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Hana
Umami Blue - a smooth and involving musicmaker
Danish distribution:
Scandinavian Audio Systems - price DKR 18.900,- (approx 2,540.- EURO)
Hana: HANA | Youtek.com
Latest
update: June 16 2024
IN DANISH
A kind of deja-vu
- Hana Umami Blue 華
This
time i try the Hana Umami Blue. which I received in March 2024.
You could say that it is a slightly toned down version of their top
pickup Hana Umami Red Isee my review HERE). There are many similarities, but do they also sound the same?
Could
I really just repeat the old review and change the name? No, it doesn't
work that way. They are quite similar, but there are differences. Not
just in the price, but also in the data and how they sound. Very
conveniently, I still have the Umami Red that I bought after the
review. It has been used quite a bit and still plays excellently, as a
pickup prices at nearly DKK 30,000 should do. The new Umami Blue
costs approx. DKK 10,000 less. Still a high price for a pickup, but now
it will show how Hana's top model compete. Or more importantly,
how it performs compared to other good pickups in this price range.
Umami Blue
UmamiBlue doesn't stand out much from Umami Red, but as seen from the data, there are some minor details.
For
the record, let me just repeat. Umami is known as the fifth taste. So
in addition to sweet, sour, salty and bitter. Umami actually means
“essence of wonderfulness” when translated from Japanese. You
can say that the music is reproduced "meaty, juicy, delicate"?
Maybe a little vague, but a pickup that reproduces physically and with
body is something most of us can relate to.
Thecantilever e
is, as on the Umami Red, made of solid boron, very thin and relatively
long. The coil system itself is with high purity" 30 micron copper
wound on a cryogenical treatede metal core. Here, then, a little
different than Red. By using a magnetizable armature, Hana ensures a
somewhat higher output, but the moving mass is increased. On the other
hand, you can make do with fewer windings for the same signal. With 0.4
mV out and 8 ohm internal impedance, it seems as if the output is
prioritized. Other competitors typically have somewhat less output and
a coil system wound on air or a non-magnetizable core.
Hana
does not disclose anything about the suspension, but with a compliance
of around 17 (dynamic at 10 Hz) it fits perfectly in most not too heavy
arms. The magnet system is Alnico, again a departure from Red, which
uses samarium cobalt. How their priority and choice has been, I should
not be able to say. But a bit strange that they don't use Neodymium,
like many others. The house itself is hand-built in A7075 duralumin.
The outer blue shell is made of melamine with a technique that Hana
calls MTO.
Overall, the changes compared to Umami Red are very minor.
Data for both Umami Blue and Red.
|
Soecs
|
Blue |
Red |
|
Stylus type
|
Microline |
do. |
| Aantilever |
Bor (Boron) |
do. |
| Magnetsystem |
Rent jern (cryo) |
Permalloy anker |
| Coils |
High purity kobber |
do. |
| Outputlevel |
0,4 mV |
0,5 mV |
| Channelbracking |
70 um v. 2 gram |
do. |
| Channel separation |
30 dB/ 1 khz |
do. |
| Frequencyrange |
15-50.000 |
10-50.000 Hz |
| Outputimpedance |
8 ohm / 1 khz |
6 ohm / 1 khz |
| Recommended load |
mere end 80 ohm |
more than 60 ohm |
| Magnetsystem |
Alnico |
Samarium Cobalt |
| Trackingforcet |
2 gram |
2 gram |
| Weight |
10,8 gram |
10,5 gram |
| Body Construction |
Duralmin |
Duralmin and Ivory |
| ´Finish |
MTO (melamin) |
Urushi laquer
|
I
would probably recommend a somewhat higher load than 60 ohms, but it
depends somewhat on equipment and preferences. I used 100 ohms via my
Accuphase C27. Alternatively, a resulting load of approx. 120 ohms via
my Tona T20/40 stepup transformer. In this combination, the output is
calculated to be 7.5 mV when the subsequent RIAA loads with 47 kohm.
Assembly
Learned
from the experiences with Umami Red, I knew that you MUST use the Allen
screws supplied. The threaded holes in the pickup are only approx.
3.5mm deep, so longer screws can damage the body. I mounted the Umami
Blue in an Ortofon Precison headshell.
