Thanks for your reviews on the Hana ML. The wife and I are going to Audio Advice today and picking up the Rega P6 and Hana ML and your videos and advice in the comments have been helpful!! Thanks again!
Awesome! Thank you! This is a wonderful combination. I heard this exact pairing and it was great. I'm so excited for you. The ML is bringing me so much enjoyment. Thanks for your donation to the channel.
your review of the Hana SL led me to buy it for my new turntable and phono preamp. my system allows me to use balanced xlr outputs from the tonearm directly into balanced phono preamp xlr and balanced xlr out from phono preamp to balanced inputs to my system tube preamp. output from system preamp goes into xlr balanced input into mono blocks. sound is great.
@@ThePressingMatters I listen to about 3 to 8 LP records per day and have had the Hana SL for about 3 weeks. its' sound characteristics have increased: depth and width of sound stage, cymbal simmer, piano notes and wind instruments all have more presence. bass is tighter
Hi Scott. Nice upgrades. Being a lover of vinyl records, our systems are an integral part of how we enjoy the music we listen to. I am going to get a set of KT 88 tubes later on this year to do a little tube rolling on my PrimaLuna Evo 400 integrated. I am glad you found the sound you were looking for in your system. Now sit back and enjoy the music.
Great dialog on your system evolution. For me, my weak link might be my phono preamp. I am using a Schiit mani pre, which is new at around $150. My cartridge is a Nagaoka MP 500. I too think I get get better sound from my system. Great discussion. Oh yes, I took your advice on a record. I purchased the Massenet Le Cid ballet music on Klavier. It truly is music to die for!
Yay, I'm so glad you snagged that record! My absolute favorite classical LP. I considered getting the Mani to compare, but tubes ultimately won out. The Mani certainly is a great value for its price and quite versatile. Yet I think tubes are important at the phono stage. Try and hear a tube unit if you can. I think you'll be amazed at the difference! Thank you for your comments and for watching!
It really is. The descriptions I've heard of "tube sound" always appealed to me, and I think modern tube amps, even if based on vintage circuits like this, can give you all the warm vivid tonal color of tubes without the drawbacks of their vintage brothers. In the case of the Cayin, it's said to be based on the Marantz 8B. Not a bad pedigree, as that amp was legendary in its day. I'm sure anyone who has one would be hard pressed to let go of it.
I saw an old repeat of a Pawn Stars episode on TV. They bought an old classic 1950s Leslie speaker with its own tube amp inside; the one that has the spinning thing that when an electric guitar is played through it, it makes the pitch waver vibrato like. Used by many rock groups like Led Zeppelin. They brought it to a guy to get it back to nice shape again. He said there had been a rat nest inside and a lot of the wiring was chewed up. The expert looked at the speaker inside and said, "This is great. You can't get drivers like this anymore. They don't make speakers like this anymore." If that's true, wow and double wow! There was a video where famous amp designer Nelson Pass was showing off his new prize find. An old JBL speaker from the early 1960s or something. He wasn't talking like he was glad to find an antique; he was talking like how great it was to find a speaker this darn good. From that far back? It didn't look like horns either. Were there drivers that far back that nothing (or almost nothing) today would compare to? Some people, back in the 1990s, when they were still alive, would tell you "You wouldn't believe what great sound some had in the 1930's." Sound that would put to shame what some people think of as the great equipment of today. The Audiophiliac on his channel once talked about the old Western Electric speaker. He was listening to it for a while. His last comment was "Maybe the first real speaker was the best speaker." As far as amps, tubes are old technology and many of us know just how good they can sound. The newer is better philosophy is promoted, but my interests lies more with vintage equipment. Some of those old classics get 10 to 30 times more than their original retail price. There's a romance to it with vintage equipment. For one thing a lot of it is really good, and a lot of it is rare. You can't just walk into a store and buy it. I don't usually buy the premise that newer is better. I'm sure they knew how to make a perfect hamburger back in the 1940s. Are current hamburgers better because they are newer? Perhaps there's not as much attention to detail, and we would have liked the 1940s hamburger better There are supposedly better parts available for audio now, but when economy and profit margins are figured in, are those parts used or used enough? We have computer analysis now. Did that do us much good, or does the vintage gear all too often sound best? In the forums that discuss tube rolling, not many of those people would choose a modern day made tube over say, an old NOS Mullard tube made in their old Blackburn factory in the 1950s. If they could get their hands on some.
