HANA UMAMI BLACK

The HANA-Umami Black continues the brand’s legacy of “Brilliant and Gorgeous” sound.  

Master cartridge designer Masao Okada-san of Excel Sound celebrates over 5 decades of innovation and excellence with his new masterpiece, featuring a diamond cantilever and new “OKD” High-Efficiency Moving Coil Generator. The Umami Black is much more than just an Umami Red with a diamond cantilever.

Technologies:

Diamond Cantilever – First ever in a HANA cartridge, the diamond cantilever provides maximum rigidity for direct, precise signal transmission and exceptional clarity.

High-Efficiency “OKD” Moving Coil Generator – Features an Integrated Pole Piece & Rear Yoke with Inverted U-shaped Front Yoke, cryogenically treated for higher signal purity.

Inverted U Front Yoke – Controls resonance and aligns the magnetic field, creating a homogeneous flux field and minimizing tracing error.

High-Power Rare Earth Magnet & Hybrid Armature – Uses a NdFeB magnet with a 2 mm square carbon-permalloy armature, hand-wound with 30 μm 4N copper wire, delivering 0.3 mV output at 5 Ω.

Auricle™ Cartridge Body – Machined from A7075 aircraft-grade aluminum with a black zirconia inlay, inspired by the human outer ear, ensuring rigidity and damping.

Special Urushi Lacquer Finish – Multi-stage thermoset lacquer process enhances both resonance control and visual elegance.

Microline Nude Stylus – A 0.22 mm square nude diamond stylus that mirrors the original mastering head stylus, capturing subtle musical details.

Cryogenic Processing – All magnetic and signal path parts are cryogenically treated for improved conductivity, reduced distortion, and greater tonal purity.

Specifications:

Body: Duralumin (A7075) – Auricle open-air

Finish: Urushi lacquer through thermosetting process

Cantilever: Diamond

Stylus: Microline Nude Diamond

Structure: “OKD” generator with Inverted U Front Yoke and Integrated Pole Piece and Rear Yoke

Armature Material: Permalloy, 78% carbon-infused nickel-iron

Armature Shape: 2 mm Square Plate

Parts Material (Magnetic Circuit Material): Pure Iron

Magnet: Neodymium (NdFeB)

Coil Impedance: 5 Ω

Output Voltage: 0.3 mV

Load Impedance: ≈ 50 Ω (interpreted from "? 50 Ω")

Generator (repeat): “OKD” generator with U Front Yoke, Integrated Pole Piece and Rear Yoke, Gold-plated Output Pins

Frequency Response: 15-50,000 Hz

Output Balance: 0.5 dB/1 kHz

Channel Separation: 30 dB/1 kHz

Tracking Weight: 2 g

Trackability: 70 μm/2 g

Dynamic Compliance: 10 × 10?? cm/dyne (100 Hz); Estimated at 17 × 10?? cm/dyne at 10 Hz

Cartridge Weight: 11.3 g