Hana

Hana means "brilliant and gorgeous" in Japanese, a fair claim for the moving-coil cartridges Excel Sound has built since launching the brand in 2015. Excel Sound itself dates to 1970 and spent decades making cartridges for other companies' labels. Master builder Masao Okada has designed cartridges since 1964. The range climbs from the EL and SL models to the Umami Red, with its duralumin body and ebony casing. Each one's hand-assembled in Japan. You get true moving-coil refinement at prices that leave money for records.