This little Cayin amp is said to be based on a Marantz 8B. If the sound In hearing is even a taste of what that amp sounds like, I'd say there is a lot of truth in what you're saying. It definitely has sold me on tubes. I'll live with what's in there for now, as I don't think I could afford to tube roll with vintage NOS tubes. But there is now a synergy and much more pleasure listening. If it's euphonic distortions, I don't really care! It's more lifelike than what I was hearing prior to the change.
@@ThePressingMatters I knew an old guy who had a Marantz 8, I assume it was the 8B. He had the Marantz 7 matching tube preamp that went with it. I was at his house a few times and spent a few evenings listening. Even though the timbre was not so clean that it tickled you with its purity like solid state at its best can, there was something so pleasing and likeable about the sound. Sometimes it sounded rolled off in the highs, and then out of the darkness some triangle or something came like out of nowhere and it made you think "Thats surprising, maybe it isn't rolled off like I thought." The wealthier people really into sound bought Marantz back then, many others bought Dynaco. I have the rarest Dynaco tube power amp. It's not a ST 70. It came years after, and has better more advanced transformers by all accounts,; better iron. It has a more natural midrange for one. I wonder if my mods didn't push it way past something like the Marantz 8B or maybe even the legendary Marantz 9, which was better than the 8, even though the 9 was darker sounding
I tend to procrastinate too Richard, but as soon as hear a drop off and the cartridge is getting up there in hours, I won't take a chance on it possibly damaging my records. My collection has much more into it than my system and I am super careful to make sure I am minimizing wear. Even if you put something inexpensive on it till you decide on a new cartridge, you'll at least be protecting your records.
I have the 9.0X & although excellent after a moderate run-in I wanted to ditch the stock JJ tubes. I replaced them with Tesla gold pin & that offered a lower noise floor & improved depth, detail & separation. I was also aware that the umbilical was a compromise so I had an independent audio cable manufacturer build an 80cm pure silver umbilical (with input from Dan Wright) & that offered further improvements in tighter & greater low end detail. Interesting to hear about the possibility of a power supply upgrade... I recommend trying the Puritan PSM156.
Yes, I have not done any tube upgrades and I'm glad you mention the ones that you have put in and the result. Interesting about the cord upgrade, and that Dan had input. Perhaps he will address that in an upgrade. I wouldn't know the difference unless I had heard it but it's something to consider. Thanks for the great info. I appreciate comments like these so all can read the users experience. Thank you! I am considering the Puritan model you mention. My friend has a new one and had offered it to me. He got the model up.
Have you ever heard a linear tracking turntable. I have s Sony PS -X555 ES with a Yamaha MC 10 cartridge. The lack of inner groove distortion is remarkable. So much cleaner, warm and musical.
No I don't believe I ever have heard one. Maybe at an audio show back in the day. It's a great idea obviously, as it mimics the way it was cut, but the execution is difficult apparently. Sounds like that Sony did it right.
The Cayin and Prima Luna are one in the same ! Both built in the same factory. The Cayin is for the money awesome value ( build quality just as good as the Prima ) Shibatas are a tough set up but when set right will give a lot of pleasure! My preference is the Micro line stylus; to me it sounds better !
Cayin usually has fixed bias and the Prima Luna in most if not all cases use cathode bias. Completely different design topologies and indeed sound signature.
I've owned an original Cayin A50t and Triangle Comete ES speakers for 15 years. Mine is wired up for EL34 only and will not work with Kinked or beam tetrode designed tubes. It also doesn't have any phono input like the later versions have. I keep my bias around 325mv for the best trade-off between sound quality and tube life. Your Kinked Tetrodes will use a different bias value.