The smart needle guard that
covers the entire pickup is still used. It works fine and could also be
used during installation of the pickup withou blocking the acces to the
terminals.
Initially the pickup was mounted in my
Glanz MH 124 arm where it ran via the Tona T 20/40 SUT to my Acchphase
RIAA.. It also ran directly into the RIAA with a 100 ohm load. Then
Umami Blue was moved to my second record player. A Technics SP10 mk II
with Dynavector DV507 arm. Again an absolutely positive combination,
but a somewhat different sound. More in the following..
|
|
|
The sound of Umami Blue
Back in 1970 there was a song called "Mammy
Blue", In 1971 Roger Whitaker had a hit with his
version. If your listen carefully, they very obviously
sing "Uh Mami Blue". Well done by af hit song mentioning the
Hana cartridge more than 50 years ago!
Well,
jokes aside and back to more contemporary music. It was definitely an
advantage to have Umami Red close by. The kinship between the two is
heard very easily. They both have a homogeneity and something immediate
about the rendering. With Umami Blue, you can say that the unforced and
effortless is a kind of characteristic,
.
Here you also find the
absence of noise from the records. The stylus definitely belongs to one
of the most quiet. There is a transparency and a calmnes about the
reproduction. You involuntarily relax and concentrate more on the music
than on whether everything sounds perfect. Definitely a valued quality.
But what about top, bottom and the all-important midrange? Yes, now I
have focused on the whole and the coherence of the way the Umami Blue
behaves, It is difficult to say if some asoects does it
absolutely much better than others. But the top range, the
upper octaves are smooth and with lots of detail. Regardless of whether
I drove directly into the MC part or via SUT, it definitely shines
through that there are details and air, but again without
anything sticking out and drawing attention.
 |  |
| Hana Umami Blue in the DV 507 arm on my Tecnics SP 10 mk II. | Close up showing the magnetsystem. and cantilever. Very nice work. |
Umami Blue in Glanz arm on Platine Verdier - directly into the MC-input
Again
I have found Nojima plays Liszt (Reference Recordings pure analogue
from 1986). This very dynamic recording places great demands on the
pickup and certainly also on the rest of the playback chain.
I
remember how this record almost magically drew me into the experience
of Umami Red on the record player. There is not a big difference
between Umami Blue, which has some of the same power. The warm middle
tone is not quite so much in focus, but you still have the nice
soundscape where he sits in front of the grand piano. There is a
physical sensation where the grand piano has power and fullness as well
as an attack when the keys are struck. So again an Umami with a
reproduction that creates images in 3D and colors! As via Umami Red,
there is also a good ability to separate the individual touches so that
they are defined and clear in the sound image. In any case, a great
musical experience.
The
latest release from Snorre Kirk / Top Dog has been played a lot. I
bought it after a concert in JAZZ CUP, and got a nice autograph on the
record sleeve. Whether that's why it all plays so well, or whether it's
the Umami Blue... well, it must be the pickup's fault. I've listened to
it quite a bit and must once again rejoice at the lightness and
fluidity and, not least, the dynamics of the two saxophones. Piaoneg
stands distinctly with good definition of touch and you almost feel
back at the concert experience. That's how it should be with a good
record and an excellent pickup.
Gilbert
and Sullivan The good old "The world of Gilbert & Sullivan" Decca
recording from 1969, so absolutely analogue. Lovely music and an
excellent recording. Voices, space and music merge into a higher unity.
Knows the record well and it certainly does not disappoint here with
Umami Blue as sampler. There is a nice smoothness and good resolution.
No accents on the voices. All "s" and "t" sounds are in place, so
listening to the music is a pure pleasure. On the larger choirs, there
can usually be some massiveness, but here it is extremely limited. In
other words, the pickup handles choirs and many details at once, just
as well as individual voices or instruments. For the record, I must
note that this record has been played several times. You don't notice
that. No crunch, noise or other disturbing elements.
