Hana | SKU: NEW-HAE-L0.5

Hana E Moving Coil Cartridge

Hana EL and EH moving coil cartridges represent the best way to upgrade from 'starter' cartridges that typically come packaged with turntables.

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Recommended Component 2025 – Stereophile
Group Test Winner - Hi-Fi Choice Magazine
Very Highly Recommended - Positive Feedback
Deeply Groovy Award - The Audiophile Man

$475.00

Condition

New

Cartridge Output

Low - 0.5mV High - 2.0mV

Ships in 1–3 business days

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What You Need to Know

Your First Step Into Moving Coil Sound

The Hana EL Low Output Moving Coil Phono Cartridge makes it easier than ever to experience the speed, detail, and realism of a true moving coil cartridge. Handmade in Japan by skilled craftsmen, the EL combines quality materials, precision assembly, and Hana’s musical tuning to deliver performance that far exceeds its modest price.

If you’re ready to move beyond a moving magnet cartridge, the Hana EL is an excellent place to begin.

Elliptical Stylus for Clean, Natural Playback

The EL features a nude elliptical diamond stylus that tracks the record groove with excellent accuracy. Compared with many entry-level cartridges that use bonded styli, the nude diamond has lower moving mass, allowing it to respond more quickly to the tiny details cut into your records.

The result is cleaner vocals, better instrument separation, smoother high frequencies, and lower distortion.

Low-Output Moving Coil Design

Unlike moving magnet cartridges, the EL uses a low-output moving coil generator. Because the coils are much lighter, they can respond more quickly to the movement of the stylus.

This gives the EL a lively, open sound with excellent detail, precise imaging, and a natural sense of space that many vinyl enthusiasts love.

Built to Last

The cartridge features a rigid composite body that helps control unwanted vibration while providing a stable platform for the generator. Every Hana EL is individually assembled, aligned, and tested in Japan to ensure consistent performance and long-term reliability.

Handmade in Japan

Each Hana EL is hand-built by experienced technicians using the same attention to detail found throughout the Hana cartridge lineup. This careful craftsmanship helps deliver the musical sound quality that has made Hana one of the most respected names in analog playback.

Building Your System

The Hana EL is designed for quality turntables equipped with a dedicated moving coil phono preamp or a compatible step-up transformer.

It’s an excellent upgrade for vinyl enthusiasts who want to experience the benefits of moving coil technology without making a major investment.

Features & Specifications

Nude Elliptical Diamond Stylus

Tracks the groove accurately for greater detail, lower distortion, and improved record life.

Low-Output Moving Coil Generator

Delivers fast transient response, wide soundstages, and outstanding musical realism.

Rigid Composite Body

Reduces unwanted resonance while providing excellent mechanical stability.

Precision Japanese Craftsmanship

Every cartridge is individually assembled, aligned, and tested in Japan.

Standard ½-Inch Mount

Compatible with most modern tonearms.

Specifications

Type: Low Output Moving Coil (MC)
Stylus: Nude Elliptical Diamond
Cantilever: Aluminum
Output: 0.5mV
Mounting: Standard ½-inch
Tracking Force: 2.0 grams (recommended)
Weight: 5.0 grams

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a moving coil phono preamp?

Yes. The Hana EL is a low-output moving coil cartridge and should be used with an MC phono stage or a compatible step-up transformer.

Is the EL a good first moving coil cartridge?

Absolutely. It’s designed to give vinyl enthusiasts an affordable introduction to moving coil performance while delivering excellent detail and musicality.

What’s the difference between the EL and EH?

The EL is a low-output moving coil cartridge that requires an MC phono stage. The EH is a high-output version designed to work with standard moving magnet phono inputs.

Can I upgrade later?

Yes. The EL is an excellent starting point in the Hana lineup. As your system grows, you can move up to models like the SL MK II, ML, or Umami Red for even greater refinement.

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Recommended Component 2025 – Stereophile

"The EL's basic sonic character was highly musical and exceptionally non-mechanical… [The Hana EL] demonstrated technicolor mids, liquid (but not overly extended) highs, and a delightful way with plucked double bass."

Additional listening yielded more great results, with Mr. Reichert touting its "easygoing musical magic" and its "inexorably real" sound.

Herb's conclusion: "I love it."