Hi, thanks for your comment! I purchased this through a dealer, who had it on commission. The original owner had it in this configuration. I believe it was ordered with a KT88 tube set rather than stock. I assume it was for more power output. I'm sure the bias was set accordingly. I should doublecheck the bias with my dealer. I have to say it sounds wonderful, though I've not heard it with EL34's. What would you think the sonic differences would be? Finesse vs power?
@@ThePressingMatters Kt88 has more power and dynamics. EL34 is a little more compressed which provides a bit more depth to vocals. It's not really a better vs worse thing - more of a preference. Some like dynamic sound others like it compressed. I found changing preamp input tubes makes little to no difference in this circuit. But NOS 12au7 types for the cathode followers make a noticeable difference.
@@tdunster2011 Thanks for the information, I really appreciate hearing from other owners of this unit. It was something I might never had known about, but everything came together at the right time and right price, and with an extended trial, I was pretty hooked on the sound.
Nice system update. The Hana SL is a very nice cart. Sometimes associated components are a bottleneck and the system needs to be recalibrated such as you have done.
I really think this is what happened here. The SP9 is a very neutral preamp. It's not going to be forgiving, even though it does have tubes. I always felt the Odyssey was on the warm side of neutral but the combination just didn't have synergy. It had impressive heft but the top end really didn't gel with the Hana. It needed the sound of the Cayin to be fully realized. If I have a choice, I don't mind a touch of euphonic coloration as long as each record has its own distinct sound and character. This is what happened, and so far I'm delighted. Thanks for watching and for your comment.
I kind of see your point, but the phono amp upgrade was in the plan, and I've done as much as I care to with the Audio Research preamp. Space constraints made an integrated appealing. It is odd to me that a modest tube integrated could be a viable replacement for components that together are nearly three times its cost but the results don't lie. The failure of the Odyssey really sparked this (literally!) and it just all fell into place. I'm glad it all happened the way it did, as I am able to live with an all tube system for the first time. I don't see myself selling the other two pieces. They just need to be looked over and repaired. It is a surprise to me too.
@@ThePressingMatters Sure, wasn't meant as a criticism, just a response to the comment suggesting 'recalibrating' a system around a cartridge. Glad to hear you made it thru your period of frustration. I'm also considering a Primaluna tube integrated as you mentioned in another comment.
@@Matasky2010 No offense taken. Yes, I've heard two Primaluna Integrated amps and do have my sights set on an in home audition, but the cost was out of reach for me. The Cayin is made by the same factory as the Primaluna and not saying they are the same but similar in some ways. Getting to try this in my system will give me a taste of the tube sound and help me decide if I want to pursue a higher end tube integrated. If I end up selling all three, I might be able to afford a used top of the line Evo!
Hi Scott, you should really consider upgrading you tone arm, the the RB300 is good but has Limitations, I have just upgraded from the RB300 to an Audiomods Series 6, what a revelation, superior tracking, better sound stage, it just lets the cartridge do its job. I’m in the UK, and paid jut under £1200, but it out performers most arms at 3k, take a look, each arm is built to order.
Hi Keith, I have considered it but the Basis plinth is drilled specifically for this arm or at least a Rega arm. I do t think it can be retrofitted with anything else. I did do some upgrades to the arm, such as having it rewired and damped, and a better low sling counterweight. Any upgrade will be for a new turntable at this point which I am considering as funds allow.
@@ThePressingMatters The Audiomods is a direct replacement for the Rega, same geometry. I did also have my RB300 rewired and new counterweight, which did improve the sound, but the main problem it the arm bearing, it could be better, but saying that, the Arm served me well for over 25yrs, so it was about time to upgrade. My new arm is fitted to a Michell GyroDec, not only does the setup look superb, the sound is audio nirvana. I look forward to seeing what deck you upgrade too. By the way I am just breaking in the Hana SL, only around 15hrs in, but the sound very good, will probably look at upgrading my Project DS Tube Box phono amp in the near future, I’m considering the Vertere Phono 1 Mk2, then maybe if I have the funds, the Hana ML. Carry on the good work 👍
Great video Scott. It's my contention that once you reach a certain level of sound quality, upgrading equipment all of a sudden becomes the last thing on your mind. Most audiophiles never reach that level, so they have to keep upgrading. You know you have great sound when you wouldn't even think of changing anything. No matter how much more detail you might be able to eke out, if you don't like your basic sound, your tonality, your balance of warmth and sparkle, you still won't love your sound with more detail. You might even like it less. So many systems I've heard are dry and lacking in tone colors. How can you like sound like that, no matter how much detail it has? Or how can you like sound so bass heavy that it has no rhythmic fleetness. I imagine that's what some of these six figure systems sound like. So bass heavy. It's like the old children's story about the Three Little Bears and the lead character finally finding porridge that's just right. When you're hearing no hint of irritation in the sound and you really get the feeling that you're hearing detail all the way down to the noise floor; it's time to put any intentions of spending thousands more to rest. If your stereo sounds so squeaky clean that it sounds just like the saxophone player on the street corner; you should know you really got something there.
