{"product_id":"hana-sl-mono-mk-ii","title":"Hana SL Mono MK II","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA true mono moving coil with a Shibata stylus and two-coil generator, built on the S Series MK II platform for the best possible playback of mono LPs.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe S Series MK II is master designer Masao Okada's update to Hana's best-selling cartridges. The headline change is a new tapered aluminum cantilever with higher rigidity and less mass at the tip, carrying the same nude diamond Shibata stylus. The yoke, pole pieces and gold-plated terminal pins are now cryogenically treated, a process borrowed from the Umami Red, Umami Blue and ML. The body is reshaped along the lines of the M Series, damped with a matte soft-feel black elastomeric paint, and topped with a brass cap that carries threaded mounting holes. That cap raises the weight from the original's 5 g to 8.6 g, which Hana says gives better coupling and compatibility with a wider range of tonearms. The SL Mono MK II is a dedicated mono design: Hana's point is that playing a mono record with a stereo cartridge introduces crosstalk, noise, phase errors and distortion from the differences between the two channels, and a mono switch only partly fixes that. Its two-coil generator can be wired three ways, as a normal four-pin stereo connection (the usual choice, feeding both channels identically), as two pins into a phono stage with a left\/right selector, or into a mono amplifier. The nude diamond Shibata is cut to a 0.27 × 1.57 mil profile, output is 0.4 mV from a 23 Ω coil, and Hana suggests a load of 230 Ω or higher.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Absolute Sound's Paul Seydor gave it a 2025 Golden Ear Award and described a luscious midrange and lower midrange with exceptional body and dimensionality, full upper bass, weighty midbass, real power at the bottom, and a top end with air and a pleasing bite on cymbals and triangles, with excellent tracking and resolution; he called it a pickup he never tires of. It is a low-output cartridge, so you need an MC phono stage with about 60 dB or more of gain or a step-up transformer. Loading from 230 Ω up to 1 kΩ is sensible. At 8.6 g it suits medium-mass arms, and the four-pin wiring means it drops into any standard headshell. If you have a serious collection of mono jazz, classical or early rock pressings, this is the cartridge to put on a second arm or headshell.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eType\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLow-output moving coil (MC), mono, two-coil\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOutput\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e0.4 mV at 1 kHz\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInternal impedance\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e23 Ω at 1 kHz\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRecommended load\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e230 Ω or greater\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTracking force\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e2.0 g (70 µm trackability at 2 g)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompliance\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eNot published by Hana\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWeight\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e8.6 g\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStylus\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eNude diamond Shibata, 0.27 × 1.57 mil\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCantilever\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTapered aluminum\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMagnet\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAlnico\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrequency response\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e15 Hz – 32 kHz\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChannel separation \/ balance\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMono (two coils) \/ within 1.5 dB\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBody\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlack, soft-feel elastomeric paint, brass cap with threaded mounts\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAlso available\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHana SL MK II (stereo, 0.4 mV) and SH MK II (stereo, 2 mV)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eReviews\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Absolute Sound, September 2025, 2025 Golden Ear Awards, Paul Seydor: \"This is a pickup that allows for optimal reproduction of your cherished mono LPs, and one I never tire of.\"\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePearl Audio is an authorized Hana dealer. Call or visit our Portland showroom to talk about matching a cartridge to your tonearm and phono stage.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hana","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50786232991842,"sku":null,"price":850.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2475\/2780\/files\/00-featured-square_aa56074d-e9f6-4fb2-9d0e-883aa9e39891.jpg?v=1793181952","url":"https:\/\/pearlaudio.com\/products\/hana-sl-mono-mk-ii","provider":"Pearl Audio","version":"1.0","type":"link"}