- Stereophile, March 24, 2025 / Herb Reichert , Stereophile, August 2016

Group Test Winner - Hi-Fi Choice Magazine

Recommended - Hi-Fi Choice

"The EH balances a rich, detailed, and refined presentation with impressive tonal accuracy…."

"It is emotionally engaging and has a sense of air and space that is unusual at the price."

"Perhaps just as importantly, the Hana manages to sound fun as well…. It rewards with an exceptional sonic performance!"

- Editorial Staff, Hi-Fi Choice, July 1, 2019

Deeply Groovy Award The Audiophile Man

"My first impressions of the EH was that it was a very smooth, easy going, performer. Turning to more dynamic fare, I played a recently re-issued Joy Division album, Substance and played the aggressive song, ‘Leaders of Men’, which was introduced by a rather insistent bass guitar. Lead vocals were articulated well via the EH. There was a lot of passion and energy infused into this area which could have invited slurring and blurring at times but the EH successfully resisted any such urge. More than that, the texture of the vocal delivery added to the emotive presentation which helped the ear to engage with the motive power of the music."

"Both cartridges [EH and EL], however, performed well and both bring genuine advantages to any listening session, while both offer terrific value for money."

- Paul Rigby, TheAudiophileMan.com

The Best Phono Cartridges, Tonearms and Headshells Buyers Guide 2022 - Part-Time Audiophile

"After mounting this affordable high-output MC on a very expensive table with two tonearms, and against another cartridge that was more than five times the Hana’s cost, we were surprised that the lower bass frequencies were fuller and more satisfying—possibly at the cost of that last bit of inner detail. This is crazy inexpensive for one of the best phono cartridges to feature Japanese high-quality."

- Editorial Staff, Part-Time Audiophile, November 26, 2021

Best Phono Cartridges: 2021 Holiday Buying Guide - ecoustics.com

"An excellent tracker, the EL offers a lush sounding midrange, and slightly rolled-off treble making it an excellent cartridge with a wide range of music and systems."

- Ian White, ecoustics.com, November 10, 2021

"The Hana (EL and EH) get a solid recommendation for their $475 price point. The Hana-SH gets an easy recommendation for the sub-$999 category and quite possibly beyond. The Hana-SL is the gem of the lineup and can easily fit in any ’table/’arm combination that will accommodate a 0.5mV output. With the Hana-SL, the user can rest assured the cartridge will support the next ’table/’arm “upgrade” and will provide a clear baseline from which to judge if any future cartridge “upgrade” is warranted. The Hana-SL is strongly being considered as an addition to my choices of moving-coil cartridges to use for ’table/’arm evaluations and—more importantly—musical enjoyment. Yes, it’s that good."

- The Absolute Sound, High-End Audio Buyer’s Guide 2017

"The Hana EL is truly a remarkable cartridge, and in combination with The Classic, makes for a compelling and world-class analog playback system. And even though the price is probably double what I'm typically used to paying for the cartridge that's usually mounted in the arm of my table, the almost unbelievable increase in trackability, musicality, and overall performance makes it worth every penny."

"Very highly recommended!"

- Tom Gibbs, Positive Feedback, June 11, 2018

"If the vinyl revival continues I see a bright future for the new Hana brand, its excellent price to quality ratio should ensure that."

- René van Es, The-Ear.net, February 12, 2016

"You could say the EL looks at the bigger picture. Rather than focusing upon specifics,
it offers a possibly more engaging and flowing performance."

"Both these [EL and EH] moving coil cartridges performed well and they bring genuine
advantages to any listening session at a low, low price. Terrific value for money."

- Hi-Fi World

"The Hana [EH] cartridge is the best cartridge I have ever owned. I have been using my Hana almost every day for hours, so there is probably well over 1,500 hours on it. The sound has not degraded at all, which means this is a fairly durable moving coil cartridge. I bought a number of extra cartridges so I could rotate cartridges and not wear out the Hana, however, I still use the Hana almost exclusively."

- Byron Baba, dagogo.com, October 2018

"For me, the Hana EH not only redefines the budget MC cartridge: it practically redefines music for the open minded audiophile. Gold Star indeed, and my most enthusiastic recommendation."

- Noam Bronstein, wallofsound.ca, January 10, 2017

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Hana E Moving Coil Cartridge

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