Agree completely here, this last step made me finally relax into the music. I was getting too much detail and the cost was a distraction from musical enjoyment. I'm pulling out records I wouldn't have enjoyed on the other setup. I can say I can live happily with this setup for a while. I do want to address the speakers at some point but no urge or $$$$ to do so now.
Interesting to me, I attended the Florida Audio Show this weekend and saw a lot of great equipment, however often times the sound wasn't dialed in. I realize hotel rooms aren't a great place to hear stuff in but only half of the rooms seemed to get a great result. I paid attention to the tracks they were demoing and what I heard. When I got home I played the same tracks and was pleasantly surprised I found the sound as enjoyable. These setups involved pieces of equipment that were 10 times the cost of my entire system. Yes the equipment was better, and in the right setup blew away my own, but it was interesting that the subjective listening experience gap often was not as large as imagined it would be.
@@ThePressingMatters I'm no doubt speaking out of ignorance, but I think the better equipment (and really expensive), would only be about 70 to 80% better than something like you have. But to get that much % would require taking a lot of time and effort with setup, room acoustic optimization and stuff like elevating speaker cables off the floor, which is one thing that can really ruin the sound spatially, and less severely but audibly in other ways. I bought a pair of Cerious Technology speaker cables a while back. They are a leading edge high end cable design known for initiating the use of graphene as a conductor, which conducts better than silver, which is long known as the best conductor of electricity. I bought the Cerious cable used. I saw a review by someone who I respect, who said at $899 it is the best sound quality speaker cable under $1200. When I hooked the cable up; no sound. I switched cables and determined my equip. was not the problem. I also realized that the cables were heavy enough to pull my bookshelf speakers off their stands backwards. So I bought a pair of top of the line Tributaries speaker cables which I'm pleased with. I even bought 2 of Tributaries top of the line RCA interconnects. I have one unused one that I might put up on Pittsburgh Craigslist. Now that I went to floorstanding speakers and don't have to worry about thick heavy cables toppling my speakers, I might try to do something with the Cerious speaker cables. Probably the connectors got bent and it loosened the solder joint. They say going bare wire without connectors gives you a 5% increase in sound quality anyway. Will be interesting to see if they beat my Tributaries cables. Tributaries cable is made down your way in Florida I think. I read where they might be an (actual) tributary of McIntosh. The thing I love about this company is they make great cables, but put a ceiling on how much they charge for their top of the line cable models, ($399). While other companies whose cables are not even as good, charge thousands of dollars. Their interconnect is the most detailed cable I've ever heard, even among much more expensive ones from other companies. It also uniquely has the most extended high frequency response ever. An absolutely wonderful matchup with tube electronics. It really can make a tube amp have the sparkle it needs to really come alive. The bass is amazingly tight and has astonishing bass definition. Even though it cost $399, I might put it on Pittsburgh Craigslist for sale for $150 to make a quick sale. I can use a new scooter and I'm in a hurty. I just put a pair of Era Design D4 bookshelf speakers for sale on there an hour or so ago for $325 a pair. I was going to sell them around Christmas and you can see Christmassy decoration reflections in their high gloss piano black finish in the pics, which is sort of strange, but I didn't feel like taking new pics. The Era Design D4 speakers were designed by Michael Kelly, the guy who designed the Aerial Acoustics model 10t speaker; one of the greatest $5,000 speakers of all time. It can run with $25,000 models, and is one of audio's best bargains, if found used, without an inflated price tag.