In the Dynavector DV 507 arm on Technics SP10 - throug Tona T20/40 SUT
Directly
substituting the Umami Red. again playing the excellent LP
with Lils Mackintosh / "A Tribute to Billie Holiday".). She does it
fantastically, to say the least, and with the track "Cry Me a
River" there are guaranteed goosebumps and absolute enjoyment. This
recording is only available on LP - a 100% analogue recording from
ANALOG EXPERIENCE. With Umami Red in the ears, there was less of a
difference to detect. There is less digging into the details and the
voice moved a notch further forward in the soundscape. They are
somewhat more 3D over the more expensive Red, but these are very small
differences. There is still the open and immediate about it all. Umami
Blue delivers a very liberated and, above all, homogenous reproduction
without accents or undertones. It's a pleasure and after one plate side
you forget all about the little extra details from Umami Red. You just
enjoy the music.
Peter
Gabriel is back. This is a fantastically good album. I have invested in
the "Brigh Side" version. A double LP with lots of good tracks.
Unfortunately, music, as so often before, is characterized by a violent
dynamic compression. They never learn! Still, I've listened to the
record many times. There is a good bottom and good air at the top, but
it could be so much better. With Umami Blue on the SP10, there is a
super nice presence. The music and above all his voice move forward in
the living room. There is a wonderful power over everything and the
"sound wallpaper" actually provides a good experience. With Blue, there
is again the physicality and weight in the sound. It is somewhat more
forward and somewhat harder than via my other much more expensive
pickups. But absolutely approved. This is something you can listen to
for hours.
Poul
Simon is definitely one of my favorite singers. Have several of his
newer records, but this one is from the good old days. "There Goes
Rhymin' Simon" is from 1973 pg definitely 100% analog. My copy was
bought used, but absolutely flawless. Neither the music nor the
pressing is wrong. First track on aide 1 is "Kodacrome". Just the
glorious text about how happy he is for the siti Kodacrome camera gives
me energy and seems like a breath of fresh air from the past. This
excitement comes to the fore via Umami Blie. There is the cash ante and
the dynamic. At intense moments, it loses the overview, regardless of
how much is going on in the soundscape. Absolutely a pleasure.
The competitors
There
are many good pickups in the price range around DKK 20,000. I haven't
heard them all. It is e.g. a long time since I have heard an Ortofon
pickup in this price range, so I must be guilty of that. Must ask
Ortofon if they will lend me one!
Alnic The Rose is very lively
and somewhat more dynamic than Umami Blue. It is large, full and does
not have quite the same homogeneity. You can say that Umami Blue
preserves the calm and the big picture,,where The Rose wants to impress
a little. It is round and warm in its rendering, but not as extended
and smooth as Umami Blue.
The Vertere Mystic is a somewhat
different pickup. Here we have the "old school", where the details have
been turned down somewhat. You could almost say a Denon DL103 with
extra power. It probably delivers a slightly larger sound image than
Umami Blue, but it is also fuller and rounder in its reproduction..
It's
been a long time since I put my ears to the Clear Audio Concerto V2. I
remember it being relaxed and very natural. An almost fluid
reproduction. Hana Umami Blue has some of the same, but to a lesser
degree. On the other hand, it is a tad more physical and has more bod.
Summming up
Hana
Umami Blue is an excellent pickup. If I didn't know better, it could
easily be mistaken for the "big brother" Umami Red. Here you will find
quite a few of the qualities I fell for when I bought it. Now numbers
are a strange quantity, but for approximately 60% of the price you get
approx. 90% of the qualities inherent in Umami Red. Although it is
still a high price for a pickup, the result is a reproduction that
should be able to satisfy even the most critical listeners.
Umami
Nlue is distinguished by the immediate homogeneity and coherence across
the entire frequency spectrum. There are no emphases or unodes. It
belongs to the more round and warm-sounding group, rather than the
slightly sterile and very revealing ones. But at the same time it has a
firm and quick sound. There is no lack of attack and weight at the
bottom. There are certainly no details missing, they just come as part
of the whole. During the review period, many types of music were
listened to, and it coped with everything excellently. Both modern
pop/rock, good jazz and not least classical and opera. It should
therefore come as no surprise that Umami Blue gets my absolute
recommendation. It plays music and does it absolutely fantastic.
When I close my eyes I can still hear Roger Whittaker singing "O Mami Blue"!
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