with a diamond cantilever. Given diamond’s reputation as being the hardest metal, it’s reported to be “ideal for signal transfer” via its Microline nude diamond-type stylus. (It’s this type that most closely mirrors the stylus’ shape on the cutting heads used for vinyl record mastering.)

Second, to aid in that signal transfer and its efficiency, the new flagship Hana cart deploys a newly developed “OKD” apparatus. The OKD is a moving-coil generator with a proprietary integrated pole piece and rear yoke and an inverted U-shaped front yoke that are said to be unique. The latter bifurcated yoke’s functions — beyond cantilever support — include “mechanical resonance control and magnetic field alignment,” according to a press statement released by Hana’s distributor, Musical Surroundings.

The OKD’s parts plus the 24k gold-plated brass output pins all get a cryogenic processing treatment reported to “refine their microstructure for enhanced conductivity, reduced distortion” — and to support tonal purity.

Another feature exclusive to the Umami Black model is a powerful magnet, one of a rare-earth type — a neodymium-iron-boron magnet used in the cartridge’s generator capable of “delivering superior energy conversion” according to the release.

The Umami Black MC cart outputs 0.3mv at 5ohms, enabling usage with typical modern phono preamps of both current and voltage circuitry types (and/or a step-up transformer).

As its name indicates, the Umami Black’s Duralumin (an aluminum alloy) body is finished with a high-gloss black Urushi lacquer finish. The lacquer is applied via a high-temperature, vapor deposition process with thermosetting at 120º Celsius.

One final touch for the Umami Black: a black zirconia inlay that’s both attractive and functional — for added damping and visual flair.

The master cartridge designer behind the Umami line is Masao Okada-san, who delivers on the company’s five decades of precision artisan manufacturing. His approaches combine innovative audio engineering with traditional Japanese handmade craftsmanship.

Finally, the SRP for the Hana Umami Black MC cartridge is $11,500, and it is shipping now. Its first public demonstration in the U.S. will take place this upcoming weekend on September 6, 2025, at Quintessence Audio in Morton Grove, Illinois (which is in the Chicagoland area).

For more about Hana cartridges, go here.
To find a Hana retailer near you, go here.