@@sidesup8286 Great info, thank you. I saw a lot of obscenely priced cables at the Florida Audio show that were over engineered just for visual effect. Garden hose sized stuff, some even like three braided garden hoses with magic boxes attached etc. I didn't hear them but yeah the sheer weight would topple a bookshelf speaker.
@@ThePressingMatters It's those crazily priced cables that make people think cables are snake oil. They're not. There are decent companies with some self respect, and respect for their consumers, whose cables are more reasonably priced and are actually a bargain for the degree of improvement they make; per dollar spent. It's too bad that many think they are snake oil, (many don't), because if there is one field in audio that is making more advances in sound quality than cables, I don't what that would be. None! Some of the most talented audio designers are in the cable field, and some of the most oblidgeing too, because many give 30 to 60 day no questions asked trial period guarantees. I have never had problems getting my money back promptly. There is a lot to cables; what metal is used, how the metal is drawn, how the metal is cooled, how the metal is specially treated, what winding and isolation is used within the cable, the outer sheathing material of the cable and the avoidance of skin effect, the resistance and inductance of the cable, the cable connectors and even the length of the cable. I have tried nearly 50 non cheap cables. The better ones can make a 25 to 50% improvement in sound quality. The one that made a 50% improvement in sound quality was the most expensive & did cost $4,999 retail. but I got it for a small fraction of that from someone who offered money back guarantee. It was over 20 feet in length, way too thick and stiff to hide under a rug, and looked like a colony of snakes had taken over my living room. I "loved" it so much, but in easily my hardest audio decision ever; I sent it back. How much money would you have to spend to get a 50% improvement in sound quality like that? Across the board improvements too? $10,000...$12,000,...$15,000? Even at its retail price it was a true bargain.
Have you had a chance to try the Parks Audio Puffin? They're out of stock now but it's an amazing DSP that takes the place of a phono preamp and you tweak EVERYTHING digitally until you get the exact sound you want. I love mine!
Andrew, I've heard so much about this unit and I guess I'll have to research it more. I didn't realize it took the signal into the digital domain. I know everyone that has one loves it, and it has a cult following.
@@ThePressingMatters I don't think the Puffin loses anything by being digital, the sound is still super punchy. Plus you can filter out pops and clicks with the 'Magic mode' setting and remove rumble with 'Derumble' setting, all without undermining the richness of the sound. It's crazy
@@ThePressingMatters a shootout between the Puffin and the Sugarcube would be super cool and unique content as far as I'm aware. Parks Audio is run by one guy in Washington and he's lovely - I wouldn't be surprised if he sent you a demo unit in advance of the Summer 2023 relaunch if you asked nicely. His email address is just their normal contact email by the way. Let me know if you would like an introduction
@@AndrewBell Absolutely. I'd love an introduction. That would be an awesome review, either standalone or with the Sugarcube. I can probably borrow a Sugarcube from one of two people I know who have them. But beyond that, the Puffin really is intriguing. I'm very interested to put it through its paces and see what it can do.
Moving coil cartridges are known for highlighting the high end and upper midrange. People who like more warmth and bass stick with moving magnet. But they usually sacrifice openness, transient quickness and transparency and the ability to hear further into the soundstage with better depth imaging and detail. Moving iron cartridges that I've used, tend to be quicker, transient response wise, than magnetic cartridges. I've used Sonus and AKG. Circa around 1980 through 1990 it was hard to find a moving coil cartridge that did not have a seriously rising high end frequency response. There was the Koetsu Black, but it cost near $700. Around the end of that period, the Madrigal Carnegie Model One cartridge came out and was a MC cartridge with warmth too. It was the 1st cartridge The Absolute Sound gave their maximum number of stars to. Some Grado cartridges were moving iron designs. A rising exaggerated high end was pretty much par for the course with most moving coils back then. Maybe some or most of them still do that; I don't know. MC cartridges were real showmen compared to the behind the curtain moving magnet cartridges. The smarter among us got a moving coil cartridge and a speaker that rolled off in the highs. Or a vintage tube amp with an MC was another great combination that often perfectly balanced out.
