Umami Red

The HANA-Umami Red hand-built MC cartridge embodies ‘Umami’ – officially coined in 1908 by Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda-san as a very pleasing or delicious flavour on the palette, a synergistic effect resulting in higher taste intensity.

Hana’s Master cartridge designer Maseo Okada-san applies this concept as he combines brilliant materials and classic Japanese techniques with modern audio engineering to create his Hana Umami Red low output MC cartridge.

The cryogenically treated MC generator features a samarium/cobalt magnet with a pure-iron square plate armature, hand-wound with high purity 30-micron copper wire for an internal impedance of 6Ω and 0.4mV output.

A Nude Microline stylus is bonded to a solid Boron cantilever for tracing the most delicate musical nuances from the LP.

The HANA-Umami Red exclusive Auricle™ body design (with tapped mounting holes) mimics the shape of the human outer ear to rigidly support the cryogenically treated “Open Air” Moving Coil generator. It is machined from a hard Duralumin with a multi-layered Urushi lacquer finish originating from the Japanese Makie-artistic tradition and incorporates an Ebony Wood inlay resonance damper. An easy to fit stylus guard protects your investment.

All the major parts of the HANA-Umami Red are manufactured in house by Excel Sound with its highly trained craftsmen skilfully hand assembling each cartridge. Master designer Okada-san brings over 50 years of experience to this design, applying the Umami concept of synergy with the HANA-Umami Red.

The Umami Red offers 0.4mv/1KHz output.