@@ThePressingMatters Tubes definitely are biased toward the warm end of things. Even moving coils without shibata styluses veer in the opposite direction; ones with shibata styluses even more so. I remember a highly analytical Monster Cable.MC cartridge, called the Monster Alpha Genesis1000 around 1988. It was so vulcan and lacking in warmth, but it had so much detail that Stereophile ranked it in their Class A category. The KEF LS50 speaker they did the same thing with 35 years later. At least it is a detail champ in it's price class. The cult speaker of all time is the Rogers LS3/5A. A small bookshelf speaker from the 1970s that a lot of people are still after. It's an imaging and vocals champ. It sounds like someone spent a whole year adjusting and getting the vocal range just right. It used old KEF drivers. One of my many speaker pairs was the KEF Reference 101. It used the same exact drivers as the LS3/5A but with a different crossover . Some say it didn't have the same magic. The original, not that costly LS3/5A speakers now go for well over a thousand dollars on the used market. About 5 times their original cost. I used to go to dog races years ago. When I'd lose money to make myself feel better and get a much needed lift, I'd implement what I knew, and did some mods on my audio gear. Some of my best mods were when I lost a lot of money. Money wasn't for almost any of the mods I came up with. I might have lost money at the track, but I at least improved my sound, which is what I probably what I would have used the money for anyway. Not having money to spend doesn't mean you can't improve your sound quality.
Thanks, I do try to be good to myself :-) Music is so important to me that my goal is to get this right. I'm glad you came by to take a look and will follow my journey.
Thank you and welcome to the area! There's a couple of smaller places, Sweat Records on NE 2nd Ave, and Technique on 79th st. They might be a good place to start.
@@ThePressingMatters Thank you! Yesterday and Today was cool but a little overwhelming and tight. I will definitely check out those other places. As a person fairly new to Jazz can you recommend an obscure album that you love? Thanks Scott!
@@insearchofruss Well, I haven't been into jazz too long, maybe 5 years or so. I'd could tell you of o few that would be good for someone just getting into jazz but none are obscure. Some safe choices that are not too out there are Cannonball Adderley Somethin' Else and Miles Davis Kind of Blue, the Dave Brubeck Time Out, Stan Getz Getz/Gilberto, Oscar Peterson We Get Requests, Chet Baker Chet... all easy to get into. From there I would try Sonny Rollins Saxophone Colossus, John Coltrane Ballads, Kenny Burrell Midnight Blue, Dexter Gordon One Flight Up, Sonny Clark Cool Struttin', Kenny Dorham Una Mas, Lee Morgan Sidewinder. And for something more obscure Curtis Amy Katanga. For more adventurous choices John Coltrane A Love Supreme or Mingus Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, or Oliver Nelson Blues and the Abstract Truth. And for way out there maybe Eric Dolphy Out To Lunch. Don't neglect the beautiful vocal jazz albums from Billie Holiday on Verve such as Body and Soul, Songs for Distinque Lovers or All of Nothing At All. A great Male vocal jazz album is Johnny Hartman with John Coltrane. All of these are available in great sounding reissues all analogue from Blue Note or Acoustic Sounds Series.
@@ThePressingMatters I've pretty much heard of all of those so I'm glad to see I'm in the game a little bit. I have bored a few records from analog productions and also blue note. I have a couple of tone poets and I have Coltrane blue train and the Duke Ellington record. I have a long way to go but I have about 15 records. I've downloaded a bunch of stuff to check out.
This phono pre can be upgraded for XLR. It's called the X upgrade and includes other upgrades as well. I've never had balanced connections so I don't know what I'm missing.
Hi, did you consider DIY speakers? It is a great opportunity to get much more for the money. Even if you decide to pay smb to do it for you. I am a happy owner of Troels Gravesen’s design DIY speakers. His designs are wonderful and tube-friendly, worth considering. Btw, I experienced Hana sl to sound a bit bright and too analytical with higher gain on the phono-preamp. Lower gain on phono-pre and higher gain on my preamp sounded more pleasant. Worth trying if you have adjustable gain on your phono-pre.
Hi Mykola! No I hadn't thought about DIY, but I'll look into the designer you mentioned. As to the Hana, I do have a gain fand loading feature on the Modwright, easy to change on the fly, and I have found -6db to help the Hana sound it's best. I'm also running it at 250 gain most of the time. The biggest difference was the tube amp though. Everything improved and I'm really enjoying the system so much more. Thanks for your comment!
@@ThePressingMatters great that you have an improvement. Troels’ webpage is a bit messy and hard to navigate for the first time, so let me know if you need some advise. There are plenty of options - from monitors and relatively slim and small floorstanders to high-sensitivity monsters with 15” or 18” woofers. From budget designs to as high-end as you can imagine.
@@mykolamisyura8107 Great, I'll take a look. I'm going to look into some basic room treatment first as I have yet to address that. The room could use some absorption or diffusion.
@@ThePressingMatters in my case - mineral wool absorbers in the first reflection point work fine (two per side wall). And you can DIY😉. Haven’t measured the result but can’t hear any issues. As many says - first reflection point is the most important place, so I recommend to start there.
Hi Scott, thank you for your videos. I am curious about which loading setting you have opted for with the Hana SL. I am getting the cartridge today and can’t find any guidance except for the manufacturer’s recommendation which states greater than 400 ohms. Thank you kindly!
Hi Manuel, thank you for your comment. I hope you love your new SL! I really had to play with the loading as I generally found 400 to be too forward, and had to reduce gain to compensate. So I generally had it at a setting like 250 or less. I think you'll have to go by ear and hopefully you have an easy way to try different settings. I've not done a full review of the Hana because I suspect there may have been a problem with my sample. I am having the manufacturer take a look at it. So my guidance on loading might not be appropriate for you. I'm hoping to have a new sample soon. One thing I will say is spend some time dialing it in. Check everything with regard to alignment. It's very important to get to spot on. VTA adjustment will be critical to get the most out of it. I think it's a splendid cartridge based on several auditions I had in other systems. I'd love to hear more from you have some hours on it
@@ThePressingMatters Hi Scott, thank you for your response. Instead of playing with the loading, I focused on the VTA, found the sound that I liked (using a deck of cards to adjust my tonearm height). Then, I went back to playing with the loading and I cannot tell a difference between 400, 800, 1000 or 2000. This is all at 50 DB of gain on my pre-amp. I think I'm going to put this aside and start listening to music vs. obsessing about all these settings even though I might not get the most out of my setup...
Oh I will be doing it soon. MS has had the cart for a week today, I'll give them another week and see what they are willing to do. I am assuming replacement or an upgrade offer.
@@manuelguerzoni You shouldn't need to go much over 400, unless you sense you're not hearing enough detail and dynamics. I had to use 400 or under, but as you know my sample may not have been right. It would have been unlistenable at 1,000 or more. That's why I think there was a problem with it. I would set the loading at 400 and raise the arm if you need for speed and detail, or lower if it's too much in that direction and could use more bass and warmth.
Interesting as it's not a component I had thought of as a weak link. This Basis turntable was specifically designed to use the Rega. The design overcomes the VTA limitation that the arm has on a Rega turntable. It also has upgraded wiring. I think if anything would change on the front end, it would be the whole turntable system. I did hear a deck at the Florida Audio Expo this weekend that appealed to me and is in a price range that was attainable - that was the Dr Feikart Volaré. Maybe down the road a bit. Thank you for your observation, and I'll keep you updated on any changes.
Fair enough if it’s had an wire upgrade. Still an rb300. Rega top arm is the rb 3000. £1430. Don’t know what you’re dealer thinks origin live do a great range of arms.
@@scottspinner1 I'm not sure how adaptable this plinth would be for another arm. It's a solid piece of acrylic and was drilled specifically for the Rega. If their other arms have the same base, it's a possible upgrade but at that point a complete front end upgrade might be the best choice.
It’s an up grade path but if you’re thinking of a new turntable probably no point taking a small upgrade on tonearm. For me turntable is most important. Then tonearm. Then cartridge. i e put a 200 cartridge on a 1000 tonearm but not the other around.
